Chapters are another unit by which to organize your book and, just like words, sentences, and paragraphs, they affect pacing. As a previous commenter noted, short chapters increase the pacing and longer chapters slow it down.
Also, like a sentence or a paragraph, a chapter provides a natural stopping point and can be a way to highlight something. Something has ended. Ending your chapter with that moment draws attention to that something.
Chapters are also a way to manipulate the reader. A cliffhanger or a hook can pull the reader into the next chapter. Like paragraphs, chapters are a natural place for the reader to pause in their reading or either a short or extended period of time. However you end the chapter will be how the reader remembers your book. A strong image, emotion, or question can be useful for that.
Like sentences and paragraphs, chapters are transitions. However, they can allow a greater transitions than either a sentence or a paragraph. You can skip to a new point-of-view character, time period, place, etc.
Also (and, again, like sentences and paragraphs), chapters must have internal structure. How you decide to structure it (scene? plot arc? point-of-view? etc) will depend upon how you are using the chapter for pacing, ending, highlighting, hooking, and transitioning. (As well as anything else you can think of)
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Date: 2009-11-06 11:58 am (UTC)Also, like a sentence or a paragraph, a chapter provides a natural stopping point and can be a way to highlight something. Something has ended. Ending your chapter with that moment draws attention to that something.
Chapters are also a way to manipulate the reader. A cliffhanger or a hook can pull the reader into the next chapter. Like paragraphs, chapters are a natural place for the reader to pause in their reading or either a short or extended period of time. However you end the chapter will be how the reader remembers your book. A strong image, emotion, or question can be useful for that.
Like sentences and paragraphs, chapters are transitions. However, they can allow a greater transitions than either a sentence or a paragraph. You can skip to a new point-of-view character, time period, place, etc.
Also (and, again, like sentences and paragraphs), chapters must have internal structure. How you decide to structure it (scene? plot arc? point-of-view? etc) will depend upon how you are using the chapter for pacing, ending, highlighting, hooking, and transitioning. (As well as anything else you can think of)