Levels of Writing: Chapters

Chapters are organizational tools. And as I said in the post on sections, all organizational tools are going to be similar in composition. To keep things moving, I want to talk about the things that make chapters unique.

There are two ways you can use a chapter. It can be a large section or a gigantic paragraph. When you look at something like a text book on world religions, paragraphs are no more than large sections. You don't need to read the chapter on Islam to understand the chapter on Shintoism. And although Islam and Christianity share a common heritage, each chapter sufficiently stands on its own.

In creative writing, chapters are more like gigantic paragraphs. Where a paragraph is complete, it is very dependent on what came before it, and directly feeds into the one that comes after it. If you crack open a Grisham novel and start reading a chapter in the middle, you will be completely lost. You will also very likely not want to stop reading once you reach the chapter's end (assuming you could get into it).

As I've said previously, a chapter covers either a subject or a time period. In a traditional novel, chapters are periods of time. If you are only following one set of characters, then chapters break up periods of time (what better way to narrate 3 weeks later than a new chapter?). If you follow multiple sets of characters, then you break the chapter into sections to show what each set is doing during the period of time the chapter covers. In nonfiction work, time is often less relevant, so chapters cover subjects.

For writers, I think that chapters should come naturally. If they don't, then ask yourself one question about the thing you're writing: what's the point? What's the point of the protagonist traveling to some new city and meeting some old person? The answer will probably lead you to the natural arc of your chapter. Protagonist travels, meets person, finds new information, and continues the journey with that aid. That small arc becomes a chapter. What's the point of writing about Shinto shrines? Maybe they are a key example of the fundamental beliefs of the religion. So maybe your chapter should be about the fundamental beliefs of the religion.

As usual, the best advice is reading and writing. But don't forget to think while doing so.