When I first started writing, some of my chapters were exciting, and some were boring. Some went nowhere. I also had chapters that were 800 words and others 3,000. I had people comment on the choppiness of the chapters and that they made reading them less than smooth.

To pace my book properly and my chapters evenly, here’s what I do. Of course, this advice doesn’t need to be followed to the letter, but it can help you if you incorporate the general idea into your writing.

I asked one of my favorite authors, Bobbi Holmes, for advice, and she did not disappoint. She graciously shared her method with me. Since incorporating her advice, my writing pace has improved by leaps and bounds.

Here is what she shared with me:

1. First, have a general idea of what you want your book to be about. Then, you need to get from the beginning of the book to the end, of course.
2. Think of scene ideas. Maybe they will be chapters.
3. If you plan to have 40 chapters, for example, you need to come up with 40 ideas that get you from point A to point B. Note cards work well for this because you can organize them in the order you want them in your book.
4. You don’t need to know when things will happen in the book yet, just get them down on the cards. You can then put them in order.
5. Now, break EACH chapter into 4 chunks — approximately 500 words per chunk. (something happens, that causes something else to happen or escalate, the character does something about it, there’s a conclusion). Do this for each chapter and there will never be a boring chapter.
6. Following the advice in number 5 will give you approximately 2,000 words per chapter, keeping them each even and engaging. There should be a payoff in each chapter, so the reader wants to continue to turn the pages.

I have followed this advice, and it has greatly improved my writing. My small following of readers tell me that I’ve improved so much that they can’t put my books down. Isn’t that what every writer wants to hear?

I hope that made sense. If you have any questions, message me in the blog, email (writeon22@yahoo.com), or in the Facebook group, The Ins and Outs of Novel Writing.

Happy Writing, Gina