Good Day Folks,

Cover James Saves the Moon

One day last week as I was entering the school for a PTO Meeting Conner 3rd grader playing in his yard yells . “Hi Mrs. Nystrom. “I like your book. I have a question” So I say Hi Conner, glad you liked it. What is your question. Well I had trouble hearing the question and I was 8 minutes late already to the meeting and I am the President. So I yell I stop over after or tomorrow morning to answer the question. He was good with that. The Next Morning Conner asked why does it have chapters?  I was not expecting this question. Very good question. Why did I use chapters I said.

This is why I use chapters.

1. I make an out line after I free write to organize my thoughts and  it  keeps my timelines in order.  So the outline usually turns in to the chapters. Once I have the outline the story is broken down by the main events for the chapter. I label my outline with a title, which turns in to the titles for each chapter. This keeps me on topic as I edit each chapter during rough drafts and edits and the final stages of the story.

2. While I was homeschooling my son in English while living in Iceland, I found it was easier to teach him with chapter books even though he was 7 and 8 years old. I also think it is easier to come to stopping points at a end of a chapter. I think it is easier to teach grammar with chapters even when they are only one or two pages.  Example, How many sentences in the 1st paragraph in chapter one. Now tell me the noun, verb, adverb and adjective in the second sentence in paragraph three. etc. Rather than go to page 4 and answer the above questions. Comprehension I think is easier tested by referring to the chapter rather than the pages or whole story.

3. Nearly every book I read as a kid were chapter books. I was lucky I was a exceptional reader at a young age.

4. I think having two or three pages per chapter helps a young reader become a confident reader and hopefully will rise to the challenge of expanding to a higher level of reading. When they can finish one chapter and tell a teacher or parent I read two chapters today instead of 6 pages. Adult figures react better to a child telling them they read 1 or more chapters rather than two pages to 6 pages. Its basic conditioning.  It sounds better.  I also hope the child forgets how many pages but remembers how many chapters. I have found children are intimidated when they have many pages to read. But ask them to read a chapter and they are more receptive to this.

Now I explained this in less detail to Conner and he shook his head and was good with that. Wanted to know when my next book was coming out. I said hopefully soon. He will get a free signed copy because he asked a very good question.

Thanks Conner for the question and blog idea. WB

P.S. Just a reminder “James Saves the Moon is available at

solsticepublishing.com, amazon.com, smashwords.com, barnesandnoble.com,schulerbooks.com, powells.com