Pacing is often overlooked, but easily the most important aspect of any creator's work.

You do not need to be fast-paced or aggressive to maintain audience attention.

Allow your audience to breathe.

Allow your audience to wonder.

Notice Fred Rogers' pacing in conversation:

Fred's conversational example above is how he operated in all of his body of work. Allowing breath and reflection by both himself and his audience with each thought. His pacing was unique, but commanding.

I will explore two key principles of pacing in this thread.

1. Pattern

Structure that is unique to the creator & once defined by audience can lead to an expectation. Moments are often mirrored throughout a body of work. (One could also define this as forming Rituals)

Example: Tarantino's anticipation...

2. Flow

The musicality of the production.

Whether it's through actual use of music to drive the narrative ("Baby Driver" Edgar Wright):


-or-

Voice/Physicality as additive instrument ("Magnolia" - PT Anderson):

Tarantino, Anderson and Wright films are master classes in pacing (both in Pattern & Flow).

But what do they have in common with Fred Rogers?

Silence and reflection.

They embrace pause. They enable anticipation through mindfulness of scenario.

As an online creator, consider how you incorporate these two elements of pacing into your work.

Allow your audience in the conversation through pause. You don't need to fill the void every single time.

Perhaps the void is what is, in fact, needed.