Magical Realism - Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary! by Kimberley Griffiths Little #ChaBooCha

I love that term, Magical Realism. Magical Realism added to a story brings to mind all sorts of delicious and unusual story twists, whether delightful, creepy, or just plain enchanting in a unique and unexpected way. Unexpected being the key term here.

In today’s climate of publishing, especially the children’s and young adult realm where vampires, werewolves, fairies and mermaids have been the staple for a decade now, a reader might say that any book with a supernatural twist falls under the category of “magical realism”. You might even put ghosts into that category, as well as super-powers, or creatures raised from the dead; zombies, the undead, etc.

I beg to differ. Magical Realism was coined several decades ago, but began to be more widely used in the 1990s to describe a certain type of book that hadn’t been published very much before. Up until that point, bookstores and libraries were filled with well-defined categories such as, “Contemporary” “Mystery”, “Romance”, “Western”, “Science-Fiction”, etc.

Definition of “Magical Realism”:

A story where the author creates a very normal, regular world, populated with ordinary, regular people (no Vampires or Centaurs, Klingons or Doctor Octopus) but adding a touch—mind you, just a touch—of something surreal, fantastic or bizarre that turns the story upside down while staying very much grounded in our normal, regular world setting. Magical Realism is added as an element, NOT in huge doses—but often that one magical realism element turns an otherwise regular story into something entirely different because it affects the characters and the plot in such a unique way. That one element brings an edge or slant that doesn’t line up quite right with the real world. Instead of looking at the story straight on, it makes the reader look at things in a whole different light—where the story bats its eyelashes and looks askance, perhaps almost coy—which can also help the reader understand the truths of the story in an entirely different way. This is not your average contemporary Young Adult novel or Middle-Grade story.

I love me some edgy, contemporary stories and read them a lot. I also read, and have read, widely in the paranormal and supernatural or dystopian genres. But those are not stories using Magical Realism in the Classic sense. Often readers, including teachers and librarians get Magical Realism and the Fantasy genre mixed up.

A Case Study:

I had a librarian classify my 2013 novel, When the Butterflies Came as Fantasy. But I’m sorry to say, she’s mistaken. My novel takes place in the very real world of a small town in Louisiana about a girl who has grown up on an old plantation (family home since before the Civil War). She’s got ordinary family and friends with quirks and foibles and problems. Her grandmother is a research scientist on another very real world location, an island in Micronesia. My MC is dealing with her grandmother’s recent and unexpected death, her mother’s depression, her bratty, annoying blue-haired older sister, and a touch of OCD she deals with in an effort to bring some sort of order into an otherwise disconcerting life. One aspect of the story that is not *quite* real (or is it?) concerns the unusual species of butterflies Tara Doucet’s grandmother is researching. These beautiful butterflies appear to possess extraordinary characteristics—maybe even magical. But the cultures of both Louisiana and Micronesia as well as the story’s characters are very much grounded in reality.

Here’s another great link defining Magical Realism.

Adult Magical Realism:

Reaching into the depths of my often fuzzy mind, I would have to say that the very first book I read that contained magical realism was, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, a novel that celebrated its 21^th birthday this last September and is still selling well in hardcover as well as paperback, audio, and Kindle. Esquivel mischievously appropriates the techniques of magical realism to make her heroine of the story, Tita’s, contact with food sensual, emotional, and often explosive. Love, food, and magical recipes in a kitchen where the other characters’ emotions and fate are determined by the emotions of the cook. If Tita’s sad while cooking, then everybody who eats her food is melancholy and weeping. If Tita is happy while preparing a wedding feast, then her dinner guests are joyful. The magical realism element in a novel that is otherwise the story about the generations of a family on a hacienda in Mexico brings out a fresh way of looking at life and relationships. And it’s done brilliantly.

A few years later, we got the scrumptious novel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, performing similar dreamlike plot twists through a chocolate confectioner who works her magic on an unsuspecting French village and their trials and loves and relationships.

Hmm, all this food talk is making me hungry. (*Takes break to pop a few chocolate truffles*).

What About Time Travel?

I personally believe that time travel books could fall into a sub-genre of magical realism. You may agree to disagree, but time travel books are grounded completely in an ordinary and historical world with historically based events, but then turn the story upside down by throwing their characters into a vastly different time period from their own where they must often cope with explosive events and try to get back home in one piece.

The Last Snake Runner

Such is my book, The Last Snake Runner where a contemporary teenage boy of the Snake Clan ends up in 1599 in the middle of a war—trying to stay alive while fighting next to his ancestors during a 3-day battle and meeting a girl that he can’t bear to leave—while at the same time knowing he can’t remain in 1599 but has to get back to the future somehow. The events of The Last Snake Runner are based on actual events in a very real place and time period, but the time travel as well as the visions my main character has could be called Magical Realism.

Last Example:

My novel, The Healing Spell (Scholastic, 2010) is grounded in the very real but often spooky world of the Louisiana bayous with its murky waters and hidden alligators. The story is about a family in crisis and where almost everyone is hiding a secret. A Cajun folk healer, or a traiteur, gives Livie, the main character, a nine-knotted healing string that will help wake her mamma from a life-threatening coma. The traiteur sends Livie on a journey to forgive and heal her relationship with her mother—even though Mamma is unaware in a coma in the living room. Guilt and secrets and sisters underpin this story about family and forgiveness—but the ending has a bit of magical realism built in. How else could a nine-knotted healing string strung with tokens and memories of Mamma be otherwise? (Can a tiny mustard seed of faith really move mountains? That is Magical Realism at its grandest!)

The Healing Spell

Other Magical Realism titles:

NINTH WARD by Jewell Parker Rhodes

TANGLE OF KNOTS by Lisa Graff

NIGHTINGALE’S NEST by Nikki Loftin

A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd

BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX by Laurel Snyder

BREADCRUMBS by Ann Ursu

PRACTICAL MAGIC by Alice Hoffman (Adult novel)

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Adult novel)

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Kimberley Griffiths Little is the award-winning author of middle-grade books with Scholastic, The Healing Spell (Whitney Award winner), Circle of Secrets, When the Butterflies Came, and the upcoming The Time of the Fireflies (July, 2014). Her Young Adult trilogy, FORBIDDEN, will debut November, 2014 with Harpercollins. Kimberley once survived a night in a haunted castle tower room in Scotland, makes way too many cookies when she’s revising, and the best book trailers in the universe – for reals! Check them out on Youtube and/or her website: www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com

Her Links:

WEBSITE:  kimberleygriffithslittle.com

BLOG:  KimberlyGriffithsLittle.blogspot.com

TWITTER:  @KimberleyGLittl

FACEBOOK:  Kimberly Griffiths Little

GOODREADS:  Kimberley_Griffiths_Little

YOUTUBE:  KimberleyLittle1

Amazon List of Books

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Give-away

One commenter will win a paperback copy of "When the Butterflies Came" by Kimberley Griffiths Little. All you have to do is comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. Must be a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge to qualify. Comment before noon on March 30th, 2014. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on March 30th, 2014 at noon.

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Winner

The winner of the paperback copy of Roz Morris's "Writing Characters Who'll Keep Readers Captivated: Nail Your Novel," chosen by a random number generator, is:

Joanne Roberts!

Congratulations, Joanne!

Structuring Your Story by Adam Wallace #ChaBooCha

There are tens, possibly hundreds, maybe even millions of articles and books and lectures about story structure. This article is totally my own preference, so you are welcome to either take it on board or make it walk the plank (take note ... making it walk the plank would be a negative plot point).

I used to be an engineer. I like structure. I like maths. And that is why Kurt Vonnegut is one of my heroes.

This is what he says about the shape of a story ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ

I love that. I love being able to see the shape of a story in terms of good and bad things happening to the main character. And what happens to the main character generally shapes the graph for other characters too, because the support characters are there to drive the main character’s journey, and bring out their personality traits.

One technique I have found extremely useful when working on the structure of a story is to actually break it down into little micro-structures. After I have written the story, or sometimes as I am going through, I write a scene breakdown. So for every scene I write down What happens, Why it happens (with regard to the story or the character), and whether it’s a positive or negative Scene for the character involved.

The two important things for me are the why and the positive/negative angle of the scene. If I can’t think of a good Why for a scene, if it doesn’t add something to the story or lead into something later on, it either needs to be changed or cut.

The positive/negative thing is really important too. You need to have shape to your story. If you have too much of the same thing, either positive or negative, the story becomes routine. It flatlines. There are no surprises. Even a movie like Rocky, where the graph spends most of the movie below the centre line, there are little spikes up and down throughout, leading to the massive jump at the end.

Most of you will probably know of The Hero’s Journey, a theory written by Joseph Campbell. I found it an incredibly hard book to read, but there are some great summaries online. Even if you don’t use all the points, you can still get a nice shape.

This is a very simplified version (there are actually 12 points).

• The main character is introduced to the audience
• An event takes the character out of their comfort zone and into another ‘world’, with new rules and conditions they aren’t used to. This can be a positive or negative event.
• Things get worse for the main character
• A mentor helps main character see the light and start turning things around
•  Another obstacle appears, the biggest yet, near-death, greatest fear, what will they do, winning seems impossible NOOOO!
• The main character triumphs YAAAAAAAY

The main things I took from it were the call to adventure (taking the main character out of their comfort zone); the mentor, someone who helps them along their journey (yes, I have watched a LOT of karate movies!); and I love the fact that the moment before the great victory is the lowest point, the moment where it seems like all hope is lost, but also a moment that strengthens the main character’s resolve.

A good low makes the high seem higher.

In the end, to me, it is all about character. It is your character’s journey, the situations they face, how they respond and grow, that will determine the structure of the story. Give them highs and lows, mix it up, and never allow them to get comfortable. If you do get stuck, if your story feels as though it is losing structure, think about what your main character would least like to happen, and make that happen!

As Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon say in their book Writing Movies for Fun and Profit (a fantastic book, by the way), every studio movie has the same three act structure. I believe it is also a great structure you can follow for chapter books as well.

Act 1: You get a likeable guy stuck up a tree (take him/her out of their comfort zone).

Act 2: You throw rocks at him (put them in situations they don’t want to be in and see how they react – have some wins, some losses).

Act 3: You get him down out of the tree (they win yaaaaaaay!).

Within these acts, the story graph has ups and downs, but this is a simple idea that is easy to follow and fun to write. Create your character. Make things difficult for them, but with the odd glimmer of hope, and then, when everything seems lost, when winning seems impossible, get him down out of the tree and finish on a high!

Now go and write!

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A qualified Engineer and Primary School Teacher, Adam Wallace settled onwriting books for children as his career of choice. With 20 published, including Better Out Than In and the How to Draw series, Adam is fast becoming a well-known name in the world of children’s books. You can find Adam's books at Adam Wallace Books and his Facebook author page here.

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One commenter will win a copy of "Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Beginning Readers and Chapter Books" by Nancy I. Sanders. All you have to do is comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. Must be a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge to qualify. Comment before noon on March 28th, 2014. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on March 28th, 2014 at noon. 

Books for Kids to Inspire your Writing - by the Fall Fourteeners

Like most writers, we Fall Fourteeners started out as fierce readers. Many of us spent a significant amount of our formative years with our nose in a book. So we thought we would pass along some of our favorite titles during the Chapter Book Challenge, just to give you some inspiration. Maybe your masterpieces will be on this list in a few years!

I suppose it’s no surprise that, with most of us getting ready to publish our first book in a series, our list is pretty series heavy. But there’s a reason for that. In kidlit, especially in that transition from Easy Readers to Juvenile Novels, kids want something fun, they want it fast, and when that first book is done, if they’ve connected, they want more.

In one of our author’s homes, the Stink Moody series sucked a second grade reluctant reader in and hasn’t let go. If you haven’t read Stink, you’ve probably heard about his big sister, Judy Moody. She had a movie made about her a few years ago. Between Judy and Stink, girls and boys have plenty of books to choose from. Both series are well written and fun for kids and adults as well. A quick read, they’re a great transition from chap books to novels. (A note about reluctant readers: Most of the Stink and Judy Moody books have audiobooks as well. So if you have a reader who doesn’t seem to get excited about reading, we suggest a read-along. The narrators are engaging and the stories captivating enough to make even the longest car ride go just a little quicker.)

Now, if you’re looking for a little mystery to solve, there are a ton to choose from. The Magic Treehouse Mystery series and the A-Z Mystery series come highly recommended by several of us, but let’s not forget the Cam Jansen Mysteries and Scooby Doo. And then there’s the Boxcar Children. These chapter books can engage the imagination like no others. Good writing, interesting plot twists and kids saving the day are sure to capture a reader’s attention.

Do you remember the Choose Your Own Adventure Books? If you don’t, you’ve missed out on something amazing. But did you know they have a series of CYOA books for younger readers as well? While the books don’t offer as many complicated page turning directions and outcomes, all of the power remains in the hands of the readers. One of our members claims it was these books that first inspired her to write. She said something about controlling the fate of an imaginary person and sending them to their doom when the fancy struck her. The rest of us just smiled and nodded.

So we’ve covered contemporary books and mysteries, but what about the books with humor? We have two series to suggest, both written by Dav Pilkey. The first is the Captain Underpants series. Need we say more? Just the name of the main character will have curious minds leafing through the covers. The second is the Ricky Ricotta series about a mouse who, with the help of his trusty robot, saves the Earth from invaders from other planets. And if that’s not enough, in true Pilkey fashion, the titles are incredible. Who could resist Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitos from Mercury? One of our members reports being inspired to try his hand at writing for children while watching his own children crack up at Pilkey’s mini-classics. With their sophisticated (if somewhat crude) wordplay and headlong, twisting plots, the Captain Underpants books are great inspiration for YA!

And finally, we have the classics. The Ramona Series, The Fudge Series, Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Series, ANYTHING by Roald Dahl. You get the picture.

The bottom line is there are a ton of chapter books out there to choose from. And, as YA writers, we’re counting on the idea that for every child, there is that special book that will unlock her imagination and make her thirsty for reading for the rest of her life! Who knows… maybe that book that you’ve been thinking about for years is just the book they’ve been waiting to discover!

Good luck on the challenge and we hope you uncover some hidden gems along the way!

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The Fall Fourteeners are a group of authors who are gearing up for their YA debuts this Fall. Representing different genres, they came together by way of their love of all things books and a publishing timeline. Please check us out at www.FallFourteeners.com for more information about us and our upcoming books.  

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Give-away

Chapter book Challenge member Linda Schueler has generously offered this next prize, a copy of The Observation Deck by Naomi Epel. Linda wrote about the prize in a blog post on her site: 

"It’s a book that comes with a set of cards. The book contains secrets from various writers that literary escort Epel accumulated over a number of years. So you can go through the book/deck in chronological order and work through a story from conception to finish. But what if you already have a manuscript? The beauty of this book/deck combination is that you can use it in many ways. Just use the chapter’s prompt to tweak a manuscript."

All you have to do is comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. Must be a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge to qualify. Comment before noon on March 27th, 2014. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on March 27th, 2014 at noon. 

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Winner

And now to announce the winner of the paperback copy of "The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes" by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

The winner is:

Kelly Vavala!

Congratulations, Kelly! Please contact me with an address to send your prize.

Effectiveness of Chapter Headings Vs No Chapter Headings by Julieann Wallace #ChaBooCha

Effectiveness of Chapter Headings Vs No Chapter Headings

Thoughts  by Julieann Wallace

 - teacher, author, illustrator, chocolate monster,

CEO at Lilly Pilly Press ( lillypillypress@outlook.com  www.facebook.com/LillyPillyPress )

Round One

Middle School Readers (9-12 year olds)

In the red corner, we have Book One.  A well written adventure story for Middle School readers  that will have you rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.  Book One is 35, 000 words in length.  It is a chapter book as one would expect, but has no Chapter Headings. (applause)

In the blue corner, we have Book Two. A well written adventure story for Middle School readers  that will have you rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.  Book Two is 35, 000 words in length.  It is a chapter book as one would expect, and contains Chapter Headings. (applause)

Let the game begin!

Book One

Book Two

ü  Chapters

ü  Chapters   ü  High interest attention grabbing Chapter Headings/Images luring the reader to keep reading to see what happens next.   ü  Reader can use prediction as to what may occur in the chapter.   ü  Chapter Heading will prepare reader for the type of words they will come across in the chapter.   ü  As a teaching tool, Chapter Headings will create discussion, think and share, prediction, reasoning, possible, impossible conversations.   ü  Stepping stone from Picture Books to Chapter Books.

Some Middle School Brains without chapter headings as they read a novel	Middle School Brains with chapter headings as they read a novel
The reader is lost.  They don't know where they are going with any of the information they are reading, or when it will end. Often, this reader will not persevere with reading, are often discouraged, and give up.	They have perspective. They know that this chapter contains all the information needed for a particular point to be made, or for a scene to occur, and then next chapter is the next development in the story. The reader is encouraged to continue reading as bit by bit the story unfolds in a meaningful way.

N.B.  The above information is generally speaking about children in the Middle School Reader age range.  Whilst this is a broad generalisation, children do have different reading abilities, and some may excel, or some may require more support with their reading journey.

Book One knocked out!  Book Two - WINNER!   (applause)

Round Two

YA Readers (12-17 year olds)

In the red corner, we have Book One.  A well written teenage drama story for YA readers, that will have you page turning and gasping for air.  Book One is 55, 000 words in length.  It is a chapter book as one would expect, but has no Chapter Headings. (applause)

In the blue corner, we have Book Two. A well written teenage drama for YA readers, that will have you page turning and gasping for air.  Book Two is 55, 000 words in length.  It is a chapter book as one would expect, and contains Chapter Headings. (applause)

Let the game begin!

Book One	Book Two
ü  Chapters   ü  Font of Chapter Number is unusual or quirky,  appealing to the YA age group and their status that they are not children anymore, but individuals wanting to make a statement.   ü  Stepping stone from Middle School Reader to YA to New Adult to Adult	ü  Chapters   ü  Chapter Headings to invite the reader to keep reading to see what happens next.   ü  Reader can use prediction as to what may occur in the chapter.   ü  Stepping stone from Middle School Reader to YA to New Adult to Adult.

The YA Brain without chapter headings as they read a novel	The YA Brain with chapter headings as they read a novel
http://printontheperiphery.wordpress.com/category/book-history/  *	http://printontheperiphery.wordpress.com/category/book-history/  *
As an effective independent reader, the YA brain is very adept at prediction, reflection, questioning and linking of information.  The YA reader does not require Chapter Headings, and is motivated by the plot and character development, and emotional attachment to the characters.	As an effective independent reader, the YA brain is very adept at prediction, reflection, questioning and linking of information. The YA reader does not require Chapter Headings, but can be persuaded to continue reading because of a Chapter Heading.  They are motivated by the plot and character development, and emotional attachment to the characters.

The spectators wait with bated breath as they await the judges' decision…….

Book One and Book Two stand aside the referee shuffling from foot to foot in nervous anticipation……

The result is in - DRAW!  ( rapturous applause) 

Chapter Headings - The Choice is Yours

After researching the topic of Chapter Headings, I discovered that Chapter Headings, and whether you incorporate them into your writing or not, is a very personal choice. However, your choice must be based on the needs of your targeted audience.

As children journey through the years, there is a natural progression that they globally partake in, to become independent, effective readers.

·         Babies - junior school children - Picture Books, and some chapter books - supported by abundant verbal interaction about words and pictures as their reading  and vocabulary develops - enriched by reading.

·         Middle-School Children - Chapter Books, some incorporation  of illustrations  here and there, to no illustrations.

·         YA - Chapter Books.  Illustrations far and few between, if any at all (generally speaking). 

As a writer, one of your goals is to want your reader to love reading, to feel  successful at reading, and keep them returning to reading. So, in order to do this, you need to know your targeted audience well as you decide on whether to use Chapter Headings or not. 

Chapter Heading Vs No Chapter Heading

A Scenario

…The End. You have finally finished your manuscript. You will either be doing the dance of joy, because your story is complete, or lost, like I always am because I am saying goodbye to the characters in my story that I have created, and come to love. 

You glance over your ms, and wonder: Do I need Chapter Headings?

Frantically, you race to a book store and hit the new release and best seller shelves and proceed to investigate every book on the shelf delving into the world of Chapter Headings, to see what other writers do, and what the "in thing" is with the publishing houses, and return home confused as there is no clear pattern happening for Chapter Headings.

You return to your manuscript and ponder what to do. 

What should you do regarding Chapter Headings? 

So, what is a chapter heading?

Let's look at some definitions to set a clear focus on the topic.

chap· ter n. One of the main divisions of a relatively lengthy piece of writing, such as a book, that is usually numbered or titled.

head·ing n 1.something that serves as a head, top, or front.

                     2. a title or caption of a page, chapter, etc.

 ti·tle  n  1.the distinguishing name of a book, poem, picture, piece of music, or the like.

                2. a descriptive heading or caption, as of a chapter, section, or other part of a book.

Books, Chapters, Chapter Headings for Middle Grade and YA Readers

It is a certainty that writers give much thought as to whether to add chapter headings or not.  Some writers revel in chapter headings, others question whether they are necessary, or even struggle over the use of a heading, and even what words to use in the Chapter Heading.

Some have their Chapter Headings before they write their book, others create the Chapter Headings after they complete the Chapter.  There is no right or wrong way when embarking on words for Chapter Headings, as we all work in different ways.

The Role and Effect of Chapter Headings

For the Writer:

·         Chapter Headings can be like the story plot and can help to keep the writer focussed on the story/message/idea.

·         Chapters Headings can give the writer a point of reference to occurrences in the storyline. Have you ever gone back to a chapter to read the details again.  For example, in a mystery, if the clues are planted throughout the book, and you missed something really obvious that gives a hint about who did it? Or, do you need to plant a clue in an earlier chapter?

·         A single word in the Chapter Heading can smash writer's block, filling you with enthusiasm, encouraging words to flow easily.

For the Reader:

·         Chapters can be seen like steps to solve a problem in the story (story map).

·         Chapters Headings guide the reader with the story plot.

·         Chapters can keep the reader focussed on the story/message/idea

·         Chapters give the reader a point in the story to stop and think about what has happened, and leads them to start thinking about what is going to happen next?  Prediction and Reflection.

·         Chapters give the reader a point of reference to occurrences in the storyline.

When are chapter headings ineffective?

·         When they are irrelevant to the content.

·         When they are misleading.

·         When they give the story away!  Do not allow the heading to give too much information about what is going to happen, taking the mystery and lure away from the reader.

Deciding on Chapter Headings

My Suggestion: 

Step back from your book, and look at it from the eyes of your targeted audience.

·         What do they BRING to you book in the way of prior knowledge, ability and expectations.

·         What do they NEED from you book?

·         Why are they reading your book?

·         What do you want to GIFT them with, from the words from your book?

·         By adding Chapter Headings, are you giving, or taking something away, from the power of your words?

·         What stage is your reader emotionally at?

·         What gender is the book targeted at?

Step back to your book.

·           Are the Chapter Headings giving away too much information about what will happen in the story?

·           Are the Chapter Headings inviting the reader in to keep reading?

·           Does the Chapter Heading fit the context of your content?  Or, does you book need Chapter Headings at all?

·           Do the Chapter Headings  add to your story, or do they take away from your story?

·           Do you have to use words for your Chapter Headings, or can you use an image instead?

Chapter Headings In a Nutshell

Whether to have Chapter Headings or not, is totally up to you as the writer. But whatever you choose, your decision must be based on  the needs of your targeted audience.

Also consider the following: 

The Chapter Headings

·         need to add to your story.

·         have a link to the words used in the chapter,  making meaning, building strength, building the plot, building interest.

·         help to chunk information that have the common purpose of moving the plot along.

·         Can be words or images.

Obtaining opinions from beta readers, and writing buddies is essential J

For Added Interest….

In works of fiction, authors sometimes number their chapters eccentrically, often as a metafictional statement. For example:

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon only has chapters which are prime numbers.
• At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien has the first page titled Chapter 1, but has no further chapter divisions.
• God, A Users Guide by Seán Moncrieff is chaptered backwards (i.e., the first chapter is chapter 20 and the last is chapter 1). The novel The Running Man by Stephen King also uses a similar chapter numbering scheme.
• Every novel in the series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket has thirteen chapters, except the final installment (The End), which has a fourteenth chapter formatted as its own novel.
• Mammoth by John Varley, has the chapters ordered in chronological order from the point of view of a non-time-traveler, but, as most of the characters travel through time, this leads to the chapters defying the conventional order.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on Chapter Headings.                                                                                             

What are your thoughts about the topic?

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_(books)                                                                                                                                                                                  * Image: Why reading feeds our brain  New York Times article entitled, ‘Your Brain on Fiction’ by Annie Murphy Paul http://dictionary.reference.com/

***** 

Julieann Wallace

~ Writer, Illustrator, Author, Editor, Educator ~

Publisher at Lilly Pilly Press

     It’s funny how life twists and turns and polishes people into who they are

created to be. Never in her wildest dreams did Julieann think that she would

become a published author.  Art, Sport and Teaching were her passions, besides being a mum to three amazing children.

Throughout her  journey in life, one thing is absolutely clear -

~ We are not all created equally, but, we all have the same capacity to love, to laugh,

and to treat others in kindness, patience and understanding equally~

       And this is what you will find in Julieann’s picture books - written with 

an author’s passion, an illustrator's hand, a teacher’s mind and a creative heart.

You can connect with Julieann at Julieann Wallace - Writer, Author, Illustrator

    or at Lilly Pilly Press

*****
Give-away:

One commenter will win a paperback copy of "The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters."  All you have to do is comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. Must be a signed-up member of the Chapter Book Challenge to qualify. Comment before noon on March 26th, 2014. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on March 26th, 2014 at noon. 

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Winners:

And now for the announcement of the two winners of K.M. Weiland's books!

     

In the first drawing, for "Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story," the winner is:

Amy Dixon!

Congratulations, Amy!

And in the second drawing, for "Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success," the winner is:

Beverley Baird!

Congratulations, Beverley!