@orionkidder
Not a formalized method, but sort of.
Need to lie down for a bit, will try to remember to come back to this later.
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@JessMahler I would genuinely love to hear it, once you've got the energy.
@orionkidder
Okay, this is just what I do, and I never really thought about it or put it into words before, so I'm not sure how coherent it will be.
These days I always write the whole story before splitting it into chapters. Some times I have word goals for chapters, some times I don't. I do try to split chapters at scenes breaks and/or PoV changes whenever possible.
I saw @robinhood 's comment about viewing chapter breaks as a palate cleanser and I think that's a very good way to put it. I think of chapter breaks as a chance to catch my breath.
So when I look for places to put chapter brakes I'm looking for... places where the mood changes or the plot pivots or something. Moments where it makes sense to catch my breath and go 'wow, so that happened.'
Sometimes it'll be at the end of (or just before!) an emotionally tense moment. Sometimes at a shift between high action to quieter/slower paced section. That kind of thing. Sometimes it will be in the middle of a confrontation or climax where we've just hit the hit notes and I want the reader to take a deep breath before the down slope.
Not sure how clear any of that is, but it's the best I can put it. Hope it's helpful.
@JessMahler @orionkidder @robinhood Jess - this really resonated with me:
"So when I look for places to put chapter brakes I'm looking for... places where the mood changes or the plot pivots or something. Moments where it makes sense to catch my breath and go 'wow, so that happened.'"
I try to end scenes/chapters where a character either comes to a place of understanding, or to a place where the character is left unbalanced. Which feels very much in line with your process.
@JessMahler @robinhood "I think of chapter breaks as a chance to catch my breath."
I love that. That's really working for me. To a degree, it's working because I'm absorbing what everyone is saying, so my brain is getting tuned to chapters as a concept, but I also really like the simplicity of what you're saying. It's an emotional *thing* I can use as a decision tool without having to do "story math" in my brain (something I hate and am also bad at).
Thank you for that. I'm going to try that.
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