Previous posts in this series
An Overview of Beginning to End
I’ve talked about chapter two before in this post, and today’s is a refresh of that article with a few additional sources and thoughts.
Writers and writing teachers tend to focus a lot of attention on chapter one, myself included. I think this is partly because it’s a very important chapter, but also because it’s easier to teach. There are definite story elements that need to happen in the first chapter, and you can pass them on to your class like writing handholds regardless of what genre they write or how long their book is going to be.
Once we get beyond the opening, the “how to” of crafting a good story can get a bit murkier.
So, what comes after that all-important chapter one? What elements are required to craft a great chapter two? Here are some ideas:
Show us different people.
If you’re writing a book with just one point of view character, you will want to use chapter two to introduce more of your characters. In The Lost Girl of Astor Street, chapter one introduces us to Piper’s two closest friends, a boy she likes, her brother, and her housekeeper. Chapter two introduces another family in the neighborhood, her father, and some other characters.
If your book has multiple point of view characters, chapter two sets up a good opportunity to switch perspectives. There’s no rule that you must, and sometimes it depends on the length of the work. For example, in an epic fantasy you might stay with your first point of view character for several chapters before switching, while in a shorter romance novel, you’ll almost always switch perspectives at chapter two.
If you do switch to one of the other characters, whether it’s chapter two or later, many of the same guidelines for chapter one apply. The introduction of this character will be most effective if you show them doing something that matters, something that’s interesting, and so forth. You want to show what they want, what they need, and what’s keeping them from it. And you want to show what their normal—or their normalish—life looks like.
Most of the time you want all major characters introduced, or at least implied, in the first quarter of your book. When I say “implied,” I’m referring to characters who are mentioned or understood to exist without us ever seeing them, which is necessary in some situations. Like Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, or Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. We don’t need to see them on the page, and that would make no sense for the story, but we do need to know they exist.
For my book, Within These Lines, I was unable to set up all major players as early as I normally would because Taichi’s family had not yet been sent to the concentration camp. So it’s okay to not do it, just make sure you have a reason why.
Show us a different emotional side of your main character.
If chapter two is written in the same POV as chapter one, then you’ll want to choose something that shows a different emotional side of this character. For The Lost Girl of Astor Street, in chapter one I showed Piper as sassy, clever, and in-control. In chapter two, when Piper comes across her best friend having a seizure, Piper is terrified and lost.
When you show the reader different facets of your character, not only does it make your character feel more real, but it also helps to engage the reader more fully.
Another way to think of this is what Steven James refers to as “status” in his book, Story Trumps Structure. (For those who are doing Go Teen Writers book club, this is chapter 21, which Jill will cover in a few weeks.)
James says that status varies based on three things: relationship, position, and situation. Here’s how explains it:
Although the level of relational, positional, and situational status might be out of our hands, our response to it is not. Status can be shown through tension, how characters handle setbacks, or just in how they deal with everyday encounters with other people … in determining status, choices matter more than circumstances.
So with Lost Girl, Piper has a higher status than Lydia in chapter one, because Piper knows more about what’s going on with Lydia than Lydia knows. (Relational status.) Piper is submissive when the live-in housekeeper chides her for getting her knuckles rapped at school again. (Positional status.) Then Piper is panicked and has a lower status when Lydia is having her seizure. (Situational status.)
James suggests that when we feel like a character is flat, what we’re actually observing is that they have the same status no matter the situation. They’re always in control, always the smartest, etc.
He says:
So what’s the key to a well-rounded character?
Simple: She doesn’t have the same status in every situation.
Chapter two is a perfect time to show a flex in your main character’s status.
Show us another place.
Unless this doesn’t work with your story, you likely want to show the reader a new place in chapter two. If you’re switching POV characters, the change of setting comes naturally, but it works well for stories told from just one perspective too.
Years ago, I read a book by Amy Tan, the author of The Joy Luck Club. She talked about being on the movie set and how the set director would go to great lengths to find specific items Amy had described in the book, like a gold rotary phone. Watching the set director, it occurred to Amy that all she’d had to do was imagine and then type out “gold rotary phone.”
Sometimes I think we overlook this advantage we have as novelists: We can build any kind of set, at any location, and mentally cast whoever we want in that role, and all it costs us is the energy of dreaming it up and typing it out.
Dream up interesting places to show us in your novel!
Show us depth.
In chapter one, you likely showed us what normal looks like for this character and why that normal no longer fits like it should, or why it’s not going to be “normal” anymore. Chapter two is a place to take us even deeper.
For example, maybe in chapter one, we caught a glimpse of your character wanting to get away from his hometown. In chapter two, show us yet another motivation for leaving or a compelling reason to stay.
In The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Piper is worried about Lydia’s health. In chapter two, that worry deepens when she witnesses Lydia having a seizure.
Answer a question raised in chapter one.
In the same vein as deepening those wants/needs/worries, this is also a great opportunity to answer some questions you raised in chapter one. Going back to chapter one of The Lost Girl of Astor Street, the reader knows that Lydia has some kind of health issue, but it’s not explicit until chapter two when Piper finds Lydia having a seizure. The reader now has a greater understanding of the truth.
For Within These Lines, chapter one has Evalina goes to the farmer’s market like she does every Saturday morning to see Taichi, only his family isn’t there. She’s so scared that for the first time ever, she calls his house.
For chapter two, I wanted the readers to get a greater understanding of what an uncertain time this was, particularly for Japanese Americans and those who cared about them. I also wanted the readers to see Evalina and Taichi together so they would see their connection, so that’s where I focused the attention. In chapter one, I never explicitly say, “Evalina is in love with a boy that she’s not allowed to be in love with, and they have to hide their relationship.” In chapter two, this truth becomes obvious.
Any other thoughts on what chapter two should have?
This was really awesome, thank you! I got bored with my current story and am going back to bk2 of what I wrote for NaNo last year. This will be really helpful because I think I only wrote the first chapter. I love having all the examples from both of your books; I can see exactly what you mean. Although, now I have to go re-read them and point those things out.
Macey, I’m glad the examples helped! Good luck with your own chapter two!
Great post! I’ve invested in some good craft books the last few months and you’re right they don’t say a lot about chapter 2. The thing I see repeatedly is not to info dump or fill it with backstory. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Ideas of what to add.
Yes, after a writer has worked on an exciting chapter one, there seems to be a weird instinct to use chapter 2 for filling readers in on backstory or slowing the pace down. I see that a lot, even in published books!
I love the concept of apply status to characters! I use it all the time when debating, speaking, and acting, but I never thought about how much it can influence your characters actions and interactions in different situations. This will definitely add another level of depth to my story, thank you!
I love debate! I do Dramatic Interpretations, and yes, you’re right, applying status to characters in public speaking is a must. ?
Sure! I thought it was brilliant when I read it in Story Trumps Structure. (And he learned it from an actor friend, I think, so that makes sense!)
I like the idea of status! I think it’s accurate and it’ll be a huge help when I’m stuck . . . and when I start edits. This insight into chapter 2 is very helpful, so thanks!
You’re so welcome, Aster!
Fabulous advice!
Glad you liked it, Ashley!
This is great advice. I’m actually looking forward to editing my second chapter now so I can put all this stuff to use!
I hope it goes well, Em!
This is so good!! Very helpful. The relational, positional, and situational status thing makes me think of my school. In any subject we have – writing, math, science, latin, economics, debate – we always follow the 5 common topics – Definition, Comparison, Relationship, Circumstance, and Testimony. And, the 5 common topics definitely come in handy in storytelling!
That’s interesting, Riley! I like the idea of those topics.
Oh, interesting! I haven’t seen that before.
This is incredibly helpful! I really don’t like my second chapter of my WIP right now, and after reading this list, I realized why. Now I have a better idea of what to fix to make it better. Thanks so much for the advice!
What great timing! I’m so glad this helped, Kristianne!