Every novel, short story or essay has its own pacing. Sometimes the story quickens and builds tension, then at other times, the story slows. This is also referred to as tempo. Think of the movements of a symphony. Not all movements are fast and thunderous. Between movements there are slow, calm sections. The writer's job is to know when the right time is to pick up the pace or to give the reader a breather by slowing it down.

Let's begin with your story opening. Your opening must begin with a narrative hook. That doesn't necessarily mean you need to begin the story with high drama. However, the opening must give your reader a reason to want to keep reading. Plant questions in your reader's mind.

Sylvia Plath opens The Bell Jar: "It was a queer and sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York." A few paragraphs later the narrator says, "I knew something was wrong with me that summer, because all I could think about was the Rosenbergs and how stupid I'd been to buy all those uncomfortable clothes . . ." As the reader, I want to know if there is something wrong with her and what was she doing in New York and why was she thinking about the Rosenbergs.

So how do you know how to pace your story throughout? How you pace your story is dependent upon one of the first rules of writingknowing what your characters want and what are their motives. If you know your characters' motives, you'll have a better sense of how to shape your stories. Varying the pace is essential to good storytelling.

A general rule is if you have several scenes of action (or in a novel, several chapters) slow down the pace so your reader can take a breather. In thrillers, there are more tension and action scenes. Author Rebecca McClanahan (Word Painting) wrote, "Swift, noisy activity does not always get our attention. Film makers aware of this principle, use it to their advantage." Take for instance the Tom Hanks movie, Castaway. For an hour there is no dialogue (except the main character's conversation with a volleyball), only the natural sounds of crashing waves and seagulls. For an hour the audience watches a man struggle for survival. The audience is still emotionally involved. There are no car chases or bullet fireonly a man struggling to survive on a deserted island, teaching himself how to fish and build a fire and shelter. The audience watches because they want to know if he does survive, does get off the island.

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