Pages per chapter

There are no hard and fast rules as far as chapter length is concerned, but generally speaking, you'd be well advised to use short chapters in the neighborhood of 10 pages or so because people read books chapter by chapter (there have been studies on this). So-called "page turners" generally have short chapters, and people tend to read them quicker.

I, personally, don't see anything wrong with going forward with your original plan. Chapter length certainly doesn't have to be uniform and variety is fine. If I understand your post correctly (it's 5:30 am and I have yet to sleep) then I think your original format is quite nice actually.

I have a couple of questions to add to this, sorry to threadjack, but these questions do not need their own topic.

-When referring to page numbers -- specifically, 10 pages = ideal chapter length -- is this 10 pages in a word processing document, presumably double-spaced and 12pt courier font, or 10 pages at 250 words each to indicate pages once the manuscript is actually printed? It's possible that these end up being the same thing, but I just wanted clarity.

-How many chapters is too many? Assuming your chapters hover around 10 pages, and your manuscript is 400 pages, then you should have about 40 chapters. My manuscript at 117,000 words (yes I know I need to cut) has about 35 chapters. I thought this might be high but I am not sure.

Thanks!

I think you can be flexible with the number of pages per chapter. Of course, he's not someone to go by because he isn't the rule, but Dan Brown frequently has one page or even half a page per chapter (like he thought he'd done enough writing for the day and decided to do something else).

Chapters could probably be broken up where they feel most natural (and preferrably on a cliffhanger). The question I would like to know however, is whether some scenes should be dealt with within one chapter and not dragged out over two just for the cliffhanger value.

This is one of those recurring topics.

Chapter length is arbitrary. It can be one page (Patterson is famous for his super short chapters), or exceedingly long. The key thing to remember is that a chapter is a logical collection of one or more scenes. That's the only requirement. Anything else, it's up to you.

maestrowork said:

This is one of those recurring topics.

Chapter length is arbitrary. It can be one page (Patterson is famous for his super short chapters), or exceedingly long. The key thing to remember is that a chapter is a logical collection of one or more scenes. That's the only requirement. Anything else, it's up to you.

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If you're submitting to an agent, should you try to (for the purpose of submissions) divide say, the first 5 chapters in such a way that they look like 3 chapters if that gets them further into the story, or squashed into 2 chapters if they only ask for 2? And can this be changed back to what it was later (if they accept your manuscript)?

Or would it look like you've squashed several chapters into one (because they now run on too long or don't divide up as naturally as before)?

Dark Sim said:

If you're submitting to an agent, should you try to (for the purpose of submissions) divide say, the first 5 chapters in such a way that they look like 3 chapters if that gets them further into the story, or squashed into 2 chapters if they only ask for 2? And can this be changed back to what it was later (if they accept your manuscript)?

Or would it look like you've squashed several chapters into one (because they now run on too long or don't divide up as naturally as before)?

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Most guidelines I've seen are "first 3 chapters or 30 pages" or something along those lines. So if you write 2-page chapters, don't just send in 6 pages. And if you write a 150k novel in three chapters, don't send the whole thing.

The number of pages the agent requests is a guideline. But DO make sure it ends with a cliffhanger of some sort, so they'll want to request a full.

pages per chapter

I believe chapter structure is far more important than chapter length. I don't think most readers care much abouit chapter length, and when there is a preference, it's for shorter, rather than longer chapters.

Chapters should be written because you have all the information in that chapter that belongs in it, and no more. If this is four pages, fine. If this is fifty pages, still fine. A chapter is a sort of story in miniature. Like a story, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And like a story, trying to pad a chapter to make it longer is never a good idea.

There are an awful bunch of bestseling novels out there with very short chapters. Concentrate on what's in the chapter, not on how long it is. There really is nothing at all wrong with a four page chapter, and nothing at all wrong with a fifty page chapter, as long as the chapter is a chapter. When you reach the point where a chapter shuld end, then end it.

As James says, chapter structure is far more important than chapter length. And please don't manipulate your chapters so you can send more to an agent. If you don't snag an agent's interest in the first page or two, it won't matter how much you send.

Beth

If you've written a short prologue too (which is relevant to the novel), I assume you can also send that to the agent even if they've only asked for the first 3 chapters?

And when you say cliffhanger ending (of the 3rd chapter), for the purpose of sending to an agent (as opposed to cliffhangers that can be elsewhere at the end of other chapters), should that 3rd chapter one be a cliffhanger where something is about to happen, or where something is already happening and leaves them in suspense in the middle of it? Which is more suspenseful to the agent?

Dark Sim said:

If you're submitting to an agent, should you try to (for the purpose of submissions) divide say, the first 5 chapters in such a way that they look like 3 chapters if that gets them further into the story, or squashed into 2 chapters if they only ask for 2? And can this be changed back to what it was later (if they accept your manuscript)?

Or would it look like you've squashed several chapters into one (because they now run on too long or don't divide up as naturally as before)?

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No. How "much" story you can tell is not important. The important things about "3 chapters":

1. to see if you can hold the readers' interest (if you can't within the first 10 pages, you're doomed anyway)

2. to see if you have a good writing style

3. to see if I (the agent) want to find out what happens next -- I want to turn the page but alas! it's the last page

4. to see if you know how to break up chapters in logical, effective ways


If you just lump everything you can, as much as possible, into 3 chapters, you are doing yourself a disservice, especially with regard to #4.

If you've written a short prologue too (which is relevant to the novel), I assume you can also send that to the agent even if they've only asked for the first 3 chapters?

And when you say cliffhanger ending (of the 3rd chapter), for the purpose of sending to an agent (as opposed to cliffhangers that can be elsewhere at the end of other chapters), should that 3rd chapter one be a cliffhanger where something is about to happen, or where something is already happening and leaves them in suspense in the middle of it? Which is more suspenseful to the agent?

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You send the FIRST three chapters, including your prologue. That's why if you write a prologue that is boring, info dumping, etc. you really must ask yourself why do you have such a prologue.

Don't worry about cliffhanger ending, etc. If you have one at the end of chapter 2, fine. But at the end of the last page/chapter, does your reader (agent) still want to read more? THAT is the question you should ask, not whether it's a "cliffhanger" or not.

I feel that you're trying to do the wrong thing, trying so hard to hook the agent with first 3... but let's examine this further:

1. If your first 3 aren't that interesting without doing all these "tricks," you really must think about rewriting them

2. If you do all these tricks and hook the agent, and the agent asks for a full... what now? Are you going to be the emperor who has no clothes or the professor behind the wizard curtain, or are you going to be real?

Focus on making your book the best it can. Focus on making you begining, middle, and ending interesting. And focus on the writing itself.

I had an instance in my novel where there was an extremely long chapter, essentially one big, long battle scene. Most of the other chapters in the novel were much shorter, half as long or less. I solved the problem by adding a very short chapter about halfway through the long one (at an appropriate, tense moment) just so the reader (as well as the character telling the story) has a chance to rest.

As a reader, I tend to divide my reading by chapters (ex: I'll read a chapter a night, or one now, one later, etc.)

As far as length goes, aside from that one instance, I just break the story up however it flows best.

I heard it said that chapters should be like short stories - complete unto themselves.

I ignore chapter length but I look to break a chapter at a place that is either a cliffhanger or somewhere that forces the reader to turn the page to find out what happens next. Isn't that every writer's goal?

Carmy said:

I heard it said that chapters should be like short stories - complete unto themselves.

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IMHO, it might work for episodic novels. Otherwise, you really want to make sure your readers want to turn the page to find out what happens in the next chapter...