Chapter 6: Newton

Chapter 6 is online at http://www.WebFeats.com/Transition/6.html.

This is a short chapter that I stuck into the middle of a scene just for pacing. Having done it, I'm not sure that it really makes any sense – I created a character, gave him a name and a short back-story, and he's in and out of the novel in a few paragraphs. On the one hand, it breaks up a long scene just as I wanted it to, and it's conveniently placed just before the climax of the scene to draw out the suspense for a few seconds. On the other hand, why introduce readers to a new character who serves no real purpose in the development of the story? Isn't it hard enough work to read a novel without having to cope with extraneous material?

On balance, I still like this chapter (obviously, or else it wouldn't still be here), but I recognize that it may be here simply because I enjoyed writing it, not necessarily because I thought that anyone would enjoy reading it. (I'd like to think that those are the same things, but I know that they may not be.)