Writing.Com General Discussion

This is just one idiot's opinion, so take it for what it is.

A chapter in a book relates to tthose that have come before and those that come after. You cannot read a chapter in isolation because the story will not make sense.

A stand-alone is something that, as the name implies, stands alone. You can read it and have a complete tale told.

If a memoir is about a whole life, then chapters would be the way most would go. What happens in chapter 4 relates directly to chapters 1, 2 and 3 because life builds that way, and chapter 5 runs on from chapter 4.

But a series of stories about something very specific can be read as standalone stories. Think about those books like World's Greatest Crimes where each chapter is a different crime and you could read them out of order and it would not matter.

So if your jobs lead from one to tthe other, and they relate to one another, then the chapters will have to be connected. Otherwise, it's your book and if it works as stand-alone vignettes, go for it. And if one way does not work, go back and change it.

That's my 2 cents.