I suppose timing can be important in a story also. Perhaps not so much timing but pacing. Keeping a story moving, but not too quickly. So many of the books I’ve read lately have been non-stop action. The author throwing one problem after another at the cast and hoping that they can distract from the lack of development of the character. And at the same time keep the reader off balance so they don’t know what is going to happen next.
There is always a place for some action. I think it was Dashiel Hammett who said. ‘When the story flags, send in a man with a gun’. That’s good advice but I’m beginning to think that there is also a large place for some measure of introspection. The character should reflect on what they are doing, where they are going and what the consequences might be.
de Quincey has a back story that I’m tryig to explore piece by piece. He’s not going to sit down and tell it all to his companions, no matter how much he trusts them, but I have in mind what he’s been through and how that’s affected his actions and life choices. Actually being subtle enough to give this information to the reader is the tricky bit.
And still keep enough action to engage the reader. Aye, there’s the rub.