Temperment and Pacing Perference

Thanks to the people who answered my off-the-cuff questions yesterday. The results weren't as clear-cut as I thought they would be.

One of the books I read last week was called The Introvert Advantage. It discussed some of the differences between introverts and extroverts; some of them where physiological, not just psychological. (Some of the surprising things I learned were that introverts and extroverts rely on different neurological pathways and that introverts tend to have lower-than-normal body temps. Mine does tend to be low, but I'm also hypothyroid and take daily medication for it.) Anyway, I thought perhaps that introverts would find fast-paced books too fast and would prefer slower books.

Six of the eight people who commented identified primarily as introverts; two people considered themselves both. I did expect to see more introverts, so that wasn't surprising. However, reading preferences weren't so one-sided. Only one person preferred slow-paced books; for most people, they could enjoy either a slow or fast book, depending on what mood they were in.

So, what's my reading preference? Well, I don't like very slow books; some of the classics feel too bogged down with description for my taste. However, I can think of a few books that felt too fast for me, as if the author felt that sending characters dashing all over the place was exciting. Instead, I just felt confused or not engaged with the characters. So I guess I'm in the middle. Although this wasn't a random poll, my hypothesis is not borne out by the results. I better stick to the biological sciences instead of the social ones.

The good thing for us as writers is that pacing shouldn't deter most people from reading a particular book. And the good thing for us as readers is that there are books out there to fit our every mood.

P.S. K Howard, how did you like Zombies vs. Unicorns? I'm not interested in zombies, but I've heard good things about this book. I have a sample on my Kindle; maybe I'll have to try it when I finish the trilogy I just started.