How long should a chapter be?

C. L. Richardson · Dec 12, 2007

I'm sorry, I know this must have been asked before...but does it matter how long a chapter is? Mine always seem so short. One of my favorite authors, Brian Jacques, makes each of his chapters about 7 pages long. I consider those to be short chapters. But mine may be even shorter. Are there any "tricks" or tips you could give a new writer on how to stretch out a chapter?

OverTheHills&FarAway · Dec 12, 2007

A chapter is a section of book.

Make it as long or as short as you want. The book will thank you for it.

maestrowork · Dec 12, 2007

The stock answer: How long is a piece of string?

TrickyFiction · Dec 12, 2007

Read Douglas Adams for an idea of how varied they can be. He's all over the map.

eyeblink · Dec 12, 2007

Chapters can be as long as the entire novel - i.e. there are no named and/or numbered chapters at all, just scene breaks. Basically, whichever kind of rhythm suits your novel is fine and you should find it as your novel develops.

C. L. Richardson · Dec 12, 2007

I see. This is good to hear.

Thank you.

kuwisdelu · Dec 13, 2007

Chapters should be exactly 5,000 words each. Plus or minus maybe 500 words. Any variation from this will get you an automatic rejection. Period.

Oh wait, you wanted a serious answer?

Seriously, your chapters should be however long they want to be. In my last novel, I had a few chapters that were 10,000+ words and even a chapter that was only one sentence. Some readers may hate that, but personally as a reader, I like varied chapters lengths. Some people like consisency. Some don't. But it really doesn't matter. Whatever you think works best for a given chapter. Don't try to make them longer or shorter than feels right

JJ Cooper · Dec 13, 2007

Mine are around the 1500 word mark. And I write each chapter with that word count in mind. I set out to ensure each chapter has a beginning, middle and end and that the reader is left with a page-turner. Like a one liner to add to the suspense. I try to write fast paced thrillers with plenty of action. My sentences are short and I try to keep my writing concise.

My tip is to try to ensure each chapter has a beginning, middle and end. If you get this right it doesn't matter how long your chapters are.

JJ

JimmyB27 · Dec 13, 2007

Terry Pratchett's books have no chapters. At the other end of the scale, one of Iain Banks's books has a one word chapter.

David I · Dec 13, 2007

I won't criticize you for thinking about this, because I believe this is the kind of question serious writers ponder. There's no right answer, but that doesn't mean it's a bad question.

John Gardner deliberately set out to write his masterful Mikkelson's Ghosts with chapters around 30 pages each, to create, as he put it, "a dense, elephantine rhythm."

That expectation and rate of flow can be important. But so can deviating from it. TrickyFiction mentions Douglas Adams as someone who varies chapter length unexpectedly, and it's a good point. Adams did vary--and I believe he did that with full deliberation (and a grin).

In William Faulkner's tour-de-force novel As I Lay Dying (which has, if I recall, 15 different first-person POVs), he has one chapter I believe I can quote from memory:

My mother is a fish.

How many whole chapters can you quote? That's the only one I know by heart. But he perpetrated that chapter (which in context has surprising emotional force) in full awareness of what he was doing.

Short chapters in a book filled with longer chapters will be quite jarring. But that doesn't mean they are wrong.

This is a bad thing to get obsessed with. But it's a good thing to think about. Bravo!

Linda Adams · Dec 13, 2007

C. L. Richardson said:
Are there any "tricks" or tips you could give a new writer on how to stretch out a chapter?

I tend to run short when I write, so I usually end up having to expand. At the same time, the expansion has to be meaningful and important to the story--not simply padding to add extra pages. So I start with looking for places where I haven't paid enough enough attention and tried to rush through the scene. I also look for places where I can add more detail or where whatever I was trying to do is unclear.

KTC · Dec 13, 2007

I reiterate Maestro's answer. They are as long as they should be.

chevbrock · Dec 13, 2007

For me, the chapters seem to evolve by themselves. If you start to get into a mode of thought where you think "I have written 20 pages, I must stop this chapter now", then I think you are doing yourself and your book a disservice. The important thing is that you are putting the words down, and that should be your all-encompassing thought. Worry about all the small things when you've got it down.

Danthia · Dec 13, 2007

I have a creative writing teacher in high school that had the perfect answer to this. It was about short stories, but it applies to chapters.

"The length of a girl's skirt. Long enough to cover everything, but short enough to be interesting."

Susan Breen · Dec 13, 2007

I started off as a short story writer, and when I began working on a novel, I had it in my head that every chapter should be 20 pages long, because that was how long my stories always were. The problem was that that made the pacing very slow and so then I began to shorten my chapters, and now they always seem to be between 10 and 15 pages. I think the key thing is to be aware of the rhythm of the story you're trying to tell.

James D. Macdonald · Dec 13, 2007

My chapters are as long as All The Text You Can Hold In Memory on a 48K Atari 800, running LetterPerfect, with an Aftermarket 80 Column Card.

The shortest chapter I'm aware of is in Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, a chapter with no words at all. (It's hard to keep doing chapters that long and still make novel-length, however.)

JustGo · Dec 13, 2007

I agree with the general sentiment - a chapter should be as long as it needs to be - but you generally have an advantage if you use shorter chapters. It gives the book a faster pace and the reader the ability to say "As soon as I finish this chapter!" whenever someone tries to interrupt him/her. Seriously, people love being able to do that without keeping people on hold for an hour. Also, it gives them the assurance that they can put down the book whenever they want, making them less apt to do so at any given point. Therefore, reading your book becomes a more enjoyable experience and they are more likely to recommend it to others and read other books of yours.
If you need evidence, look at Da Vinci's Code

Gray Rose · Dec 13, 2007

My chapters tend to be short (around 2K), but it is not intentional. I don't think it matters as long as your chapters have structure, i.e you are not just putting random chapter breaks.

Stuart Clark · Dec 13, 2007

As long as they need to be. Sorry if that sounds flippant - but there should just be a natural break in the story (I find).

My chapters tend to be quite long but always end in cliffhangers, or a suggestion of something that is yet to come. That's when I know I'm at the end of the chapter - that's the hook to get the reader to continue on with the story.

Garpy · Dec 13, 2007

I'll echo David's earlier response...and add that chapter length is just one of many minor structural issues to keep an eye on. It does depend to some extent on which genre you're writing in and for the demographic of your readers. eg: YA and 'reluctant readers' (ie: men who who never get past the titty page in their favourite red top) tend to like very short bite-size chapters.

I write in the thriller genre, and I aim for 1200-2000 word chapters. I vary, but generally I hit that.

nb: don't be embarressed that you asked. If you want to be as commercially appealing as possible, it's being mindful of little structural niceties like these that help make a difference between blagging a deal or not.

MDSchafer · Dec 13, 2007

While there isn't any traditional length for chapters I do feel that if you are going to use chapters each chapter should have a defined beginning, middle and end. I see chapters where sort of a cataloging of events or a conversation, and if you want to have 40 some chapters in your book that's one thing, but if you're going to be somewhere between 10 and 30, I think every chapter should move the plot along somehow.

mikeland · Dec 13, 2007

Garpy said:
I'll echo David's earlier response...and add that chapter length is just one of many minor structural issues to keep an eye on. It does depend to some extent on which genre you're writing in and for the demographic of your readers. eg: YA and 'reluctant readers' (ie: men who who never get past the titty page in their favourite red top) tend to like very short bite-size chapters.

I don't have much to add about chapters. Lots of good sound advice here. I write them until they're done, break them up where it feels right and just generally trust my gut.

But I did have a question for Garpy. What's a red top? I'm trying to figure out if I'm a "reluctant reader."

Jenisis · Dec 13, 2007

Hi, maybe try for 10 pages with about 320 words per page. I think 3200 words per chapter is fair, but that's just my opinion.

It also depends on what kind of book you're writing. Pulp romances--for instance--follow tight formats.

Do you plan on being published?

Good luck with your work.

Simple Living · Dec 13, 2007

Orson Scott Card, the award winning sci-fi/fantasy novelist, addresses this very question here.

Straka · Dec 13, 2007

For me I write the first draft chapter until I have a gut feeling when the chapter is done. Then that changes with editing. But that's how I roll.

How long should a chapter be?

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