Antony West (Author)

Pacing is the rhythm of a story. It’s about knowing when to build suspense and when to zip through the less important bits. This is a subtle skill, but one that can be taught. Doug Lemov’s ‘Cold Call’ can be a fun way to do this. “In this scene, how could we slow down the action to build suspense?” “What details would we add?” “And in this scene, how could we speed it up?” “What could we cut?” It’s about teaching them that not every moment in a story has the same weight. Some moments are a slow waltz, while others are a frantic sprint.