One thing I find interesting (and complicated) about writing is chapters. I've heard many people talk about what is contained in a chapter is essential in keeping a reader tuned in and hooked on the overall story. And each and every chapter must meet the criteria for making this happen. And this all must happen while keeping the flow of your story constant, making your characters believable, setting up your plot twists (for every good story has those) and convincing the reader your story is logical.
My question is what constitutes a perfect chapter, since writing is encapsulated in well written chapters. Does the length of a chapter matter? Can a one page chapter be as good as a ten page chapter? I find my chapter vary greatly depending upon what I've trying to tell. I have written chapters with only a 1000 or so words which I felt hit the mark and I've written chapters of several thousand words where I wondered if I'd adequately addressed the topic and issues of that chapter.
Also important is the opening and closing of a chapter. What makes for a great chapter first sentence? Obviously, drawing the reader into your story and keeping them there is important, even within the confines of a chapter. Their wanting to read on and see what happens is also key. And when we close a chapter our intent is to motivate the reader to move on the next chapter. So what makes an average chapter a great chapter? What does every great chapter contain? Great writing to me means incorporating the elements of a chapter people can't stop reading while being true to what is important to you.
For me a chapter has to include a thought, or progression of thoughts, that tell of something meaningful. Whether it is a one sentence narrative or several sentences of descriptive passage, it should captivate. When I reread and hopefully edit I look at each individual sentence and paragraph to see how I can make each chapter really shine. In writing, how do you tackle the chapter?
