To Suck or Not To Suck? [Writing Tips]

Please. 

I can not tell you how boring some of these chapters are and how they can be confused with filler chapters when in reality?

They aren't.

They're just boring.

Now, a filler chapter is good every one in a while. Maybe you decide that the characters need a little break, so you give them one. I mean, there's no law in books that say you have to have some kind of plot development in every single chapter.

You don't.

Then that brings me to boring chapters.

I was reading a fan fiction on here the other day, and it wasn't bad, because the author writes well, but the book was so unbelievably boring, I yawned like three times through one chapter.

And do you want to know the reason it was boring? Because the focus is supposed to be on two people, as it says in the title, but one of the characters is M.I.A. throughout the first few chapters.

I know I said it wasn't bad, but it felt like little thought was put into the chapters.

I read books the way I watch television: with a serious expression. That way, when there's a really good moment, I can laugh and smile about it and it's made my day. 

If I read through a chapter with only a serious expression, that means it was not interesting at all.

And sooner or later, that serious expression could turn into a frown, and I'll ask myself, "What did I just read?"

A chapter doesn't have to have someone die every few pages to make it interesting, it's just gotta have the basics.

Here we go with a boring chapter:

I looked at my best friend, Nicole, and told her how I had a crush on this guy.

"Then maybe you ask him out," she suggested.

I shrugged, as I got comfortable on the couch. "I don't know. I mean, I want to."

She flipped the channel on the TV, not looking at me. "Then you definitely should."

I thought about it. "Okay, I definitely will."

*Five Boring And Monotonous Chapters Later*

"Hey, Daniel? My friend thinks we should date. Do you agree?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not?"

And boom. It's done. There are so many things that could have been done differently to make it interesting.

For example:

I bit into an apple, looking up at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about," my best friend, Nicole asked, plopping down beside me.

I turned my attention to her. I swallowed my piece of apple before I spoke. "I was talking to this guy the other day..."

"Oh here we go again," she says with a playful eye roll.

I push her in the shoulder. "What does that mean?"

She laughs. "You know what it means. Every time you start a sentence with those words, it means you like him, but you just try to pretend like you don't. Then I'll suggest you ask him out, which you'll politely say "No, I don't think I should". That's how these conversations always work."

I sigh as I stand up. "Whatever Nicole. That is so not what I was going for."

*Chapter 2*

I'm walking down the hall when I see Daniel, the guy I was going to tell Nicole about, before I was so rudely interrupted.

I just have to play it cool.

I walk down the hall, and give him a nod. "Hey Daniel."

He smiles. "Hey. Oh, wait. Brianna?"

I stopped, and turned to look at him. "Yes?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets then kicks at the ground, before looking back up at me. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to catch a movie with me tomorrow night? If you're busy, I understand."

I smile. I'm not sure how serious I am about him, but this would a good way to find out. "I'd love to."

"Great. I'll pick you up at 8."

"Sounds like a plan."

Now, that was plot progression, but it was also more of a filler. It's not boring.

It features a little bit of humor and a little bit more interesting interactions.

The first version makes me want to sleep.

The second version is what people should try to go for.

At this moment, I'm going to nod my head to an author who I don't think is capable of creating a boring chapter. She's told me to stop giving her so many mentions, but I have to let the world know what a great writer she is.

justheretoread747's chapters always have great details that make you want to read more, and her humor is exactly the refresher you need every chapter.

Her books are what you want to check out if you absolutely have no idea how to write an interesting chapter.

There are more authors that do this. Quite a few actually, but I couldn't name them all.

To Suck

Writing chapters that make people want to fall asleep. Read over your story and see if you're happy with it or if it bores you to death. If it's the latter, you might want to fix a few details here and there.

Not To Suck

Include a little humor(not forced, which I'll try to do a chapter about), and don't stray away from the main characters. If you want to write about them hanging out with their friends or family, that's fine, but don't do it so much that the book becomes something else entirely. Keep in mind we need their life stories. Not everyone else's.