“He took a wife, she bore him sons and daughters, the bar-room prospered, property came and went; he grew old, his wife died, he retired from business, and reached the age when a man begins to feel there are not many years in front of him, and that all he has had to do in life has been done. His children married, lonesomeness began to creep about him; in the evening, when he looked into the fire-light, a vague, tender reverie floated up, and …”
— “Home Sickness” by George Moore
Technique
In “Home Sickness,” George Moore uses a pacing technique to speed and slow the short story.
The above paragraph explains a large portion of the protagonist’s life in America, mirroring the fast-paced lifestyle.
In a contrasting example, the story becomes very descriptive when the protagonist visits rural Ireland, covering every experience in detail, such as old friends reuniting, meeting new villagers, conversation, admiration of nature, and meeting a new lover.
Use
- Write short sentences or successive events to increase the pace of your story.
- Use long, detailed sentences to slow the pace of your story.
- Match the sentence length to your plot and setting, such as a fast-moving story set in a city.
The Periplous 