How long should a first draft novel chapter be?

noirdood

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In writing a novel, there are no rules. There are guidelines that might be helpful or might not, but no rules.
 

Melody

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Agreed. Chapter length really depends. Mine start out about 25 pages in length, gradually get shorter, and by the end of the novel, some are only 2-3 pages long because the story is picking up steam.

In children's books sometimes people try to keep them 8-12 pages, but for adult works, anything goes.
 

RWrites

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It really depends on the books, the chapters, and the scenes in the chapters. I barely hit 1k for the first two chapters of my book and that's all the words combined. I think you should outline your chapters(if that's your thing) or write it out See what's useless and what needs to be in there. Then you can see how much you need for each chapter. This is only your first draft so I wouldn't worry about length; you can add and delete later.
 

Shirokitty

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The first chapter in my WIP is around 4,000 words, which I actually question if it might be too much. My prologue, on the other hand, is barely more than 500 words.

From what I'm reading, chapter length doesn't matter all that much.
 

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Do not confine yourself with rules. Make your chapters however long you wish. When one bogs his or herself down with rules, one limits the writing process.
 

sideshowdarb

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Some good advice in here. A chapter is as long as it needs to be. One way to think of it - the end of a chapter is either a launching pad or landing strip. Sometimes it's both, especially near the end of a book. Mine tend to be range between 10 and 20 pages on average. I move scenes around a lot in revision, so the structures of chapters change a lot too. They're in one sense arbitrary, but also as they contribute to the rhythm of reading, require a great deal of thought.
 

Shirokitty

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I asked a similar question once, only to learn that chapter length doesn't matter. This is especially true with your draft, because you can always combine scenes or break chapters up. So you can always adjust chapter length if you wish.
 

divine-intestine

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I always rush through the story without paying much attention to details when I write the first draft. Putting the major story blocks into place and having an idea of structure is much more important at that stage. The layering of subplots and theme are factors that can be considered in later revisions. That wll also be something that increases the word count organically rather than padding out chapters to meet an arbitrary number.
 

emstar94

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I still haven't got chapters in my book. But I have different characters who speak in different parts of it so, I feel that would naturally break it up? But then in that case I'd only have seven chapters so that definitely can't be right for a 52,000 word novel ...
 

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Let me just add that I break up chapters either: Because a scene has ended. OR because I want folks to turn the page.

This is why I worry about chapters during a later draft and not so much during first drafts. (Although I will start a new chapter based on the idea that "Here's a mini-cliffhanger. Now I want folks to read the next bit." even when in the rough/first draft stage.) Because first drafts are just getting words on the page. And second/third/eighth drafts are about refining the story and keeping the momentum until the final scene.

I agree with your first part, but I still use chapters in my first drafts. For the very reasons you said. I start a new chapter when the scene changes, or when I've put in a mini cliffhanger. And sure, you can change where your chapters start and end in later drafts, and play around with it, but they generally stay the same in later drafts
 

PickleHeartsBooks

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Also, I usually write chapters on the shorter side. Some of my chapters are 1000 words, and some are about 4000. My books are usually about 90 000 words with about 25-30 chapters
 

James D. Macdonald

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In first draft I like to write ten page manuscript format chapters (double space courier 10) because it gives me a good sense of progress and an easily achievable goal for an afternoon's work.

In final draft the chapters could be any length whatever.
 

vicky271

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There's no set limit for a first draft. Some people write it, and add meat in later drafts. Others put in too much meat, and have to use that "delete" button later. Just set yourself down and write it! Worry about word count later! :)
 

gmwhitley

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Yes!!!

I think an opening chapter is whatever length keeps the reader captivated and wanting to turn the page when the chapter is over. I used to get bogged down in the first 3 chapters of a draft - I'd stop and edit and fix and tweak until I hated it, stopped writing, and started something new.

I think the most important thing is keep going beyond that first chapter - you can always go back and adjust it later - the most important thing is finishing the darn draft.

NaNoWriMo actually helped me with that - because I was forced to keep going instead of letting my inner editor take over. Good luck!!
 

Ancoelle

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As long as it needs to be! And if you're not sure, just break it off somewhere, hopefully somewhere that will drag the reader into the next chapter, and come back later. In terms of numbers, I think it will vary for every writer, but I'm generally around 2500 words/chapter, though it's gone up to about 4500 and down to about 1200.
 

mongo

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"A "commercial break" cliffhanger is a great method for keeping your reader reading, just as the actually CBC would make sure the watcher stays around. "

GREAT advice. Wish I was better at it. Must practice.