I’ve found that when I use my plot board with the three-act story structure in mind, I have a much easier time knowing what needs to be said in a chapter and when it’s time to end that chapter and start another.

I’ll go more in-depth about the three-act story structure in an up-coming eBook.

Why I use it is because it helps you to know when certain things should happen in your novel, like: chapter introduction, a first incident, obstacles, inner struggle, calm before the storm, etc.

By including all those elements, you’ll know your story isn’t missing the vital components that keep your reader on the edge of their seat.

When you map your story out, even basically, you’ll have a better idea at what point your chapters need to change. I’m currently creating an eBook that explains the three-act story structure step by step, and why I chose that type of outlining over the many others available. Stay tuned!

Advice on Chapters

• They give your readers a break. They allow them time to absorb everything that’s happened in that chapter.
• They tell a reader what’s happening in one part of your story at a time.
• I don’t recommend leaving chapters on a cliffhanger too much. It forces a reader to have to wait at least another chapter to continue from where you have abruptly left them hanging. That can be frustrating to your reader.
• A chapter should leave your reader wanting to learn more. Hint at what’s coming next, and begin with something interesting in your next chapter. This takes some practice and an awesome way to get better at it is to write short stories. In a short story, you need to get all the elements of a novel across in a few pages. (More information about this coming in another post)

My Favorite Way to Create Chapters

Use your index cards to write a few sentences on each for chapter ideas. This way, you can lay them all out when you’ve created several and get a good look at what might be missing as well as put them in the order you would like your chapters to go.

The next post will be a short overview of the three-act story structure so you can get started creating those chapters.

I hope this helps you to get started creating chapters. If you need help, contact me.

Happy Writing!

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