Next chapter

When Mia and I had an art gallery, we worked with Dimitri Casters. A Belgian artist who, at that time, called his paintings "Chapters". Do you know why books have chapters?

Casters' works were sober and mysterious at the time. "The story of my own environment, what protects me, what I protect, stories of society." This is how he described his Chapters. Nowadays he makes brightly colored, multicolored works, in my opinion influenced by - or a mix of - Picasso and Basquiat; see his Instagram). 

Foto: Chapter 98. (100x100x5cm).

Stories used to be written without interruptions. This only changed around 1200. Initially to facilitate retrieval of information. Useful for non-fiction. Today (in fiction) chapters are used to give the reader a break. I often use chapters for plot twists or to tell the story from the point of view of a different character. Usage of chapters is common in novels. Strangely enough, not in short stories. 

Some time ago a writer pointed out to me that he also indicates plot twists in short stories by using a division with chapters. I thought it was clear and I now use it myself. I immediately divide new stories into chapters during writing. Older short stories are "chopped into pieces" as soon as I include them in the Vinyed collections.
Wanna know more about the history and usage of chapters? Then read this article: "Why do books have chapters? How writing changed from antiquity to children's books and streaming". 

Next book in mhy Vinyed series (Vinyed 4 "French Kiss") will be available on June 4. All neatly cuyt and chopped into pieces (read: chapters). 
More about the Vinyed series on my website.
Or buy them in my webshop.