Definition
Pacing issues occur when the rhythm of your story doesn't match the experience you want readers to have. Scenes might fly by so quickly that nothing lands emotionally, or they might drag with excessive detail that kills momentum. In both cases, readers disengage because the story's internal clock feels off.
Why It Matters
Pacing is invisible when it works and painfully obvious when it doesn't. A perfectly plotted story can still lose readers if the slow moments don't earn their space or the fast moments don't let the consequences breathe. Learning to diagnose and fix pacing issues is one of the biggest leaps a writer makes between early drafts and polished ones.
Types of Pacing Issues
Common Mistakes
Nonstop action isn't fast pacing - it's exhausting. Readers need breathing room. Good pacing alternates between tension and release.
Slow scenes work when they build tension, deepen character, or plant seeds for later payoffs. The problem isn't speed - it's whether the scene earns its space.
Sometimes the fix is adding, not cutting. A rushed climax needs more space to land, not less. Diagnose the actual problem before reaching for the delete key.
Try It Yourself
Pick a chapter from your current project and read it aloud, timing yourself. Mark every spot where you feel the urge to skip ahead (dragging) or where you stumble because things happen too quickly (rushing). Then rewrite the two worst offenders - expand one rushed moment and trim one dragging section.
The Pacing Analysis view shows where your story speeds up and slows down, making it easy to spot chapters that drag or rush past key moments.
Can you see where your story loses momentum?
Novelium's Pacing Analysis maps the rhythm of your entire manuscript, highlighting chapters that rush through key moments or linger too long. It gives you a bird's-eye view of your story's tempo so you can fix pacing problems before readers ever notice them.