: Re: When should a chapter end? When writing a novel, when should I end a chapter? Note that I'm not talking about chapter word-count (that topic was discussed here). I'm interested to know when

@Kevin153

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In a recent Writing Excuses podcast, Mary Robinette Kowal suggests that chapters are about pacing. This resonated with me (and with Howard Tayler, as you'll hear in the podcast).

When I think about pacing, I think about answering the reader's questions and provoking new questions. There are various levels of story question (beat, scene, chapter) depending on the significance of the question to the overall story goal.

So a good place to end a chapter is with an event that creates a significant shift in the reader's questions. This doesn't mean cliffhangers, necessarily, but some significant shift.

Here are some ways to shift the reader's questions:

Raise a new question. Introduce a new puzzle or mystery. Introduce a new character with conflicting goals. Create a conflict with an ally.
Answer a question in a way that raises a new question. Reveal information. Show that the problem is more complex that was apparent. Eliminate, undermine, or thwart the MC's most promising option.
Increase the significance of a question that's already on the reader's mind. Raise the stakes. Shorten the deadline.

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