Knowing how your story "arcs" will help you with the pacing.

For step 1 of your critique, describe your story arc.

Fiction "Character-Based" Story Arcs
In a character-based story, the character works through a series of obstacles to solve an internal emotional problem.

Fiction often follows the "3 act play" pattern with rising and falling action. This "classic threes" story arc comes from traditional literature.

                                                          x climax / decision
                                          x 3rd obstacle                 x resolution                              x 2nd obstacle
               x 1st obstacle
 x story begins

• Books with just rising action do not "end" with a resolution. The reader is left to guess what happened. (This is more common in books for older readers, like The Giver.)
  
• Books with parallel plots (like Blueberries for Sal and Miss Nelson is Missing) have two stories in one. (If you have parallel plots, please describe each plot separately and then explain how they work together.)
  
• Episodic books have one "episode" or incident after another. The problem in one episode is resolved before the next episode begins.
  
• Some books with characters use concept-based story arcs. If the character does not solve an internal emotional problem, the book may have a nonfiction story arc.

Nonfiction "Concept-Based" Story Arcs
In a concept-based story, an idea drives the story. How the character feels inside does not determine what happens next in the story.

• Sequence (numbers, letters, days of the week)
  
• Question and Answer (a problem - resolution variation)
  
• A Day in the Life (begins in the morning, ends at night)
  
• The Journey (travels from one place to another)
  
• Predictable (a clue in the text tells you what happens next)
  
• Cumulative (repeats and builds, like The House that Jack Built)
  
• Cause and Effect (one thing leads to another)
  
• Compare and Contrast (an elephant is big, a mouse is small)
  
• Definition (tells what something is)
  

"Information Please!" Story Arcs

• General to Specific (shows the big idea, then gives examples)
  
• Simple to Complex (starts small and shows how it builds)
• Compare and Contrast (gives equal weight to both sides)
• Familiar to Unfamiliar (familiar info leads to new info)
• Problem- Resolution (begins with a problem and solves it)

Mix and Match
Picture books often have more than one story arc.