You've mapped out your story beats. Your characters are compelling. The conflict is real. So why does your manuscript feel like it's dragging in some places and racing through others? You read through a chapter that should be tense, but it lands with a thud. Another scene that's meant to be contemplative feels like it goes on forever.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: pacing problems aren't usually pacing problems. They're conflict distribution problems. And fixing them requires a different approach than most writers take.

I'm going to show you a specific technique I call The Conflict Pulse Tracker that combines Robert McKee's concept of the Oblique Approach with Jerry Seinfeld's famous "Don't Break the Chain" productivity system. It's designed to solve one specific issue: uneven conflict distribution that makes your story feel rushed in some sections and sluggish in others.

What the Oblique Approach Actually Means

Robert McKee introduced the Oblique Approach to describe how sophisticated conflict works in storytelling. Instead of characters confronting their main problem head-on repeatedly (which gets exhausting and repetitive), they approach their central conflict sideways—through smaller, related conflicts that orbit the main issue.

Think of Breaking Bad. Walter White's central conflict is his mortality and legacy, but most episodes don't show him directly wrestling with cancer or his impending death. Instead, we get conflicts about lying to his family, managing Jesse, dealing with distribution problems, or negotiating with Gus. These are oblique conflicts—they're connected to the core, but they approach it from angles.

The problem? Most writers intuitively understand this concept but have no systematic way to track whether they're actually implementing it consistently throughout their manuscript.

Seinfeld's Chain and Your Story's Pulse

Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break the Chain" system is deceptively simple: Every day you complete your target task (writing jokes, in his case), you mark an X on a calendar. Your job is to not break the chain of Xs.

The visual feedback is powerful. You can see at a glance where you're consistent and where you're falling off.

Now, what if we applied this visual tracking method not to your writing sessions, but to the conflict in your story?

The Conflict Pulse Tracker: How It Works

Here's the specific technique:

Step 1: Create Your Conflict Categories

Open a spreadsheet or grab a physical calendar/poster. Create four rows labeled:

- Direct Conflict (character confronts their main problem head-on)
- Oblique Conflict (related problems that orbit the main issue)
- Internal Tension (character processing, doubting, reflecting)
- Relief (moments of pause, humor, connection, or beauty)

Step 2: Map Your Scenes

Go through your manuscript scene by scene. For each scene, mark which type(s) of conflict it primarily contains. Use different colored markers or symbols—X for direct, O for oblique, I for internal, R for relief. A scene can have multiple markers if it contains multiple elements.

Step 3: Read Your Pulse

Step back and look at the pattern. A healthy conflict pulse looks like:

- Oblique conflicts appearing 3-4 times more frequently than direct conflicts
- Internal tension scenes appearing regularly but not consecutively
- Relief moments appearing at least once every 3-5 scenes
- Direct conflict scenes spaced apart, creating peaks in your story

Step 4: Adjust Your Distribution

If you see three direct conflict scenes in a row, you've found why that section feels exhausting. If you see five consecutive internal tension scenes, you've found why your story feels like it's stalling. If oblique conflicts are rare, your story probably feels one-note or repetitive.

Seeing It In Action

Let me show you a real example from a manuscript I consulted on. The writer had a revenge thriller that felt weirdly flat. Here's what the first act looked like:

Scene 1: Direct - Protagonist confronts killer
Scene 2: Internal - Protagonist grieves
Scene 3: Direct - Protagonist vows revenge
Scene 4: Internal - Protagonist plans
Scene 5: Direct - First revenge attempt fails
Scene 6: Internal - Protagonist doubts herself

See the pattern? Direct-internal-direct-internal. It was like a tennis match. Exhausting and predictable.

After implementing the Conflict Pulse Tracker, the restructure looked like:

Scene 1: Direct - Protagonist confronts killer (kept)
Scene 2: Relief/Internal - Protagonist at funeral, moment with her daughter
Scene 3: Oblique - Protagonist fights with her ex over custody (connects to her rage and loss of control)
Scene 4: Oblique - Protagonist researches killer, trouble at her job
Scene 5: Internal - Protagonist alone, planning
Scene 6: Oblique - Protagonist acquires illegal weapon, moral compromise
Scene 7: Relief - Brief moment of doubt interrupted by reminder
Scene 8: Direct/Oblique - First revenge attempt fails, now she's wanted by police (new complication)

The story suddenly had rhythm. The central conflict (revenge) was always present but approached from multiple angles. The pacing felt natural because the conflict distribution was intentional.

Making This Part of Your Process

Here's how to integrate the Conflict Pulse Tracker into your writing routine:

1. During drafting: Keep a simple tally. After each scene, jot down which conflict type(s) it contained. Don't overthink it—just note it and move on.

2. During revision: Create your full visual map. Print it out. Put it on your wall. The pattern will tell you exactly where your pacing problems live.

3. Before sending to beta readers: Check your pulse one more time. If you see problematic patterns, fix them before getting feedback. You'll get much more useful responses about deeper issues.

The Real Power of Visual Tracking

The Conflict Pulse Tracker works because it makes the invisible visible. Pacing feels mysterious when you're swimming in 80,000 words. But when you can see that you've written seven oblique conflict scenes in a row, or that your protagonist hasn't faced their central problem directly since chapter three, the solution becomes obvious.

You're not trying to write faster or slower. You're not arbitrarily cutting or adding scenes. You're distributing your conflict intentionally, the way a composer distributes musical themes throughout a symphony.

Your story already has a pulse. This technique just helps you see it—and fix it when the rhythm goes wrong.