When I’m about to read new book, I always flip through to see how it’s broken up. How many chapters, how long is each one.
Personally, I like manageable segments. Even if I have the luxury of sitting down to read forty pages, I like to know there will be obvious places to take a little break, have a look in the fridge, you know.
Since we’re on Substack, and you can’t flip beyond the posted chapters to see where this is going, this footnote aims to give you a basic idea of the structure of Kingston 76.
Firstly, as a side note, I should mention that some years ago I was influenced by The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. As an adventure outline, it probably can’t be improved upon. Still, I prefer to keep it in mind rather than follow too precisely. The fun of writing is not knowing exactly where you’re going.
A second side note, about ten years ago, I read Story by Robert McKee. Maybe I read it twice. I could read it five more times and not cover all the bases. Is there anything the dude does not cover in that book?
But, thanks to Campbell, McKee, and other influences, the Three Act Structure instinctively makes a lot of sense, I can work with it.
Hence, Kingston 76 has three parts.
If you’ve just finished reading chapters 1-6, then you’ve just finished Part One. We’ve gotten things rolling, there’s been a pretty serious turning point, and Timothy has accepted the call to action. That’s generally what happens in a Part One.
Part Two is usually the longest part in a story because there are new characters and lots of adventures. That’s what you’re about to get over the course of the next 19 chapters, so buckle up.
Part Three will conclude the story with 4 chapters and a few surprises.
Have you noticed that even the NYTimes online is telling you in advance how long it will take to read any article in particular? Almost how the light-up sign by the Thruway in Kingston tells you how long it’s going to take to drive to Newburgh.
At any rate, Substack seems to think the longest chapter in K-76 posted so far would take you about 13 minutes to read. That means even if you fall a little behind, you can probably catch up pretty effortlessly. It also means that, even if you’re reading several chapters in a row, you can depend on K-76 to give you a break every ten or so minutes to, you know, check the fridge.
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(click here to link to Table of Contents, jump in where you left off)
Also, feel free to comment!
I'm in it for the long haul. Every chapter of '76 is the highlight of my week.
Love the book. Hate that it’s dribbling out week by week. Who do you think you are, Charles Dickens?