Let’s start with something honest.
Most writers don’t realise they have a pacing problem until someone says,
“I liked it, but something felt… off.”
Not boring.
Not bad.
Just off.
That “off” feeling is almost always pacing.
And pacing is one of those things no one explains properly. Writers are told things like “make it faster” or “slow this down” without being told how or why.
So let’s slow down for a moment and actually understand what pacing is.
What Pacing Really Means
Pacing is how fast or slow the story feels to the reader.
Not how many events happen.
Not how long the chapter is.
Not how intense the scene looks on paper.
Pacing is about where you ask the reader to pay attention.
It’s about:
What you zoom in on
What you skim past
And where you ask the reader to sit and feel something
Why Writers Struggle With Pacing
Here’s the core problem:
When you’re writing, everything feels important to you.
You know the backstory.
You know the emotions.
You know why a detail matters later.
But the reader doesn’t.
So writers often:
explain too much too early
rush past moments that actually matter
spend too much time on moments that don’t need it
Good pacing means learning to separate:
What matters to me as the writer
from
What matters to the reader right now
Pacing Is About Focus, Not Speed
This is where most advice goes wrong.
People say:
“Action scenes should be fast.”
“Emotional scenes should be slow.”
That’s not always true.
A fight scene can feel slow if you describe every punch, every movement, every thought.
A quiet conversation can feel fast if:
The dialogue is sharp
The tension is high
Every line changes something
So instead of thinking fast vs slow, think this:
Where do I want the reader’s attention to rest?
That question alone will fix a lot of pacing issues.
Think Like a Camera (This Helps a Lot)
Imagine your story is being filmed.
You control the camera.
You have two basic choices:
Zoom in → close-up, detailed, intimate
Zoom out → wider view, less detail, faster movement
Pacing comes from when you choose to zoom in and when you choose to pull back.
Example
Let’s say your character is running from someone.
If you zoom in on:
every footstep
every turn
every breath
The chase starts to feel long and tiring.
Instead, a better choice might be:
zoom out during the running
then zoom in at one key moment, when the character slips, hides, or realises something
The reader feels the tension because of the contrast, not because of constant intensity.
Where Writers Accidentally Kill Pacing
Here are places where pacing often goes wrong, especially in early drafts:
Backstory dropped in the middle of the tension
Long descriptions during urgent scenes
Emotional moments explained instead of shown
Scenes that continue even after their point is made
A helpful question to ask while editing is:
Is this moment earning the space it’s taking?
If it’s not, it probably needs trimming.
Slow Down for Decisions, Speed Up for Movement
This is one of the most useful pacing rules.
Readers care deeply about:
choices
internal conflict
moments where something could go one way or another
They care much less about:
How long it takes to walk somewhere
How many streets are crossed
How many steps are climbed
So:
Slow down when a character is deciding, doubting, or realising
Speed up when they’re just getting from one place to another
A Simple Editing Check
Here’s a simple, practical way to look at your scenes.
Ask yourself:
What is the most important moment in this scene?
Is that moment getting the most space?
Is anything else competing with it unnecessarily?
If something is stealing attention from the core moment, it’s hurting your pacing.
Quick Exercise
Take one chapter you’ve already written.
Circle or highlight the most important emotional or plot moment.
Add a little more focus there: thoughts, reactions, sensory detail.
Then cut or shorten what comes before and after.
You’re not removing depth.
You’re moving it to where it belongs.
Final Thought
Good pacing isn’t about making your story faster or slower.
It’s about guiding the reader’s attention.
When you decide where they pause, where they rush, and where they hold their breath, you control how the story feels.
And that’s the difference between a readable story and one people can’t put down.
To everyone reading this: thank you for being here, for reading, supporting, and growing with me.
If you ever have doubts, questions, or just want to talk about writing, please feel free to reach out to me. I’m always happy to help.And if there’s any lesson you’d love to see me cover next, you can suggest that too. I genuinely love hearing what you want to learn.
Once again, thank you for making this space feel so meaningful.
It wouldn’t exist without you.