Chapter Length vs Chapter Intensity

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

During the life of my MC, he goes to Prison. Now, I don't want this to be a prison story, but obviously it is a significant development in his life. My chapters are short, five-six pages. My MC is banged up for seven years. I have devoted fourteen pages to this episode, split into two chapters. My first BETA feedback felt that I needed another chapter. My idea was to go for intensity rather than chapter length, so am a little reticent to expand more.

Just wondred what you all feel about length versus intensity - and no, I'm not referring to the dolphin thing here

Warmest regards,

Ian

Lisa Cox · Jun 16, 2009

Don't think in terms of chapters, chapter-length, chapter-content, etc. Just tell the story that needs to be told. If the guy going to prison needs more narration, then so be it. If you feel you've told as much as you need to about his time in prison, then move on.

Don't over-think it. Just write the story. A lot of authors don't even divide their novels into chapters until the whole book's written. You certainly shouldn't think about the length of a chapter before the chapter's written. It's the least important thing.

Tell the story -- nothing more, nothing less. Don't over-write to expand chapters to a length that you'd like your chapters to be, and don't under-write to squeeze chapters into a mould you've already set.

Just IMO.

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

Thanks Lisamarie, that helps a lot. The book is finished, out to Betas. You are so right in saying that it's as long as it needs to be. And I am overthinking this. Trying to neaten it up when probably I need to, as you say, just tell the story. I want to give the reader the feeling of being inside with the MC, so am thinking of just putting the prison stuff in one long chapter. Might feed it down into SYW, see how it goes.

Once again, thank you Lisamarie for the timely reminder of what writing a story is all about. Love the Hemingway quotes, by the way.

Warmest regards,

Ian

Lisa Cox · Jun 16, 2009

You're welcome, honey. And if it turns up in SYW, I'll be more than happy to give you a more informed opinion.

Danthia · Jun 16, 2009

You might also look at why they feel they need more. It might not be a chapter thing, but something you can tweak to solve whatever they felt was lacking. Maybe something was unresolved in some way and they felt like they were left hanging. (This may not be the case, just offering other suggestions as to why the beta may have said this)

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

Hi Danthia. You are right. That's why I upped the intensity - more show, less tell, that sort of thing.

I've posted the relevant bits on SYW Mainstream if you fancy a look.

Must warn you, though. Very strong language and a bit of violence.

Warmest regards,

Ian

calley · Jun 16, 2009

You had the math major in me ready to make a scatterplot: "chapter length v. chapter intensity".

Agreed with past commenters: just tell the story that needs to be told, and worry about the chapters later. Keep the beta's opinion in mind, think it through, and decide what's best for your novel.

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

Thank you, Calley.

My first book. My first beta. Her first comment. Other than this one niggle, she couldn't praise it enough. I was expecting the comments but not the praise so the whole thing's sort of throwing me a bit.

Now it's up on SYW, I'm even more jittery . . .

And your right about keeping her comment in mind, Calley. Eight or nine others will be reading and commenting on the book, so I suppose there will be differing opinions to take into consideration.

Warmest regards,

Ian

NeuroFizz · Jun 16, 2009

I guess I have a different take on this, and it's related to the intended tone of the scenes (this goes with the intensity thing). If you wanted (or want) to make these extremely tense scenes, one tool that can be used involves putting the readers on edge--by using short-choppy sentences, short paragraphs, and maybe even short, high-energy scenes. This is particularly effective if other parts of the story have good, flowing prose. If the betas made their comments because the writing made them feel a bit uneasy, perhaps you are closer to what you intended than you realize.

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

Thank you, Neuro. I know what you mean. In fact, the whole book is written in short, choppy, sentences, high energy scenes, etc. Hence, each chapter being just five or six pages long. To then encounter a chapter fifteen or so pages long, I'm hoping will up the intensity by providing no quick break for he reader. Ultimatel, one for the Betas, I think.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, Neuro. Can't tell you how much I learn from this site every time I pop in.

Warmest regards,

Ian

Birol · Jun 16, 2009

You do realize, I hope, that long chapters can be as intense as short ones? Length and intensity are not inversely proportional.

Lifelongdagger · Jun 16, 2009

Totally get you there, Birol. That's why I was considering combining the two chapters to create a super long one (relative to the rest of the book, at least).

STKlingaman · Jun 16, 2009

This is funny because i just
finished a chapter for the Summer
Challenge using three different
points of view. The entire chapter
takes about 2 minutes of real time.

A woefully depleted team is battling
a creature of evil the size of
a R.V. so . . . intense works for me.

TheUnknownAuthor · Jun 16, 2009

Lisamarie makes a good point.

I am definitely not the type of writer that can write a book and then go back and divide it into chapters. I need at least the semblance of order in my book and for some reason having everything divided into chapters makes me breath a little easier.

I am a big believer in outlines and preplanning. I will plan on dedicating a few chapters/pages to a certain thing and once I feel like I have accomplished this I will let it be. It is very hard not to go back and want to add some "fluff" to the pages but fluff for fluff's sake isn't necessarily a good thing

TheUnknownAuthor · Jun 16, 2009

FYI

Lifelongdagger said:
Thank you, Neuro. I know what you mean. In fact, the whole book is written in short, choppy, sentences, high energy scenes, etc. Hence, each chapter being just five or six pages long. To then encounter a chapter fifteen or so pages long, I'm hoping will up the intensity by providing no quick break for he reader. Ultimatel, one for the Betas, I think.

FYI, I think this is a great idea. Even if the reader doesn't know how you are doing it, they will be able to tell that SOMETHING is different. Especially if this is around the middle-late part of the book.

Chapter Length vs Chapter Intensity

Lifelongdagger

Lisa Cox

Lifelongdagger

Lisa Cox

Danthia

Lifelongdagger

calley

Lifelongdagger

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

Lifelongdagger

Birol

Around and About

Lifelongdagger

STKlingaman

Followed the Red Brick Road

TheUnknownAuthor

TheUnknownAuthor