How do you structure your novel? How many words in a scene, or pages in a chapter?
I get that question a lot, because the truth is there is no “rule” and the answer seems to vary with author. Here’s my formula, and why.
I write many different length books for different genres: Contemporary Romance, Long Historical, Short Romantic Suspense, Novellas… but they all have the same story structure. (Or, if you follow MBT teaching the same LINDYHOP. Life, Inciting Incident, Noble Quest, Disappointments, Help!, Overhaul, Perfect Ending). This means, on average, the First Act (LIN) is 15% of the story, and the Third Act (HOP) is 15-20% of the story. Poor D, or the Second Act takes up 60-70% of the story.
Which is why, of course, you want to make it count.
But I’m not a math major, and I like things in nice neat packages and pulling out my calculator for word count is annoying. So, I use a simple formula.
I always write a 20 Chapter book. The first three chapters are Act 1. The final three are Act 3. The rest is Act 2. If I have a 100,000 word book, then my first three chapters are roughly 5,000 words each. (Usually I have 2-4 scenes in a chapter). If I write a 80,000 word book, then my chapters are roughly 4000 words each…(again, with 2-3 scenes in each chapter). For a 60,000 word book, then my chapters are 3000 words each (with 2 scenes per chapter).
In my head, it’s just easier to figure out the pacing if I know that by the end of the third chapter, regardless of what size book I’m writing, my characters have to start their Noble Quest.
Which is where we find Kenzie and Luke today. Last week we had the Meet the Girl Scene…today I’m going to show you the Reaction Scene to that (Remember, your book is made up of Action/Reaction Scenes). This is also Kenzie’s Noble Quest scene, so that means I need to focus on MOTIVATION. She already knows that she has to stay in Tennessee for her own protection, but she wants something more. So, enter Candy, a nosy reporter that wants to derail Luke’s life. Kenzie knows a little about nosy reporters, so she decides to defend him. Although he’s supposed to look after her, she wants to contribute, also. It’s a good balance in a romance to have the hero and heroine both working equally to help (or sometimes to harm) each other. Proactive heroes and heroines are compelling.
The technique I use to get her on his team and decide to help him is called the Push-Pull. Whenever you’re moving a character toward a decision, and then an action, the Push-Pull keeps us from thinking, “Oh, that was a stupid decision.” The Push is the nudge/reason away from their current position through something negative, the Pull is the lure of something positive. See if you can find it in the story (okay, I marked it, too.)
In every scene, always ask yourself: Do I have a push pull? Did I give the reader sufficient motivation for this decision?
Tomorrow I’ll post the checklist for Kenzie’s scene.
By the way, tonight we’re chatting about the business side of writing at MBT – business plans, managing career and finances as a writer and growing your fan base! Stop by – 7-8pm, www.mybooktherapy.ning.com