When you get stuck on getting to the good bits of your chapters, what do you do? In this blog, I’m going to break down the two sentences per chapter method and how you can use it to elevate your writing. Ready? Let’s go!
Lost In Story
When we’re writing our stories, we may find ourselves overwriting or underwriting. I’ve often found myself in the underwriting category. It’s hard to figure out what you’re missing. You might have a chapter that’s too short or too long. You might have infodumped and lost your reader along the way.
These missteps are fixable when you hone in on the story you’re trying to tell. Being able to make it clear what the skeleton of your story is allows you to delve deeper. You have a chance to realise where your going. It could even give you a chance to write a stronger next draft too.
The Two Sentences Per Chapter Method
When I got stuck with my draft, I reached out to the writing community I’m a part of and got this advice. Try and summarise each chapter in two sentences no more than fifty words as a whole. Sounds really daunting, right? Well, let’s break down how to do it.
Each sentence needs to have what a character does. They have to commit to an action. To push your story forward, your characters have to be proactive. This must then lead to an action or a discovery of something to push the story forward. When planning your actions, it must lead to another action. This is the kind of example you might get:
After discovering her father was murdered, Darcy digs through her father’s papers on the hunt for his will and who benefits from his death. This leads to the discovery of a birth certificate of another child of her father that Darcy didn’t know existed.
In my example Darcy is being proactive in searching for the will of her father. The second part is the “this leads to” part. You could take it whichever direction best serves that chapter. It could lead to a confrontation, a piece of information being discovered. It needs to work for the story you’re telling.
Why Use This Method
Finding ways that serve your story and pushes it forward with action can take a few attempts. Try a few different iterations of the two sentences and go with what works for you. Being able to sharpen what you’re aiming for chapter by chapter will strengthen your work and make it clearer as to what is found out when throughout your novel. It means you can set up and pay off your story properly.
Finding methods that work for you and bring out the best in your stories can take time and a few attempts. Not everything works for everyone. Have the courage to find what works for you. Once you find it, hone it to what you need.
Happy writing!