So, I am wondering about having parts or books within your novel in addition to the normal chapters. A clearly marked seperation, for example, if a story has obvious jumps in time.
I have one jump, that I am aware of in my WiP. The trouble is, I am not sure if the time between part one and part two is long enough. What are the guidelines there?
Also, what if there are only two parts or books? Since I am commiting my story to be that kind of novel (one that is divided into chapters, but also parts) do I need to have at least three parts or books to make the form more symmetrical?
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
You should have as many parts as your story calls for, whether it's one uninterrupted part, two parts, or five. Same for the time between parts. Too long, too short, just right? Sometimes it's not a time issue between parts, but a POV difference, or a location difference. Like Somerset Maugham said, "There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." Posted by Grant John (Member # 5993) on :
One book that I saw use 'parts' and really needed to was 'Wicked', each time it changed parts it really, really jumped time. As a reader, though I loved the story, I felt that I had been robbed of the time between the parts. Another book I think did 'books' within the book well was the Riftwar books by Raymond E. Feist. Magician had two in it, then the next two had only one each and each part had a clear change of main characters (though in Magician it was more change of the main characters names). I think if you like the idea and feel it suits your story then do it, as a reader I like it so as a writer I would probably use it.
That's my 2 cents.
Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
As with chapters, parts have no rules and there is no right or wrong. Do whatever you want. Seriously. Anything at all.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
I agree with Christine. I have three parts in my WIP. They don't signify jumps, but they do signify fundamental changes. Kind of like acts, I guess. My WIP doesn't need them, but I want to put them in there because I like the sense of change they convey.
Posted by innesjen (Member # 6126) on :
Another good example of a book/series that uses more breaks in the novel than just chapters is the Gunslinger Series by Stephen King. He uses these breaks successfully (in my opinion) and it may be helpful to see how he uses the breaks and what makes them work. In your own work, you have to use what makes sense, even if it's a new chapter each page and a new part each two chapters ;p. I do think, though, that examples are the best way to learn, and by searching out examples of proper break usage you may design a way to make breaks work for you.
