Chapter Lengths

ylrebmik · Jul 3, 2009

I have a chapter that is 17 pages long... and another that is 6. Both have a clear purpose and I can't cut either of them. But I don't want to fill the 6 page one with nonsense and unneeeded information.

So I was thinking about combining two chapters. The one before the 6 pages is 9 pages and they could go together alright with a break.

It feels petty right now worrying about the length.. but it is bothering me.

How do you feel about breaks inside of chapters?

dpaterso · Jul 3, 2009

ylrebmik said:
So I was thinking about combining two chapters. The one before the 6 pages is 9 pages and they could go together alright with a break.

It feels petty right now worrying about the length.. but it is bothering me.

How do you feel about breaks inside of chapters?

I don't mind. I use scene breaks within chapters all the time, and find the same in plenty of novels.

But why can't they be different lengths? Who says there has to be uniformity?

-Derek

Danthia · Jul 3, 2009

As long as they break with something that makes the reader want to read on, length isn't that important. I like to make them consistent within a certain range, but it's not a rule or anything. I just feel it keeps the pacing more consistent and easier to manage.

Trust your instincts. If it bugs you, fix it. If you feel they're fine as is, leave it.

Izz · Jul 3, 2009

dpaterso said:
But why can't they be different lengths? Who says there has to be uniformity?

QFT.

Matera the Mad · Jul 3, 2009

Chapter Length Thread #369

A chapter is as long as it takes to do what the chapter has to do.

Libbie · Jul 3, 2009

I was reading through one of my favorite books last night and I noticed that one chapter was about a page and a half long in hardback format. It got the job done. Most of the other chapters in this book are about ten times longer. They get their jobs done, too.

ccv707 · Jul 3, 2009

Breaks are fine.

Chapter length means nothing. I have chapters that are one page, and I have some that are fifty pages.

Long story short, a chapter has to be as long as it needs to be.

LC030308 · Jul 3, 2009

Trust your feelings... the length of the each chapter is up to "you"

mlazzer · Jul 4, 2009

I don't see why you can't have a chapter of 17 pp. followed by one of 6 pp. to be honest. What's the problem?

Dark Angel · Jul 4, 2009

ylrebmik said:
I have a chapter that is 17 pages long... and another that is 6. Both have a clear purpose and I can't cut either of them. But I don't want to fill the 6 page one with nonsense and unneeeded information.

So I was thinking about combining two chapters. The one before the 6 pages is 9 pages and they could go together alright with a break.

It feels petty right now worrying about the length.. but it is bothering me.

How do you feel about breaks inside of chapters?

I have exactly the same problem as you even though I know the golden rule - a chapter is only as long as it needs to be. I guess it's because I want to try to achieve some sort of uniformity in my chapters or is it a strive to become a perfectionist?

Anyway, whenever I read a book and see that there are varying lengths of chapters I breathe a sigh of release and am comforted by the notion that the author (I'm assuming here) is only giving out the information that serves the story and not him/herself.

So forget about chapter lengths, as long as everything in that chapter serves the purposes of the story and you have most of what you wanted then starte the next chapter.

Simples!

ylrebmik · Jul 4, 2009

Thanks, I feel a lot better now!

I was browsing through posts a few days ago, where they were talking about chapter lengths... and a few people seemed adamant about having chapters around the same length. I was perusing through books I have at home, and generally speaking they are all the same too.

N.L. LeBlanc · Jul 12, 2009

Honestly, it's about what works best for you. If you like your chapters to be all the same length, that's fine, but it's perfectly all right to have chapters be different lengths. One chapter may contain one important event, while another contains much more relevant action and information. This is fine. Tell your story the way you need to, otherwise it'll end up looking forced or fake. My chapters range in length from nine to sixty pages (double-spaced, of course), but they all contain what they need to contain, so I'm okay with it.

Skye Jules · Jul 12, 2009

My chapters usually get bigger as the book moves on, but that's just the way I do things. My prologue is 880 words versus the 7,000 (or 8,000?) word chapter I have much later.

Wark · Jul 12, 2009

I posted in the last chapter length question so I guess I should post in this.

Know what you want to happen in the chapter and write it. Then stop.

groovyville · Jul 15, 2009

Yeah each chapter should have an idea or a thing that happens (or even a theme, I love chapters with a theme)

When that idea or whatever has been conveyed or has happened, you know it's time to write a new chapter. You'll just feel it when you've exhausted one chapter enough, don't worry about the page count.

Some of my favorite books have chapters two pages long next to chapters of almost ten pages long, it's really not a big deal.

If you want longer chapters, you can have little breaks in them (I use a line) to let the reader know that you're skipping to another time or place or idea, but that is still has a place in the chapter.

ginnyweasley777 · Jul 16, 2009

Breaks are fine, most books have them.
It doesn't really matter how long or short a chapter is so long as it has everything in it which it's meant to have.

Chapter Lengths

ylrebmik

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Danthia

Izz

Doing the Space Operatic

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

ccv707

He who asks, "Why?"

LC030308

mlazzer

New kid, be gentle

Dark Angel

ylrebmik

N.L. LeBlanc

Running with Pens

Skye Jules

March 15th: Issue 1 release

Wark

Mark Brockman

groovyville

Jesus Only! <3

ginnyweasley777