For these two brief chapters, we're back with Kate and Alyson, whose online connection is intensifying, and then with Barton and Eva, and we learn more about her cancer diagnosis and surgeries.

Barton's life gets even more chaotic when he wakes up to construction workers outside his window, then receives a call from Eva and Marie's school principal.

When we last left Kate back in Chapter 2, she was impatiently waiting for an email that her family doesn't know about. These chapters comprise the backstory of the mysterious email. -- Again, we're thrust into backstory without scene -- does this puncture the story's tension? Go to anchor.fm/susanna-daniel4/message to leave a voicemail with your suggestions and questions about craft and creativity, which we'll address in a future episode.

In Chapter 3, we return to Barton Calloway, who has fallen into a sinkhole in the woods next to his house while hiding from his warring daughters, Eva and Marie. Each of the first 3 chapters of the novel is scene-heavy and active -- Chapter 4 transitions to brief exposition about the backstory of Barton and Glory's separation. -- What is the ratio of scene to exposition in the novel so far?  -- Is this ratio working, or is the beginning too heavy with one or the other? -- Does the action maintain momentum here, or slow down? Go to anchor.fm/susanna-daniel4/message to leave a voicemail with your suggestions and questions about craft and creativity, which we'll address in a future episode.

For the second chapter of BATTERSEA, we move to the novel's second point of view and second main plot arc. Susanna chose two points of view -- her first time doing this in a novel -- without committing to a strict ABABAB structure.  -- What are the pros and cons of using two points of view?  -- Do they need to be balanced or equivalent to each other?  -- What are some ways to jump between POVs without jarring the reader from her vivid and continuous dream? Also, using a second point of view means starting the book for the second time, and the second beginning is held to the same standards as the first.  -- Which beginning has more thrust?  -- Which one is more engaging, and why? Go to anchor.fm/susanna-daniel4/message to leave a voicemail with your suggestions and questions about craft and creativity, which we'll address in a future episode.

Hello, writers! Welcome to the Writer's Toolkit podcast, with authors Susanna Daniel, Steven Wright, Sasha TerMaat, & Adam Hirsch -- where we use original work to explore issues of craft and creativity.  To start us off, Susanna reads the first chapters of her third novel, BATTERSEA, a story about finding freedom in midlife, set in lush South Florida, full of teen angst, middleage sex, and so many sinkholes.  Some craft stuff to consider: -- What structural decisions has the writer made prior to the opening scene? (Hint: think point of view, tense, setting, etc.) -- Does the first chapter hook the reader? Why or why not? -- What's pushing the gas and what's putting on the brakes for the reader here? Listen along, then join us next month when we deep dive into how to make the novel better -- and leave us a voicemail with your suggestions and questions at anchor.fm/susanna-daniel4/message. Are you living a creative life? We want to hear about it.