Pacing is one of those words that can be confusing for a beginning writer, but it can make a big difference in whether readers like your writing or whether you even get published.

Pacing is exactly what it sounds like -- it is the ebb and flow of your book. Are you writing scene after scene of tension and action?  Is there paragraph after paragraph of narrative or history? Is there too much dialogue? Too little?

To make your book move at a good pace, you will want all these things in your story.  You will want exciting, action filled scenes, but like riding a roller-coaster, sooner or later your readers will want to catch to catch their breath. If your heroine is chasing a murderer, sooner or later she will need a few minutes to sit back and think through the clues.

At the same time you don't want your book to be so slow that people will want to put it down after a few pages because there is nothing but explanation after explanation with no action.

The key is to provide action, take a short break and then move on. Dialogue is a good way to keep the pace moving, but if your characters are just wasting time with their talk, then get the plot moving again.

Next, you need to continue to increase the stakes for your main characters. The action should rise and rise until it gets to the point that all is either lost or the hero/heroine has to win and save the day, solve the mystery or commit to each other if it is a romance.

You should have challenges to your characters all along the way and there can be ups and downs where the hero/heroine loses a challenge or reaches a particular high, but the story should continue to move back and forth until the final resolution at the end.

Problem areas to watch for in your writing:

          -- long periods of backstory - this slows down your work

--paragraph after paragraph of description or introspection

          -- long stretches of dialogue that repeat or do not move the plot along

          -- action scene after action scene without a break

          -- long periods of time where a character doesn't interact with anyone

--long paragraphs where the story doesn't move forward with a form of action

Pacing is also affected by the type of story you are writing. A cozy mystery or a romance may move slower than an action or suspense novel.  Keep this is mind as you write and later as you go through and edit your story.

 Exercises to check your pacing:

• Look through books you enjoy reading; check for the action filled scenes versus narrative or dialogue
• Go through your writing to look for spots where you can insert action or places where your characters need to take a breath
• Watch an action movie and note the times when the action has to slow
• Note action paragraphs and narrative-filled passages in your work