Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If your chapters start with your main character waking up in the morning and end with your character going to sleep at night, then your readers might just go ahead and snore, too.
Many authors have a natural inclination to write chronological scenes, especially when the initial goal is to just get as much of the story down on paper or on the screen as possible. We have no choice but to live our lives in chronological order, so we often think linearly when we put pen to paper.
But consider this: Many people like to read at night before going to bed. Chapter breaks are natural stopping points. If a chapter ends with a character going to sleep, the reader will probably want to go to sleep, too. But if the chapter ends like the last scene of an episode of a suspenseful TV show, a reader won’t be able to help herself. She’ll turn the page and dive into the next chapter. But keep in mind that if the reader does turn the page and finds herself reading a boring scene at the next chapter start—like someone waking up—she might be reminded that she has to wake up early the next day. The book will still end up on the nightstand. If you want your novel to be a “page turner,” you’ve got to keep engaging your reader with every chapter and every scene!
Of course, to even reach your readers, you must first convince an agent or publisher to give your manuscript a spin (unless you are self publishing). One of the biggest things that can land a manuscript on the slush pile at a publishing house or an agent’s desk is a book that reads with too many alarm clocks going off and pillows hitting the bed. It’s a rookie move. A chapter break should not signal “a day in the life” of your character/s. And remember that your readers don’t need to know every single detail of every single day of your character/s lives. That’s tedious. Instead, put serious thought into starting each chapter with an important scene and ending with powerful lines that either close out a scene or leave the reader hanging on a cliff that makes them want to swan dive into the next chapter.
Remember that the beginning of a chapter or scene doesn’t necessarily have to be the first in a set of chronological events. Sometimes the best first lines, chapter starts or scene starts actually begin In Medias Res, “in the middle of things.”
Related posts:
Once Upon a Time There Was a Zombie Apocalypse…How NOT to Start your Novel
Back to the Future…How to Handle Flashbacks in Your Novel
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
