When I wrote Loser Fooser, I wanted to make something I would like to read. Part of that meant figuring out how to divide my chapters. When I was younger, I would devour whole novels in one day, or over a weekend. These days, my reading habits are different. I read a few pages on the run, or a chapter every couple days. It usually has nothing to do with the book. With different responsibilities, and priorities, carving out time for longer reading sessions are difficult.

So in the end, I tried to set Loser Fooser in a way that lent itself to my habits, banking that others were like me. A lot of chapters, but generally smaller page counts. I wanted readers to come in, pop in for a few pages or chapters, and pop out, feeling comfortable popping back in the next day without losing their place or being lost. I tried to stay away from hard cliffhangers on every chapter, as well. They have their place but sometimes I feel it's an easy gimmick.

I also thought my way worked better for the story. Barry is a kid recounting, for the most part, a two week window in his life. I wanted the chapters to feel more like snapshots and memories rather than one long continuous two week scene.

Of course, sometimes I wonder if I went too far being lax--should I have had more cliffhangers? Longer chapters? A bigger sense of urgency? Maybe I made it too easy to walk away from after a short chapter.

In the end though, I like to think that if readers make it to the tournament, they stick around to finish the book in that same sitting if time allows. And I do hope that overall, my method worked for this particular story. Of course, despite the best of intentions, the readers will decide. So far I've had some wonderful feedback, positive and negative, and I'll take that into consideration with my next offering, which I hope will still be ready before 2020 comes to an end!