Build a Story, Chapter by Chapter
One of the challenges authors face when writing anything longer than a picture book is knowing when to insert chapter breaks. Chapters serve several purposes, one of which is to divide the text into manageable chunks.
The younger the reader, the shorter those chunks should be. Easy readers and young chapter books (for kids up to about age 9) have chapters under five pages long. It’s important to give beginning readers frequent breaks.
Middle grade novels average eight pages per chapter; young adult chapters can go up to 12 pages. These numbers are general guidelines; the story should ultimately dictate the length of the chapters.
But keep in mind that while there’s no such thing as a chapter that’s too short, excessively lengthy chapters can give the impression that the plot is stalled instead of moving forward.
Chapters Are Built From Scenes
Chapters are built from several scenes that make up one plot point. Shorter books have simpler plots, therefore fewer scenes are required for each plot point.
For example, in the first two chapters of a chapter book for ages 7-10, Emma’s father has taken a new job that requires him to travel frequently. So Emma, who lost her mother when she was a baby, will now live with her grandparents while Dad is on the road.
Plot point 1: Emma moves in with Grandma and Grandpa.
Scenes might include:
- Emma’s father brings her to her grandparents’ house
- Emma says goodbye to Dad before his long business trip
- Emma watches Dad drive away from the window of her attic bedroom
(End Chapter 1.)
Emma is sad about leaving her school and worried her old friends will forget about her. She’s also afraid her father will forget her tenth birthday, which is less than a month away.
Grandma and Grandpa think birthday parties are frivolous and never do more than send her a card.
Plot point 2: Emma encounters the unfamiliar routines of her grandparents’ house and discovers they haven’t celebrated a birthday or anniversary for 30 years.
- Emma unpacks in a dark attic room
- Grandma gives Emma a list of chores
- Emma mentions her birthday at dinner and learns there will be no party
(End Chapter 2.)
Middle grade and young adult novels are usually more complex, weaving subplots into the main storyline. A chapter may contain a plot point for the main story as well as a plot point for a subplot.
Or a chapter may exist solely to develop a subplot.
Where Should Chapters Break?
Once you’ve determined where chapters might break, you need to decide how those breaks will function.
Easy reader chapters work best when they are self-contained units. In other words, each chapter stands alone almost like a short story.
These chapters describe distinct events that don’t necessarily lead immediately into the next chapter. This allows the child to read one chapter in a sitting and return later without losing the thread of the story.
For action-packed stories aimed at older readers, you may instead choose to break the chapter in the middle of a scene to increase suspense.
For example, imagine the last scene of Chapter 4: Josh is alone in the house at night and hears a knock at the door. He tiptoes to the window and peers outside, but sees nothing.
Then he hears another knock.
If you resist having him answer the door until the beginning of Chapter 5, readers will keep turning pages.
Handling Multiple Narrators
Many middle grade and young adult novels alternate between two main characters telling the story. The clearest way to do this is to give each narrator separate chapters.
You can help orient the reader by:
- Writing in third person and naming the viewpoint character
- Labeling chapters with the narrator’s name
- Grounding the reader quickly in time and place
Use phrases such as The next day, That night, or Later that week to show how much time has passed since the previous chapter.
When time or location changes inside a chapter, you can insert a drop-down (an extra blank line) before the next scene. This signals that the story is moving forward while still remaining within the same chapter.
Use Your Outline to Strengthen Chapters
Outlining your story before you begin writing can help determine where chapters should break.
If you’ve already written a draft, go back and list the plot points covered in each chapter.
Ask yourself:
- Does this chapter contain two major plot events?
- Does this chapter move the story forward?
- Does it develop the main plot or a subplot?
If a chapter contains two major plot events, consider splitting it in two. If it doesn’t advance the story at all, it may need to be cut or merged with another chapter.
Strong chapter structure keeps the story moving and makes the overall plot far more satisfying for readers.
If you’re still at the beginning stage of your project, you may want to start with our
Beginner Guide to Writing a Children’s Book.
Already have a concept but aren’t sure how to develop it into a story? Read
Turn Your Idea Into a Book.
And if you’ve begun writing but feel stuck organizing your chapters or shaping your draft, visit
I Have a Draft — What Now? for the next step.
Related topics
Learn more with these free guides:
• Master the Five Types of Children’s Book Plots
• Show, Don’t Tell
• Choose the Correct Point of View
• Children’s Book Word Counts By Age Group
