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Chapter Nine
> Written BEFORE reading Chapter Nine:
Many of my favorite novels have observed the so-called three-act structure, with J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins and even Jane Austen following the rhythm of “thirds”: setup, confrontation, resolution.
An alternate structure of “quarters”—English teachers call it plot in four parts—extends the “middle” of the story and splits the confrontation phase into reactive and proactive parts.
Before I start a book, I try to predict whether it’ll be a three- or four-part structure using one available clue: the number of chapters. If it’s divisible by 3—like 18 or 21 chapters—it makes me think the author is using three-act structure. But if there are a multiple of four chapters—like 20 or 32—I start to think it may be a plot in four parts. (Of course, 12 or 24 chapters fit both, and plenty of authors don’t strictly align their plot structure to their chapter breaks, but it’s a guideline that holds true pretty frequently.)
That’s why the 27 chapters in SNOOP caught my eye. Chapter Nine concludes the first third of the book, so if it’s going to be a three-act structure, I expect to see a plot shift here: like Carter discovering something in his camera observations beyond the Lacey/Maddox relationship, and deciding to devote time and effort to whatever it is. But if SNOOP is a plot in four parts, the big plot shift should come around chapter 14—the halfway point of this book.
So, does GRK plan his stories to follow one of these structures? Anyone who checks in regularly to The Forum knows our favorite middle-grade author offers one unrelentingly consistent piece of advice to aspiring writers: Outline your entire story before you write a single word. So I am guessing he does have a plan for timing when big plot developments occur. I haven’t tracked chapter numbers across his books closely, but I’d guess he tends more towards three-part than four-part. (And with seven intentional trilogies within his oeuvre—or “catalog” as Darren says—a three-part story arc seems to come naturally.)
> Written AFTER reading Chapter Nine:
Carter’s description of his remote-education lifestyle is really interesting. In the Chapter Two discussion, I commented about how SNOOP is clearly a post-pandemic story, with the option for remote/virtual/hybrid education just being accepted without need for explanation. Here in Chapter Nine, it kind of hits me that GRK has avoided adding to the glut of stories that dwell on Covid-era schooling, while also recreating the exact dynamic for Carter—both with Zoom schooling and with a largely homebound existence.
3 a.m. is a crazy hour for a middle schooler to be up. But Carter’s nocturnal camera surfing lets us readers get our first look at why a red panda appears in the SNOOP cover design. (BTW, @Darren, did you notice Carter’s mention that he just has to google “red panda” to confirm that’s the animal he sees on the security camera? Scholastic allowed a small “g”—and I know both AP and Chicago styles still call for the brand name to be capitalized even when it’s being used as a verb.)
Okay, so I wrote almost as many words about plot structuring as there were words in the rather short Chapter Nine—and now after reading the chapter I suspect it’s three-part but am unsure. Does the appearance of the red panda serve as an inciting incident for a big plot point? Carter doesn’t specifically pledge to figure out what’s going on, but I’m going to guess we’ll enter into the confrontation stage starting in Chapter Ten—if so, Carter will probably seek more information, make some wrong deductions, have some new obstacles (or resistance) to overcome, and have to recalibrate at some point. (I’m reading the story for the first time, one chapter a day, so I’m honestly unsure what’s to come.)
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@Owen, nothing special about dumpsters. Just having fun overanalyzing things. Interesting observation about the drone’s weight. I googled it and see that you’re right—15 pounds is quite a bit heavy than a recreational drone, but it is actually right where a commercial camera drone would fall. So Carter’s mom has some high-end equipment (making the close call with Maddox and the hedge even more harrowing as commercial equipment has got to be super expensive!). I guarantee if you reread RESTART, you’ll spot lots of hints and clues about what’s coming. Subconsciously, you probably picked up on a lot of them during the first read—and that contributed to the power of the story’s climax. I had a teacher tell me once that, with a good book, the second read is the best read—and for a great book, the 10th or 100th read is the best read! You pick up something new every time. And I think we generally include weekends in the chapter-per-day pacing for the Kormaniacs Book Club, but some people check in only once or twice per week, so just come when you can and participate any way that’s fun and meaningful for you.
@Darren, congratulations on completing the collection. I hope you post a pic sometime of your Korman bookshelf. I wonder how many fans have pulled together a copy of every book. I still have a list of books I want to add to my own shelf—mostly compilations and author bios, and some foreign translations.