Chapter Structure Basics

 

You've got a story idea and some words down on the page. But you find yourself asking where the chapter should end, and the next one begin? Let's talk a bit about the basic chapter structure this month. 

Chapter vs. Scene

Some newer writers think that chapters are the building blocks that make up a story, but that's not quite right. Scenes are the building blocks, while chapters are how writers organize those building blocks to keep the reader reading. 

Scenes end when there's a big time jump, a POV switch, a change in setting, etc. Whereas, a chapter can have multiple scenes or maybe just a piece of a scene (if it makes sense to break a longer scene into two chapters).

Chapters are there to add to your story's overall pace as well as to give your reader more manageable chunks of the story to work through.

Traditional Chapter Structure

If you've been around the writing block a time or two, you're probably familiar with this chapter structure: 

Character's mini goal--> obstacle in character's way to accomplishing the goal--> character's goal is not achievable (or maybe it was but now there's a new complication)--> character makes a decision that leads them to the next step in accomplishing overall story goal

There's a reason this one is a classic in all the craft books. It's easy to understand and readers know to expect it. This pattern can be used in all genres, and written so many different ways. 

Your character has one big story problem to solve, and somehow has broken that problem down to a singular decision that will take us through a scene. For example, your protagonist has to go to the grocery store to buy cilantro. So, she hops in the car. Here's our mini-goal. Her overall story problem is that she's single and doesn't want to be.

Next, comes the obstacle to the smaller goal. Now that our protagonist is in the car, she turns the key, but nothing happens. Her car's battery is completely dead. 

Maybe she's not meant to make pico de Gallo. Maybe she should have made mashed potatoes instead. But then, she gets the thought to call her crush. This leads us to the third step. We've got to complicate the previous complication. Our protagonist takes a deep breath and calls her crush, but when the call connects, a woman answers the phone. Our main character quickly hangs up.

This leads us to the last step. She has to make a new mini-goal that will lead her to her ultimate goal. Maybe she gives up on her crush and joins a dating app, or maybe she decides to try to win her crush even though another woman answered his phone.

Chapter Revisions

During your subsequent drafts, don't forget to check your chapter breaks. You might just find that your chapter breaks need a bit of revision as well. 

Here's a quick checklist to ask yourself: 

• Does it make sense to break the scene here? 
• Do I need a tad more story meat here? Or maybe do I need less? 
• Are there any chapters that are way longer than the others?
• Are there any chapters that need to be a bit shorter to speed up the pacing?

Other Helpful Chapter Hints

Only name your chapters if you need extra connections within your story. But be sure to not make the chapter names too hard to connect. Otherwise, your reader will get frustrated trying to make connections that they can't make. It's totally okay to number your chapters because numbered chapters are easy to ignore.

Don't try to end every chapter on a cliffhanger. Cliffhangers are great for building tension, but they should be used sparingly in a novel. Too many and your reader will get annoyed. 

If you're newer to writing, don't stress too much about finding the perfect chapter breaks while you're drafting. Write your story first and then see where it makes sense to break up the story's scenes. Pick up your favorite author's book and see how they do it. See how the other novels in your genre are breaking up their story chunks. There's a lot of creative liberty in chapter breaks, so tuck this tool in your writing toolbox, and know that it'll come easier with time.