book blog – Page 2 – John McCool

Are Chapters Getting Shorter?

Has anyone noticed an interesting trend in literary fiction lately, or am I going crazy? On a routine supply run to a local chain grocery store for the coffee shops I manage, I usually take a few moments to browse the latest books. They have one of the better book sections compared to other chain department stores, so it always feels like a treat when I can take a looksie.

One of the greatest things to do when browsing books is, of course, flipping through the pages, and taking in the wonderful world the author has created. However, there seems to be a trend that I noticed a few months ago, and has persisted with every new release that I’ve flipped through

Are chapters getting shorter?

Now, hear me out. I am actually a fan of this structure for reasons I’ll get into later. I feel like it’s more manageable from a writing perspective, because instead of cramming so much information and progression within one single chapter, the author is able to keep the story moving at a more organized pace. I could argue that a lot of the times an author will use scene breaks to allow the reader to take a pause at the story’s progress, but in my opinion it feels so much more natural to end the chapter, and start a new one at a new scene. Don’t take that as I’m and anti scene break author, because I’m not. I use scene breaks all the time, I just feel in a contemporary sense that starting a new chapter is far more efficient.

So, what do I mean by being more efficient? In the outlining phase of any story, the author does a few things to keep organized well before fingers start clacking away on the keyboard. Some authors make plot points, some make a flow map, some just keep sticky notes everywhere, and some make a description for every single chapter. I am the latter. With this in mind, my chapters are already broken down into scenes. The exception being a change in perspective within the scene which I do several times in my current work in progress. The same events are happening within said scene, but the point of view switches to a different character.

I’m privileged to have the mind of a writer, so as I flip through the pages of new releases, I’m quite confident I know the reason why. I’ve had some of my fellow authors during discussions complain it is because the attention span of readers are shortening with the rise of Tiktok and other quick hit fiction. This is certainly true. However, it also makes the workflow of the author so much easier, so it’s a trend I’ve gladly accepted.

Compared to the fantasy novels of the 80s and 90s that hosted like 7,000+ word chapters, we are now seeing this trend take over modern fantasy authors churning out 1,500-3000 word chapters. This is completely fine and welcomed to not only the author in me, but the reader in me as well. I no longer have the time to sit on a late afternoon and consume an entire novella length chapter like I could in my younger years. Having these shorter chapters makes it easier to feel like, as a reader, you are making good progress, and are able to have multiple stopping points during your limited reading session. Nobody likes to stop reading in the middle of a chapter, so giving the reader the opportunity to frequently stop is perfect for the modern book world.

Next time you find yourself in the book aisle of your nearest department store, check out the chapter lengths of the newest releases, and you’ll see what I mean. Shorter chapters are a great trend that I hope hangs around for a long time.

– John McCool

Writing With Limited Time

One thing that seems to turn off would be authors is a lack of time, or at least a perception that they have no time to write. This couldn’t be farther from the truth in my opinion. There is always time to write, but it’s up to the writer to find where that time is hidden.

Now, I understand that it gets difficult sometimes to carve out the time to put those stories on paper. Trust me, I get that. I have two young kids, work a full time job at a prominent coffee company in my area, and own my own house with the issue that comes with that. I find the time to write. It’s not a lot of time, but I do have it.

I have a very brief moment of peace in between the kid’s bed times, and headed off to the land of dreams myself. This is only about a 30 minute window, but the way I see it is that a little time to write is better than no time at all. With such a small time for daily writing, I’ve set a daily goal for myself that is achievable for this limited availability. I set out to write 500 words a day on my focused work which, in theory, will see me having a finished first draft in about three months. If I write 500 words minimum a day, that’s 3,500 words a week, and 15,000 a month. My target for the first draft is between 40,000-50,000 words, so as long as I keep to my commitment that manuscript will be done in no time. Of course, this doesn’t include multiple drafts and edits, but the point is to just knock out that first draft which is, in my opinion, the hardest part of the process. Beyond the act of sitting down at my laptop to write, I also have to find the time to do one of the most important tools in a writer’s utility belt.

Write an outline.

Outlining is the greatest tool I use, as well as what I recommend to most aspiring authors out there. I’ve found that keeping my outlining time and writing time separate. This ensures I can have continuous progress on my work in progress, as well as progress on the next project I have lined up. It’s actually kind of funny as I type this out, because my current project I’m also STILL writing the outline as I’m currently writing it. The outline goes a few chapters ahead of the actual work which keeps me on track, but my outlining time is spent on the same WIP I’m in the process of writing. Don’t reccomend this method…Finish that outline first.

Anyway, so separating your outlining time from your writing time will ensure progress is being made on multiple fronts. For me, as most of you know, I manage a coffee company, so I have the luxury of a little bit of downtime during some more time consuming, and methodical tasks. My biggest task I do while outlining is making Cold Brew. For anyone in the coffee industry, you know it can be quite tedious just standing around waiting to pour over your next gallon of water on the grounds. Lucky, I use and awesome app called Writer Plus. It’s a neat little app that allows me to keep all my chapter outlines organized, and various story notes together in It’s own folder. It’s pretty neat.

Life can be difficult sometimes. Trust me, I’ve been there. However, we are writers. We have to write. Making the excuse that you don’t have the time is just that. It’s an excuse. You can take the 15 minutes you would normally take to mindlessly scroll social media to write 100 words or maybe more! You just need to have faith that you can get this done, and tell that story that’s been consuming your thoughts for so long.

Tell the story!

– John McCool