After I finish my first draft of a book, I like to take a break and then come back with fresh eyes to do a book analysis before doing any rewriting. My analysis basically entails me rereading the book and marking issues I’d like to correct. While I’m reading, I pause after every chapter to make 15 bullet points about the chapter. These quick lists enable me to see my story at a glance and identify issues that I can’t see when immersed in the story. Most of these points are details I need to make sure I include and vary from chapter to chapter. Below is my list along with short descriptions.
1. POV
First, I list any Point Of View Characters in the chapter. I usually stick to one POV per chapter, but if you like to do scene breaks and move POVs, list each one here. This allows you to see if you are favoring one POV too much or if you hardly ever use one and should cut it from the story.
2. Characters
Next, I list any characters who show up in the chapter. I usually make two lines for this section. One line is for any main characters I used, and the second line is for any secondary characters (anyone who was mentioned by name but not a major player in the story). Again, this allows you to see when you don’t use certain characters often and could mean you need to cut them.
3. Setting
I write a short sentence about where this chapter takes place. Once you’ve done this with all the chapters, you can look back and see if too many chapters take place in a coffee shop or in a car. The normal rule is to never use the same setting twice. However, if you do, there should be a difference. For instance, once you went to the coffee shop in the morning and then at night, or you went on a slow day and then on a day someone had a birthday party there. You don’t want the readers to get so comfortable with a setting that they see it as white noise for the story. Keep it interesting.
4. Time
I usually note the time of day for the chapter. I keep it simple like: dawn, morning, afternoon, evening, night, middle of the night, etc. Again, the small details make the story more realistic and interesting for the reader. If you never mention it, the world won’t feel so real.
5. Weather
I write the type of weather in the chapter, as it can also help the scenes feel more real. You don’t want every day to be rainy (even if you live in a place that always rains). Now, don’t go and write a weather report at the beginning of every chapter, but work in small details to give the readers an idea of what the day feels like. A warm wind tossing her curls or the sound of thunder can enhance any scene.
6. Goal
Every chapter needs a purpose. Why is this chapter necessary for the story overall? And don’t say because the character needs to get from one place to another. If the chapter is only to link two chapters, I’d rather you do a summary sentence at the beginning of the next chapter stating the car ride was long or something. The real question is how does the chapter advance the plot or character arcs? If you struggle to list a reason, you may need to cut the chapter.
7. External Conflict
What is the major plot point for the chapter? How does it work toward the overall plot ending? It can be gathering supplies, training, investigating, or even just dealing with the aftermath of an action. But something external needs to happen that pushes the plot forward.
8. Internal Conflict
What is the POV character struggling with internally in this chapter? Each one should have an internal conflict, and they shouldn’t always be the same problem. If your protagonist is always internally debating the meaning of life, it will get boring. Life is complicated, and the protagonist will have more than one internal struggle.
9. Subplot Conflicts
You should have more than one plot in your story, but they will be smaller plot arcs. These subplots need to show up in different chapters. You may not have one in every chapter (though I’d argue there should be at least one since life never comes at us one problem at a time), but you should see the subplot arcs throughout the book. Noting these in your bullet point lists will help you see when you dropped a subplot part way through the story and never completed its arc.
10. Start Emotion
Every chapter should show the POV character’s emotions, and you need to let the readers know the character’s emotional state at the start of each chapter. You don’t have to say, “Sally is sad,” but you need to show it. Those feelings will set the stage for the chapters events. Once you complete your bullet point lists, you can see if there is a pattern. Is Sally always mad at the start of every chapter? If so, you’ll need to vary it more.
11. End Emotion
Stories are about arcs of change, and emotions are no different. The chapter started with one emotion and should end with another. If Sally started mad, she needs to finish the chapter either sad or surprised or something else. Readers love emotional rollercoasters and showing character change in each chapter will keep them guessing. Now, you can at times just intensify the beginning emotion. If she was mad, you can turn that into her being furious, but I wouldn’t do that repeatedly.
12. Start Hook
Every chapter should start with a hook that makes the reader want to finish the chapter. It can be a small hook that is answered in the next paragraph or a big hook that isn’t answered until chapters later. Raising questions and peeking readers’ interests is how you keep them in your story.
13. End Hook
A hook at the end of every chapter is good as well. It helps the reader want to move on to the next chapter. However, an ending hook doesn’t always have to be a cliffhanger. It’s possible to end chapters on a happy note while also making the reader excited to read more. The point is to perk their interest in what will happen next so they read the next chapter.
14. Payoffs
Every chapter needs to give some answers. This is the number one thing that annoys me in stories. I can’t stand a book that only asks questions and never answers them. You don’t have to do a big reveal every chapter, but even just showing little insights can be payoffs. If your starting hook is the character running down the street in heels, then a payoff would be learning why she is running. It doesn’t have to reveal the big plot twist, but it provides answers. Obviously though, when you get to the end of your book, more chapters should have big reveals for payoffs.
15. Foreshadowing
If your book has at least one plot twist (and I think all books should), then you need to foreshadow it. You don’t want to give it away, but you need to leave hints so the readers feels like they could have figured it out. Or it could make the second read more interesting as they can catch the hints they missed the first time. Foreshadowing doesn’t need to happen in every chapter, but, if you finish your bullet point lists and only one chapter foreshadows the twist, you will need to add a few more hints. On the other hand, if you see every other chapter gives clues for the twist, you may want to delete some. Find the right balance, and you will have surprised and excited readers.
Final Thoughts
These 15 points are what I use to analyze my first drafts for problems. A lot of them are either small details I tend to forget to put in, or things that could be indicative of a bigger problem. Feel free to use my template for your book or make your own list. You may have different focus points that would help you look objectively at your story. Either way, I’d suggest you doing something like this to help you see the story differently. It’s easy to love our books when we read our words, but seeing a boring list makes problems stand out easier.
Thanks for reading!
Write a tale
Leave a trail