Thread by @melisscaru

I have a certain way I like to do chapter breaks, and last night I tried a New(ish) Thing riffing off that method to help me find rambly sections that need cuts, and it was revelatory for me so I want to share it with you! (Thread)

When I draft, I don't do chapter breaks. I mark scene breaks with a ***, but I don't try to figure out chapter breaks until I'm done drafting. (I also tend to redo them after any kind of structural edit.) I add in the chapter breaks at the end.

Here's how I figure out where to put them: I look for what I call the Dun-dun-DUNNNNNN!!!!! moments.

Sometimes these are smack in the middle of a scene. I'll throw in the chapter break anyway.

Someone just got stabbed? CHAPTER BREAK.

Shocking secret truth-bomb dropped? CHAPTER BREAK.

The villain unexpectedly shows up? CHAPTER BREAK.

(Honestly, I live for this stuff.)

It creates lots of mini-cliffhangers in the book and makes it more page-turney.

(Note: This method works best if you're writing a fast-paced, page-turney book. If you're writing something with, say, a more slow, lyrical build with subtler forms of tension, it's not a good fit.)

So! Here's the new-ish thing I tried!

This draft is running slightly long, and I wanted to find places to make some cuts. I had the idea that since I also needed to check/redo my chapter breaks, I could look for slow or rambly bits at the same time.

As I skimmed through the MS, I'd make a note when I came to a *definite* chapter break (a good Dun-dun-DUNNN moment), then a list of *possible* breaks (good places to pause, but no Dun-dun-DUNNN moment), then the next *definite* one.

If there were two definite chapter breaks in a row about a chapter-length apart, great! All set.

Sometime's I'd wind up with something like this, though:

Def chapter break: p 233
Possible breaks:
p 240
p 248
p 252
p 259
Def chapter break: p 268

(I did also put a few words in parentheses after each possible break to remind me what that break point was, but 280 characters is not a lot, so I didn't make up samples above.)

You'll note that in that (made up) example, there are 35 pages between definite chapter breaks, and therefore between dramatic moments.

For me, that's about 3 chapters. For the type of story I'm trying to tell, that *might* be too much (YMMV, seriously).

For me, that long a gap probably means I have a lot of low-key talky scenes in a row (stuff like planning, exposition)...or worse, travel or transitions.

The long gap between no-brainer chapter breaks lets me flag it to look more closely to see if I need to tighten things up.

It may be that it's actually some really important slow-burn relalationship and character development, or that the exciting stuff is not happening at a point where I can do a break, in which case it's okay! I don't need to stab someone EVERY chapter. (Stares wistfully at knives)

But it's definitely worth a closer look to be sure. And mostly I'm finding that yeah, I probably need to tighten those sections a little.

Since I'm redoing the chapter breaks anyway, this is a super quick and easy way to find those bits!

As usual, this method may not work for everyone, but it's another way to try to part the veil and get a real look at an invisible story element like pacing. So I share it with you in case it's helpful!

...Now time for me to go make some cuts.