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How to divide a novel into chapters without missing one?

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Hello everyone! As a writer, we regularly struggle with the structure of our book. You have to find an idea, develop it, organize it. All this, while respecting a complex dramatic arc. And of course, the following question inevitably arises: how to divide a novel into chapters?

Personally, I’ve always struggled with this step. I felt like I didn’t have the right manual. How to divide? Where to divide? All these questions were as obscure to me as an Ikea notice…and I’m not even talking about the famous extra screw that should have been in my story…

In short, a real ordeal!

This is why I suggest that we decomplexify the writing manual together. So get out your wrenches and hammers, we’re going to dismantle a chapter!

Divide a novel into organic chapters

A simple rule for dividing a novel into chapters is to write one chapter per stage of the narrative outline. As a reminder, a story generally consists of three Acts, each of which is subdivided into sub-steps.

In reality, this method works in a slightly more complex way because certain stages of the narrative diagram in three Acts require more development and therefore more chapters.

For example:

  • Act 1 and Act 3 are shorter than Act 2
  • the trigger and the climaxes (midpoint + climax) must be relatively short to be more impactful

To summarize, each stage of the narrative scheme corresponds to one or more chapters depending on the necessary amount of development. But how to determine this amount of development?

This is what I will explain to you right away.

Divide a novel into logical chapters

Evaluating the density of development requires, on the one hand, a good understanding of the narrative scheme and, on the other hand, a good understanding of the principle of unity.

I will not discuss the narrative scheme in this article. You can find information about it in my ghostwriting services usa, in this article, or in the books I have recommended.

Regarding the principle of unity, it breaks down into three units: the unity of time, place and action. We could sum up this principle to no more than one place, one time and one action per scene. Concretely, this means that any change of place, time or action must be the subject of a new chapter.

Indeed, the consequences of these changes must be presented each time. However, I draw your attention to the fact that this is only true for significant changes in location or time. Indeed, if your chapter is about a chase that lasts 10 minutes, it is not necessary to cut at each location and at each mini-break with a chapter…unless you want to accentuate a particular location.

If we can take liberties with the unity of place and time, this is not the case with the unity of action. Each scene must correspond to a unique objective of the protagonist. Beyond one action per scene, you risk distracting the reader’s attention.

However, it is entirely possible to include several scenes in your chapters with several mini-units of time and action. In this case, make sure that these scenes are moving towards the same goal.

Note that a change of character implies a change of action and therefore a new chapter. Some authors sometimes allow themselves to transgress this rule by dealing with several points of view in the same chapter, but this is very rare…and difficult.

Now that we’ve seen all that, I’ll explain how to divide a novel into chapters…by cutting at the right time.

Divide a novel into catchy chapters

Here I will give you tips so that your reader does not put down his book even in the event of an attack by zombie Chihuahuas. Finishing a chapter is good. Finishing it well is better.

For this, the best audiobook narrator ultimate weapon is the cut. You have to divide a novel into chapters skillfully cut at the right place. Your cut can:

  • be at the action level. We then speak of a cliffhanger (the reader wonders: what will happen to the hero?)
  • generate a mystery (the reader wonders: what did the protagonist just find? What does that mean?)
  • presage a spatial or temporal change of scenery (e.g. at the end of the chapter, the hero plans to go to a certain unknown place: what will he find there? Another example, if he spent ten years in the penal colony and he’s on the ship back at the end of the chapter: is his wife still waiting for him?)

In sum, you need to arouse curiosity in the reader when dividing your novels into chapters. If possible, try to vary your cuts, experiment and if you find something new, put it in the comments everyone will be grateful.

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