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Q&A How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep?

An analogue: I had a friend in college who was a choreographer. She had recently presented a piece to rave reviews, and was amused that one of the moments which got the most positive attention was...

posted 13y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T11:59:59Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/3883
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T01:54:55Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/3883
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T01:54:55Z (almost 5 years ago)
An analogue:

I had a friend in college who was a choreographer. She had recently presented a piece to rave reviews, and was amused that one of the moments which got the most positive attention was a long, slow, sweeping movement (I don't recall what the dance term for it was).

She told me, "This thing they love — it was right after a big, complicated, difficult sequence. I put that arm-sweep thing in to give the dancer a chance to _rest!_"

_You_ may know that you're putting in a quiet scene to give the reader a breather. But the quiet scene has to have purpose. It has to contribute to the story. Find a reason for the quiet scene, and the tension-release takes care of itself. If you can't find a reason for a low-key scene, then maybe you don't need one.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2011-09-09T12:14:25Z (about 13 years ago)
Original score: 1