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Old 05-17-2017, 02:19 PM   #29
E.M.DuBois
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The Chaos Walking Trilogy did somewhat the same thing (as well as Twilight, and other novels.) It was told from the first-person perspective of two characters, and transitioned seamlessly between them without hiccups to the pace of the plot. So that aspect can definitely be done.

Now, as for having lost of short chapters: there are pros and cons to it, like with any story-telling technique. The success of it depends of the story being told and its general structure. Now, with what you described as it being quite a good-sized novel, having so many short chapters may be impractical. If your characters are as diverse as you say, then I believe you’d have no trouble settling for longer chapters (12 - 20 pages or so.)

Personally, I plan out my chapters with omniscient third-person, so the reader knows everything the character knows, and when I want to hide something from the reader, I hide that person’s perspective. This makes it easy for me to transition from character to character within chapters. So, I don’t think going for lots of short chapters is the only way you have to go. You’ve got plenty of options.

I think the part you mention about the characters coming together presents you with a challenge specific to your story, and will require all of your creativity. But with a challenge comes the opportunity to create an artful style of revelation and conclusion that won’t be easily forgotten by your readers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BookCat View Post
Something about brief chapters gives a book momentum, maybe because the reader thinks "just one more chapter, it's only a few pages," and the night ticks on, till dawn brings the realisation that they've been up all night reading your book.
This definitely is a pro, an advantage of having short chapters. On the other hand, I loved knowing that “The Council of Elrond” in LOTR was going to be 20+ pages long, and all they were doing was sitting around discussing exposition and setting outside of Frodo’s narrative. So, either choice appeals to different readers.
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