"Fluid, Not Tectonic": A Study of Pacing in Literature and Nonfiction
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Authors
Claire Wittlieff
Issue Date
2026-06
Type
Language
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Abstract
This paper centers on the topic of pacing in writing, and what role time plays in its movement. The key idea of this paper is that pacing is separated into three sections: flow of information and action, moments of tension, and emotional investment. The objective of this paper was to explore a craft-based idea for my critical thesis, exploring the idea of what it is about the order of words themselves that draws readers in. My research methods include mostly print sources, relying on both fiction and nonfiction examples to support my claim, drawing from writers Jane Alison, Matthew Gavin Frank, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nana Kwame Adjej-Brenyah, Tobias Wolff, Madison Smartt Bell, Elizabeth McCracken, Patti Smith, and Joan Silber. The central takeaway of this work is that word choices made by writers do indeed matter, and the art of time and pacing is essential.