[carton253]

My first drafts seem to be filled with “thats.” I don’t know why. But, when I go back to reread the work, it seems like there is a that on every line.

[carton253]

Last night I picked up a novel and started reading it. It was late so I thought I would read the first chapter and go to bed. Well, the chapter ended on page 81. It took more than an hour to finish it. The second chapter is almost 90 pages long and does not have an end in sight that I can see.

As a reader, chapters are usually end points where I will put the book down and pick it up again at a later date, so chapters stretching to almost 100 pages are a little long to say the least. In fact, chapters that never seem to end frustrate me because I always want to make a clear break in my reading. If the author does not provide that for me... I get a little annoyed.

I also know that chapters, if ended with a "cliff hanger" will make me forget my resolve and read one more chapter. Not all chapters end in a cliffhanger of course.

So, let's talk chapters. Beginning them, ending them, what makes chapters good, what can destroy a chapter, and the numerous other points I did not list...