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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/12567
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

While this question may be a little nit-picky I realize chapters do help the flow of a book, and, since I'm now plotting a novel, I figured it's a good time to ask.

In a non-lineary storyline, I've noticed two ways chapters are laid out; I think the best way to describe it is _dynamic_ versus _static_ chapter sequence.

**Static** chapter sequences I would describe as a round-robin approach to subplots. For example, if there are 3 subplots, each "act" will be broken up into 3 chapters, with the order of subplots constant with each act.

A real-world example of this is _Burning Paradise_ by Robert Charles Wilson. When I was reading this the subplots were per-chapter to the point where it became annoying and monotonous for me. With this sequence, I see a few pros and cons:

- Pro: the reader is able to predict what chapter goes with with subplot so they're not having to guess for the first few paragraphs.
- Con: since chapters can control the flow of the story, the chapters may not coincide with the story flow.

**Dynamic** chapter sequences go with the flow of the story. You may follow one subplot for several chapters while another subplot may get a chapter here and there (and, in most cases, they end up getting an equal share at the end of the story).

A real-world example of this (that I'm reading right now) is The _Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_ by Stieg Larsson.

For about half the book I was wondering if Salander was still alive (meaning she wasn't mentioned a whole lot). Pros and cons:

- Pro: the chapters follow the flow of the story
- Con: The reader may forget about small sublots.

Am I using the correct terminology? Is my question too confusing? Thanks, in any case! :-)

Original score: 3