How to Write a Solid Chapter

We’re talking all about chapters! How to start a chapter, how long a chapter should be, how to write a solid chapter, and so on. Long story short, I’m dishing out my answers to your ten most popular questions about chapters right now! We’re covering what a chapter is, what you need to put in a chapter, how to know when to end a chapter and when to start a new chapter, and more. So if you’ve been wondering how to write and structure a good book chapter, this video’s for you! The last question is incredibly common, so if you stick around, it juuuuuuussssst might help you with outlining your book. Stay tuned! 📖

–Straight from my cold, dark heart,
Your Cyborg Queen
#JennaMoreci #CyborgQueen #CyborgArmy

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CHANNEL PLAYLISTS:

[AntoineBandele]

I love how casually professional Jenna is ... or ... professionally casual ... whichever works best for you.

[laighton]

Everytime Jenna says "be sure to tweet me" her shoulders go up. repetitive behaviour is just another sign that she is in fact a cyborg.

[GnarledStaff]

Longest chapter I read; Wheel of Time; “The Last Battle”.
I said “one more chapter” then 120 pages and several hours later I finally admitted I needed sleep.

[undead]

I totally need a "but jenna!" T shirt...

[emileec]

"What the fuck ever" 😹 Amazing.

[Skyler]

I'm not a novelist or writer of any kind so I feel a bit embarrassed saying this. Your videos and tips have actually helped me plan my Homebrew Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. My players are happy and I'm having a lot of fun planning sessions cause it's a million times easier.

Thanks for everything you do :)

[liwest]

Every time I think of your name "But Jenna!" echoes in my head and it's slightly haunting.

[georgialow]

(Not so) Patiently waiting for a "But Jenna!" T-shirt. ...

[super_arcane_boy]

Step 1. Don't bother writing a chapter.
Step 2. Eat ice cream.
Step 3. Take nap.

[peacefulinvasion]

A good book should have you say "just one more chapter" over the course of 10 chapters until you realize its 3 am and you need to be at work/school in 4 hours. You know you're chapters are good when that happens.

You should be devastated to know barns and noble won't open until tomorrow therefore you are forced to wait for the next book to know what happens next. If you're unlucky you must wait till next year.

Rick Riordan I'm looking at you.

[historichero]

tfw WHEN YOU REALIZE LITERLALLY EVERY CHAPTER IN EVERY FANFIC IS FILLER

[thestressbus]

"That's just filler!" aka every Anime ever

[edwardgalway]

6:07 This needs to be a gif. And a t-shirt. And a mug.

[juliascastanheira]

Omg, I struggle SO F MUCH with chapters! Thanks Jenna!

[DustinOffAClassic]

"Make sure you start and end each chapter with a different emotion" was the biggest thing I'll take away from this video. That's a great idea.

[atreides]

I was reading a book series called the Gap Cycle recently, and the author of that series did something I've never seen before. Basically, he had these short ancillary chapters interspersed throughout the books that did nothing but describe the origins and workings of a particular bit of tech or lore, usually taking a few pages to describe it. The thing is, though, that the details in those chapters, which were basically wiki articles, became extremely relevant soon after. It should have been frustrating, but instead I found myself growing more engrossed in the world. In your opinion, would those chapters be considered filler?

[kinsey]

I don't know, I never think of chapters when I write. Too much organization stresses me out and I find that when I go back to edit I can pretty much just divide them at the good stopping points. I'm probably wrong but like, it's working for me so far

[brodiecrain]

I will end all my chapters including the final chapters with cliffhangers.

Because I am a bastard

[outcastalex]

Oh my lord! You've helped and inspired me to write i have already started working with seven stories despite my young age. All I have to say is thank you <3

[azuarc]

One thing I notice is pointedly absent from this video is mention of POV shifts. If you're writing in first person, you're probably following a single narrator the whole time. However, in third, it's very common to have multiple narrators, and as such, it's frequently convention to start a new chapter when you switch POV. At the very least, you have to do a scene break, and yes, sometimes you'll switch a couple times within a chapter, but typically whatever story element you're trying to convey is best told from a single camera angle.

So it might be more correct to say you should end your chapter when something about your novel changes. Change in narrator, change in scene, change in time or location, change in plot points. Any of those is a valid reason to start a new chapter. There should be a change in plot points regardless, or at least the feel of having completed *something*, narratively speaking, but the emphasis might be on one of those other things and not on some momentous cliffhanger or big reveal or whatever.