Make Sure Every Chapter Does This
Lesson from Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson writes 1,000+ page fantasy novels that readers devour.
And maintaining reader interest for so long is no easy task…
So what’s his secret?
Sanderson follows a strict mantra for structuring his novels:
"Make sure each chapter can be somebody's favorite."
A chapter doesn't have to be everyone's favorite, but there should be something included that some reader can say, “I love this.”
Here’s How You Do It:
1. Identify The Problem:
No one likes a boring chapter.
Brandon Sanderson warns: “Don't make any chapter the boring filler of your story.”
The "boring filler" is usually a chapter where the pace slows down because lots of exposition needs to be given to the reader.
Exposition = Backstory that readers must know to understand what happens next
If things slow down too much, it’ll have a negative impact on the reading experience.
2. Use The ‘Pope In The Pool’ Technique:
To avoid any chapter becoming the ‘boring filler,’ you need make sure that exposition is given in an interesting way.
I learned a great technique from Blake Snyder’s writing book, Save The Cat.
Add a Pope In The Pool.
Pope In The Pool - An element added to a story designed to hold attention while exposition is given.
🔍 The technique’s name comes from The Plot to Kill the Pope by George Englund.
The script features an exposition-heavy scene that takes place at the Vatican pool while the Pope swims laps back and forth.
The reader isn’t left bored while the dialogue unfolds, but is instead thinking:
“I didn’t know the Vatican had a swimming pool?!”
“And look, the Pope’s not wearing his Pope clothes… he’s… he’s… in his bathing suit!”
Instead of letting dialogue turn into an information dump, add an element to the chapter specifically designed to hold reader interest.
A Helpful Example:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown follows the “make sure every chapter can be somebody’s favorite” mantra. The story requires lots of exposition as it unfolds— but the pace never slows too much.
The Pope in the Pool technique is used to great effect in chapter 37, when Robert Langdon must explain his knowledge of a secret society.
📖 You can read my full analysis of The Da Vinci Code here:
The entirety of the chapter takes place in a car, so Dan Brown could have easily conveyed the essential plot details through dialogue alone.
But he makes things much more interesting.
The characters take a turn into a forested park in Paris called the Bois de Boulogne, also known as “the Garden of Earthly Delights.”
From Chapter 37:
Ahead, two topless teenage girls shot smoldering gazes into the taxi. Beyond them, a well-oiled black man in a G-string turned and flexed his buttocks. Beside him, a gorgeous blond woman lifted her miniskirt to reveal that she was not, in fact, a woman.
Heaven help me! Langdon turned his gaze back inside the cab and took a deep breath.
“Tell me about the Priory of Sion,” Sophie said.
Langdon nodded, unable to imagine a less congruous backdrop for the legend he was about to tell.
The chapter never feels dull because of the eccentric setting, despite it essentially being the “boring filler” between actions scenes.
Use the Pope In The Pool technique in your own stories to follow Brandon Sanderson’s mantra: “Make sure every chapter can be somebody’s favorite.’
Want to go deeper? There are 2 ways I can help you:
