It's important you don't reveal plot hooks too quickly or slowly. Too quick and your story will be over too soon, too slow and the reader might loose interest. Here are five points to help you out:
1. Concern's surrounding pacing indicate worries about story length. But, there's really no ideal length of story to reach. Meaning when you build up to the final plot twist (even if it seems too early) it might actually be just right for that story. And if you think the pace is too slow, the story might just be a bit longer than you imagined.
2. If your pace is too fast, you might just be not including enough description. If you just focus on revealing plot hooks then your story pace will be much quicker than if you went back and added more description, rather than the plot-focus.
3. Make sure there's plenty of interesting plot features, so you know you'll have enough plot reveals to fill a full story. If you only have one major plot twist, you could add in minor ones, so you don't run out of thing to hook readers. Which can cause a story pace to quicken.
4. Planning. If you have even a rough idea of what you want to reveal, you can ensure you evenly distribute vital plot information throughout a story. Even if you're not planning, making a list of plot events could still help. See the planning chapter for more.
3. Re-read. To help you get a grasp of how your story is/was flowing and therefore if you're pacing it 'correctly'. You should be able to tell by reading through it if the pace isn't what you wanted it to be.
Is story pace important to you?
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The Guide to Wattpad (& Creative Writing)
Non-FictionSince 2013, this Wattpad Guide has offered writers, just like you, helpful writing tips & techniques, across 60+ chapters, to improve your writing ability and Wattpad success.
