3 stage chapters in fiction?

Really, every scene in every chapter should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Even in short chapters, something must be happening or else there's no point including that scene or chapter in the book.

A chapter's purpose is to further the story. That means that it must start one place and end another, so yes, all effective chapters will have a beginning, middle, and end.

I think there are all kinds of theories about this, but mostly about scenes, not chapters. A chapter can have several scenes in it, and I suppose it can also be like half a scene.

I don't know if this was what you were wondering about, but James Scott Bell says there are 2 kinds of scenes: action, and reaction. Often one follows the other, though the reaction can be very brief and be inserted into the action scene.

Action consists of 3 things: objective, obstacle, outcome. Another way to look at it is: What your characters want, what's in the way, result.

Reaction is 3 also: emotion, analysis, decision. In other words: reaction to the action scene, consideration of options, new plan.

I am reading Lee Child's BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE, and this technique is very clear in his chapters.

For me it's a very useful focusing tool, because I can get a bit lost in my story sometimes.

ETA: Also, I've read somewhere that each chapter should ask a question, like a hook to move the reader to the next chapter. Then that next chapter answers the last question, but in a way that sets up a new question.

I've never defined my chapters in this particular way. Yes, of course, chapters should be built of scenes that move the story forward, every scene needs to matter, there should be forward momentum in the story, etc., and I always have a reason for ending/beginning chapters where I do. But I don't think of it in terms of beginning-middle-end.

I don't think I'd describe it as begining - middle - end. When a novel has an ending, everything is resolved; you put it down and say, "Yes, good, finished" (even if you wish it would go on and on). I don't think chapters, or even scenes, should have that kind of end.

I do, however, believe that scenes need a purpose, and that purpose should have a kind of resolution. But the resolution of that purpose should then spin you into the purpose of the next scene.

In my WIP, there's a scene in the bar. The MC's reason for going to the bar is to escape the emotions from the preceding event and to settle his nerves. He hopes he'll run into old friends. My purpose in writing the scene is to introduce several new characters, establish their relationship (past and current) with the MC, and answer several burning questions readers would have by this point about my mysterious MC.

When all those things have happened, the purpose for the scene is resolved. But it's not over. That's when another character makes his first appearance -- an appearance set up in the prior scene -- and the MC makes a Very Important Choice that not only kicks off the issue in the next scene, but, for all intents and purposes, kicks off the main plot thread of the book.

I think while it's not clearly defined, there should be some kind of beginning, middle and end. Or you can call it action-reaction-consequence. Whatever you want to call it, the concept is similar. For me, there are two parts to an effective scene/chapter:

1. set up -- you need to orient your readers: What are the characters in this scene? Where are they? Is it a new scene? Is it a continuation of a previous scene? What are the "states" of things at this point?

2. stuff happens -- dialogue, action, conflict, etc. A scene or chapter should move things along, or develop characters... but that's the meat of your scene/chapter. With a chapter, you can have multiple scenes....

3. ending -- this is when you wrap up the scene/chapter. Either the stuff happening in this scene/chapter is resolved, with new questions raised, or a new conflict arises -- that's when you have a cliffhanger ending. But it's still an ending. You don't quit half-way through a scene or chapter without either one of these happening.