Chapters must contain a scene or a group of scenes. They should be built around events that belong together and either push the plot forward or build the tension. When analyzing chapters, we must ask:
Does the chapter build tension?
In section XXX we discuss how to evaluate the tension in a given scene or chapter. If we find a chapter that has fallen flat or that contains no tension at all, we must determine if the chapter is needed. If it is, then rewrite to increase the tension.
For example, Renee’s novel In the Bones had no tension in the second and third chapters. Each served to introduce the characters and little more. By adding some conflict in the form of the protagonist finding clues to a mystery left by his grandparents and the villain’s plot to get rid of the protagonist, whom he believes is out to ruin the sweet deal he has in his town, the tension was increased. Why did these minor details fix the problem? They created questions, which helped to build tension. If we have no question to answer, then what is the purpose of the chapter?
Is the chapter complete?
Chapters must have a beginning, middle, and ending. We must resolve one conflict and build to another before the ending. If the chapter doesn’t do anything, then it’s incomplete or unnecessary.
Is the opening a killer?
Like a scene, the opening of a chapter must work to hook the reader all over again. To do this we open more often with action or dialogue rather than exposition because exposition almost always slows the pace. We don’t want to do that. For each chapter, we read the opening paragraph. Does it form a question in the reader’s mind or grab her attention? Is it different from the chapter before it? As we mentioned in section XXX, chapter openings should be varied so that we avoid repetition. The reader does notice if we open chapters the same way each time. For example:
Chapter 1: John pulled into the driveway and picked up his gun
Chapter 2: Maria screamed, and he covered his ears.
Chapter 3: John tossed the rope over the beam and pulled.
These all begin in similar ways; John pulled, Maria screamed, John tossed. These create an echo. While the reader might not realize why she hears it or what is causing it, she’ll notice. If we see chapter openers that repeat like this, we rewrite to show variety.
Chapter 1: John pulled into the driveway and picked up his gun.
Chapter 2: Covering his ears didn’t silence Maria’s scream.
Chapter 3: “Up you go,” John tossed the rope over the beam and pulled.
Each of these begins differently, eliminating the echo, but still showing what the writer needs to show.
Is the POV clear in the first line?
Readers step away, as we’ve mentioned many times before, and they may not return for days or even weeks. Often we stop at the beginning of a new chapter or scene, so it’s important that the POV character is clear in those first lines. The reader doesn’t like flipping back and rereading the previous pages to recall what is going on. Besides, after a week or two away from the book, she may not bother flipping back, having lost her interest. So we check that POV is clearly established in the first paragraph. If it is not, consider beginning the chapter where the POV is clear, or rewriting to show.
What about the ending?
Does the chapter ending entice the reader to turn that page just one more time?
Chapters should end with a question that will be answered in the following chapters. In other words, although they contain a beginning, middle, and ending, they do not actually end. For example, if a woman were spending the afternoon locked in the gardener’s embrace, the chapter wouldn’t end after her husband walks in and shoots the man. It should end just before that. The next chapter opens with the gun trained on the gardener’s head.
We read each ending and check that it either includes a cliffhanger, a revelation, interrupted conversation, or some kind of unresolved development. If we’ve ended the chapter completely, then we move the ending to a point before the resolution and move the resolution to the next chapter.
Chapters must contain a scene or a group of scenes. They should be built around events that belong together and either push the plot forward or build the tension. When analyzing chapters, we must ask: