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Pacing

Pacing, Plot, and Flow are very different aspects of a story. While the plot is what happens and how it happens, the flow is how smooth the reading is, and it's pacing that controls the speed and rhythm at which a story is told. This is determined by the length of the scenes, how fast the action moves, and how quickly the reader is provided with information. It is also sometimes determined by the genre of the story.

Have you ever read a story with a neck-breaking speed and the pace stays the same the whole way through? Or where the tension builds and builds, then all of a sudden dissipates for several chapters before the climax? Then the pacing may be out-of-whack.

To accurately assess a story's pacing, one must take into consideration the genre and writing style before one can understand if the pacing is appropriate for that particular story. A story should also alter its pace throughout as well, otherwise readers can be overstimulated if there is no lull in the action, or bored if everything is mild and overly-descriptive. Just as with Flow, Pacing should be varied, but there should be a general trend of building tension to the Climax, then relieving tension afterwards.

Things to keep in mind concerning Pacing:

Pacing is too slow. While any number of things can contribute to a slow pace, too much of something is usually the culprit. Long sentences, heavy exposition, speeches. Things a reader has to slog through to get to the actual story.  If the pacing is too slow, it may be due to one of the following:

-Wordy: The more unnecessary words you add the slower your pace will be.

-Boring: This refers to those scenes where we know it could be better, but we're not sure how to get it there. They drag, but they're well-written and we kinda like them.  

-Long: Sometimes structure is the issue, and how we break up our story affects how it reads.  

Pacing is too fast. Dialogue is fast-paced, as is action, but if you skimp on the rest of what makes a story interesting, you end up with a breathless ride that goes by too quickly for your reader to enjoy.  If the pacing is too fast, one of these could be the culprit:

 -Too Much: Too many problems for the protagonist(s) to solve that become blurred between each other, no breathers for the protagonist(s) to reflect on or process events, or too many people introduced or involved in a scene. Any of these could cause the reader to skim over passages since there is no way for them to keep everything in their mind.

-Shallow: An all-action plot might be missing the depth to bring its characters to life and really flesh out the world they live in. Flat characters, nondescript locations, and weak motivations can make it difficult for readers to become invested in the character and plot.

-Short: Short sentences, shorts chapters, short scenes. They all pick up the pace, but when used too much, it can be overwhelming.