Pacing refers to the rhythm of your story. If it moves too fast or too slow you run the risk of losing or boring your audience. Have you ever listened to a really good story and noticed how the storyteller changes the pace throughout the story?
A really good story will move right along at a comfortable pace but will feel as though it is breathing. Every now and then you might feel the story stop or pause while you have a chance to think about things and then it picks up again. With these breaks, you get a chance to really look at the story. Without the breaks, you often stop listening.
Sometimes you use your voice to set the pace, other times you can rely on music and sound effects to move your story or to slow it down.
Some people refer to pacing as being the "true secret to successful storytelling."
Example #1 Earthquake
(from Mark Standley - Alaska)
