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| What to say; what to say... |
What’s your
method for filling your chapters with words?
I begin with my outline topics for each chapter. I do a lot of staring at the stupid blip
blinking on that blasted blank white page.
Then I force myself to start elaborating on the topics. When I can’t think of anything else to say
about a specific topic, I move to the next topic and start babbling about
it. And back and forth I go.
The beauty of the computer is
that you can jump around scenes or even thoughts in any particular chapter. You can just click where you want to pick up
the topic and start typing. Stop and
then start somewhere else. And of course
you can always go back to modify what you have written. Once I finish a writing session, I mark any
section I’m working on with “*** Start” in red
and next time I work on the manuscript, use the Find key to locate it within
the document.
How long should chapters be? Is there a standard length? In memoir you don’t want chapters too short. The reader might think: “no substance,” too long and “you lost me.” It is important to write clearly and offer
insight to any actions or anecdotes.
I have a lot to talk about trying
to master French in five easy [??] semesters, what with writing French blogs,
presentations, videos, and research papers.
[I still don’t have a firm grasp of the language, but don’t tell Penn.] My problem is that 10,000 words is too long
for a chapter, so I need to break it up.
But where?
Perhaps the chapter should divide
between community college courses and university level courses. The advanced projects above came into play at
the University of Pennsylvania. Maybe
the break should come after the community college courses and the entrance exam
to be placed into the university level courses and then the second French
chapter could be how I survived learning French at Penn. What do you think? The important thing to remember about any
chapter is that it contains substance and moves the plot forward.
I have 59,624 words and one more
chapter to write before I have a complete first draft, and only two weeks to do
it in. Then the class is over and my
first draft should be complete. It will
be close. Wish me luck!