1. Are the Opening Paragraphs Slowing it Down
Chapter
divisions are a necessary part of a book, helping to pace the whole, but this
doesn’t mean you have to give them too much respect and spend endless
paragraphs at the beginning of the chapter re-introducing the setting, plot or
characters. The very best chapter openings are those that take the readers
straight into the action, resisting the temptation to recap an overview of the
story so far or simply take a literary breath, where nothing is actually
happening, but somehow you’ve kept the pen moving. Whatever’s happening in your
chapter, get to the point as quickly as you can to keep the book moving
forward.
2. What Do We Know Now About the Plot that We
Didn’t Know in the Last Chapter?
This
question could be rephrased to ask ‘what is the point of this chapter’? This is
something that it is useful for you to know before you start writing to keep
you on track. As an editor, I often read chapters where it seems that nothing
in particular happens. One reason for this is that the author has forgotten
their creative licence and taken a linear pathway through the story rather than
simply picking and choosing a tightly plotted route where something is always
happening to take us ever onwards. That’s the beauty of being a writer; you
really don’t have to include all the boring bits that happen in life in order
to get the interesting bit. Be succinct in your writing and make sure that
every single chapter moves your reader forward in some way. Remember, ours is
such a disposable culture that it only takes one slow or ‘bad’ chapter where
nothing much is happen for a reader to potentially pass you over for another
read.
3. How Has Your Lead Character (Other
Characters) Developed?
Again
this is about making every chapter count. Use your plot development and the
interaction between characters to show us exactly what makes your characters
tick. Ideally they will be constantly affected by the events of your novel, so
take the time to ask what this particular chunk of story is going to do to
them. If your characters remain essentially unchanged throughout then something
has gone wrong.
4. Is Any Part of the Chapter Unnecessary?
There
are a range of reasons why parts of the chapter may be unnecessary, two of
which are outlined in the preceding questions (not progressing plot or
character). The ideal is for you to keep moving forward, and cutting
unnecessary passages will help this, whether it’s that you are spending a
little too long hammering a point home that you nailed in a few paragraphs, or
you’ve written a killer description that you love, but it really is slowing the
narrative down. It could be that you have chunks that are a little repetitive
because you want to feel confident that you have got your point across. Have
faith in your readers and your own writing ability that they will understand
what you are writing immediately without dead, repetitive passages. Be ruthless
in your cutting to create the best possible read.
5. What is there for Your Readers to Wonder About?
This
is a huge question, responding directly to the reasons that readers choose to
read at all. Whatever you are writing, you need to be one step ahead of the
reader because readers want to be challenged. Mystery is not simply the domain
of the crime writer; whatever you are writing, you need to leave your readers
guessing. If you are asking what there is for your readers to wonder about with
every chapter you write, you stand a good chance of creating a book that will
deeply satisfy even the most skilled, plot-unravelling mind.
6. What is there for Your Readers to Care About?
Another
reason that readers read is pure escapism and it is your responsibility to
create an island for their imaginary vacation. The only way that this can
happen is for you to get your readers emotionally involved, so you have to
continually ask what you have created that your readers will care about. This
is an extremely loose question because there are a number of ways to care and
it is up to you to decide which is appropriate for you and your story. Empathy
is the key here; if readers are able to relate to the characters you are
creating and the situations that you put them in then you have a jumpstart.
7. Has Any Opportunity for Action Been Missed?
This
is an interesting point to make and not one that is always apparent to the
writer unless they make a point of adding it to a chapter checklist. Again this
has become apparent to me as an editor, reading fiction of all kinds, and relates
to how you choose to tell your story. Of course, there are many ways to plot
events in a novel and quite simply, the most exciting route is a wrecking ball
through the middle of the drama as it happens. This is how truly exciting
fiction emerges. Let me qualify this by giving you an example of the
alternative: picture a thriller, perhaps a detective novel, where the
protagonist spends most of his or her time thinking, going over evidence,
talking to people, cracking on with the clues and then eventually solving the
case. It sounds good, but how much better would it be if the same protagonist always
arrived at times of danger and has to put his or her life on the line to get to
the truth and the clues put him or her under further private peril and he or
she barely scrapes it to the end of the book in one piece? Just as mystery isn’t
just the domain of the mystery writer, thriller writers don’t have the monopoly
on action. Even if you are writing a non-genre, literary thinker, a love story
or a comedy, you need to keep your readers engaged by keeping the stakes as
high as you can.
8. Has Any Opportunity for Originality Been Missed?
While
we’re making sure that you haven’t missed any opportunities, take a moment to do
an originality check. Have you read or seen anything you have written in this
chapter before? Worse, have you bought into any clichés that are dominating
this chapter? One of the most wonderful things about being a writer is being
able to present a unique view of the world to readers. This should be presented
on many levels throughout the book, from the overall vision that you want to
achieve and the characters and plot that gets you there, to the way events are
presented throughout each chapter, right down to language level, where you are
being inventing and using your personal voice to create a unique reading
experience. Taking the time to check that you haven’t sloped off into a world
that’s just too familiar will help you as you write each chapter.
9. Is Everything Right?
This
will seem like a ridiculously broad question to ask of your chapter, but
accuracy is important. I have read books where Mr Smith began as a blonde
teacher and ended as a ginger accountant. I have read books where he started as
Mr Smith and somehow became Mr Schmitt by the end. She grew up in Suffolk but
somehow now has a Geordie accent? We’re told in the first chapter that he
always calls her lollypop because of the size of her head, but then we never actually
see him call her it. It’s all about consistency and accuracy. Some writers keep
notes as they write to make sure that they aren’t having crises of continuity.
Chapter by chapter, it may just be an idea to have a read through what you’ve
already written so that you are avoiding glaring errors and equally usefully,
creating a consistent reading experience in terms of your style. This is also a
great time to mention SHOW don’t TELL, which I’m hoping needs no further
explanation.
10. Will the Ending Keep the Pages Turning?
Chapter
endings give readers the option of reading on or slipping their bookmark in for
the night and coming back to you another day. Ideally you want the former, so
approach the end of the chapter with this in mind. I have read books where
every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger, which was great apart from the fact
that I don’t remember getting any sleep at all throughout the whole reading
experience. Not every book needs to have this level of drama, but ask yourself
how you can end your chapter to guarantee, at the very least, a return visit
from the reader. An unresolved issue is great. What also works is a reveal –
readers will always want to read on to see what happens next. Surprises and twists
are great also. Basically I would just encourage you to utilize what you have
with the beginnings and endings of chapters and steer clear of ‘the day begins’
and ‘the day ends’ kinds of openings and closings. Chapter divides are a great
tool for you to explore and master, so take the time and see what you can do.
More articles and information can be found on the Whoosh Editing website, along with full information about all of our editorial and creative services for writers ... www.whoosh-editing.com
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Hundreds of books pass through Hayley Sherman's inbox each year. This book is a culmination of her experience as an editor and offers advice, examples and more than 40 exercises to help you achieve a novel to be proud of.
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