Pacing a plot

I think one quality of good writing, which often goes unnoticed, is pacing. Right now there’s a trend that tells writers to “start with a bang” and continue at a high pace right from the beginning of the story. I guess with today’s fast-paced society, we don’t want to read books that take very long to get going. Nevertheless, I will point out that that’s a trend. Older books don’t start like that because it wasn’t necessary.
There is a balance needed when it comes to pacing. One extreme is the story that starts so suddenly that it never allows the reader to catch their breath. They read it very quickly, hoping things will make sense a little further on, but eventually discover that the author has no intention of explaining himself. I don’t think this is good. Although it may feel cliché to fill the first couple chapters with a lot of details and explaining, it is necessary. The reader needs to build their confidence in your story, you can’t assume their confidence. That’s a delicate process.
The other extreme is the kind of story that is long and drawn out. The reader feels like it takes as much as half of the book to explain things before the story gets going. Little hints of the plot may be given along the way, but the reader can sense the lack of momentum. To me, it feels like these authors have wasted my time.
Personally, I feel that the best books are those that balance out these extremes. The reader is drawn in, enticed in. Not forced in. The book balances mystery and fact so that the reader is never too confused but never too knowledgeable. It’s just enough so that we’ll want to keep reading. Usually something big needs to happen to get the story off its feet, otherwise, its not much of a story. But the “big” things need to keep happening, with increasing frequency, drama, and importance as the story progresses. Until you reach the climax.
Although, I have to note that the desire for a single, grand climax is probably a personal preference. I have read books that conclude with a series of small and interesting climaxes, and I think these are good too. They are just not as common. Personally, I love the stories that build to something epic. I love that feeling of passing the point of no return, knowing that the characters I’ve grown to love will never be the same after what happens next.