Chapter=Day

I don't see a reason you should. There is nothing wrong with writing a chapter to represent each day, so long as it works for the story.

I don't see anything wrong with the format you're proposing. Just make sure you don't rush through said day and don't hesitate to skip days that don't have enough happen during their 24 hours.

Have you ever watched '24'? That should give you some ideas on how to fill your days without having major empty spots and without rushing.

Some ideas to try out to see if they help:

* Add more plot complications and conflict.

* Give wordage to a character's reaction after something happens. So if character finds a body on the floor, then follow it up with a reaction to finding it.

* Do something with the minor walk-on characters. If a waitress makes an appearance in the story, see if you can come up with something else to do with her later on the story.

* Don't forget the subplots.

A book that might be worth reading is The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. You might be able to find it at the library instead of buying it. The author, who is an agent, offers a step-by-step guide to writing a novel. While his method of outlining isn't for everyone, there's a lot of goodness in the book that you can walk away with.

Linda Adams said:

* Do something with the minor walk-on characters. If a waitress makes an appearance in the story, see if you can come up with something else to do with her later on the story.

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Look for good spot to end the chapter on at other times in the day. Maybe you're naturally draw to a chronological format, but there's a good story spot that would make a great ending someplace else. Something with high tension, a mystery, a sense of fear.