If I change POV characters every chapter, and one character doesn't have a lot to say, would a short (short!) chapter seem gimicky?
He's the protagonist, and he's a little shell-shocked right now (and later severely depressed), so there isn't a lot going through his mind. The chapter would be a few paragraphs, at the most.
Or should I just skip it, and tell it from another's perspective, detailing how he is and what he's doing, not what he isn't thinking about?
[This message has been edited by cvgurau (edited March 15, 2005).]
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
I thought it was possible to shift POV within a chapter with a section break. This usually appears as a couple extra returns, and then a symbol of some kind (I just use a hyphen) and the another extra line before the discussion resumes. I also use this for a change of scene, such as a different day.
I think in Enchantment Baba Yaga has her own chapters for much of the book and they are very short, but there are also POV shifts throughout the other chapters. I'm not sure if the Baba Yaga chapters keep up once the action gets more involved toward the end.
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
My thought is that you might pick the POV which will make the story most interesting at that moment. If it's mostly John's POV but you want a few paragraphs of Mary, why not? Just as suggested:
John did this. John thought that. John, etc. # Mary didn't get why John did that. She thought something else. Etc. # Back to John.
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
A short chapter is not gimicky. It can convey a lot, and in a very different way than a section break. Without seeing the whole piece its impossible to tell what would work best for you. Basically, if you needed permission to do a short chapter, this is it. There's plenty of precedent for it.
Posted by HSO (Member # 2056) on :
Mary, will you give me permission to win the lottery? Thanks!
I've seen chapters no longer than a page and half. Anything goes. Author choice applies here. If you have a reason for it, then do it. I think people like short chapters anyway. Gives us a sense of accomplishment. "I read that chapter in 30 seconds! Woohoo!"
Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :
HSO, you have my permission to win the lottery.
Posted by HSO (Member # 2056) on :
Yay! Thanks, Mary! If I do win, I won't forget your graciousness. Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
I'm sure we've mentioned around here that chaptering is one of those things that really does not have any rules or guidelines. More so than anything else, chapter breaks are up to the author. You can do it for any reason whatsoever, breaking in mid-sentence, mid-thought, mid-pragraph, or in between POV's. It's something that has always made sense to me and actually, I break for POV switches myself. Now, my chapters are short but they're not especially short, and when I have a scene to show I pick the POV character for that chapter if I have a choice of characters I can use.
Short chapters can also be used for emphasis, like short paragraphs that are one sentence or one work. They just have even more impact. I loved one of the things OSC said at boot camp: "Once in your entire career you can have the one-word chapter."
Basically, there is no right or wrong with chapter. I was reading....I think it was James Patterson whose chapters were all three pages in the large print version. He's a pretty well off guy by now do hr must be doing something right.
I'm not saying that if I read your stoyr I wouldn't think you should have done something different but for now, I'm just going to leave it with chapters are up to you. Do WHATEVER you want for ANY reason.
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
Thanks for the input, all. It's great to know what you think, since most of you have been writing longer than I have.
Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :
quote:Once in your entire career you can have the one-word chapter.
Thank goodness I haven't used up my once-in-a-career opportunity already. My shortest chapter so far is two words (plus a few dots).
Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :
Douglas Adams regularly uses short chapters. Some of his are only one paragraph long, (and a short one at that). He's sold a powerful number of books doing it that way.
