Motivational Monday -- How To Slow Down Your Reader When You Need To

 Have you seen this floating around the various social media sites? 

I don't know about the historic truthfulness of the article, but in practice it truly does bear itself out in most cases. And knowing this is a great way to force your reader to slow down (one of the few ways a writer can manipulate HOW a reader reads a story). Just flop-flip the order. Give 'em a clop-clip-clop instead of a clip-clop. Or maybe a "tocking and ticking of the clock" instead of the "tick-tock of the clock." 

Did you hear the slowing down as you read them because they feel unnatural to your ear? Go ye therefore and do the same. 

Nugget #2 -- Listening

Listen to your words aloud and let them do what you can't 
do any other way -- speed up and slow down the reader 
naturally. Soft consonants flow and speed up your words. 
Hard ones stop and slow down your words.