How many pages is "too many" for a chapter?

Jaycinth · Sep 12, 2005

How many pages is 'too many pages' for a chapter?

A person I had reading for me gave me back my manuscript and said that even though it is double spaced with 1" margins that having a chapter that is 20 pages long got her discouraged. She read 3 chapters, approx 65 pages and said it seemed technically alright and the story had her riveted, but I needed to take the 3 chapters and make it 10 chapters. She said reading long chapters made her feel stupid. She gave it back to me with red marks where she thought the New chapters should be. The places she broke the story don't even make sense, she just counted 6 pages and BREAK!
Most of the books I read have 20 or 30 page chapters, and that is after it is typeset and printed. Some books skip the chapter idea and just put spaces.

AHHH so what is correct?

katiemac · Sep 12, 2005

Nothing is incorrect, but every reader has their own preferences. Short chapters may encourage a faster-paced read, while longer chapters may slow the work. Depending on the genre and the feel of your novel, this may be something to consider.

Personally, I don't like long chapters. For one, I like to read before I go to sleep. If I'm into a story, I'm much more likely to stay up late reading ten short chapters than one long chapter (even if it equals the same length), because then I say, "Just one more, and I'll stop." On the other hand, I don't normally like chapters that are only two or three pages, even if I read twenty at a time, because sometimes I can't immerse myself into the characters. It feels very "stop-and-go" -- a reason, by the way, I have no patience for driving.

Check out the chapter length of some of your favorite books. Also, it might help to think it terms of word count rather than pages. Natural breaks, which it seems you already are adjusted to, are probably the best way to go.

Vomaxx · Sep 12, 2005

Jaycinth said:
She said reading long chapters made her feel stupid. /QUOTE]

Very odd! I don't think you should pay attention to this particular objection. There is no "right" length for a chapter.

maestrowork · Sep 12, 2005

The answer is 42.

Susan Gable · Sep 12, 2005

My chapters tend to average 20 ms pages. Some are shorter. Some are a smidge longer. Don't listen to this advice. Let your story and your writing style dictate how long the chapter is. (That said, I don't think I'd go with anything over, say, 30 pages. I'd probably find a way to divide that into 2 chapters.)

Counting 6 pages and sticking in a new chapter is definately NOT good advice. You want to end the chapter on a hook to keep the reader turning the page.

Susan G.

aadams73 · Sep 12, 2005

"Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King has no chapters.

cwfgal · Sep 12, 2005

maestrowork said:
The answer is 42.

I beg to differ. The answer is clearly "C".

Beth

Cathy C · Sep 12, 2005

42C sounds like a good answer to me!

But really, my chapters range from two pages to twenty-five. I just break it at the end of a "scene," usually as a cliff hanger so the reader says, "Oh, just one more chapter before bed." Heh.

DivaWriter · Sep 12, 2005

For my novel, I have really long chapters.

On average, about sixty pages for each, but I also have several scene breaks in-between.

My chapters are long because they are focused on a specific person/scenario. Also, I have a lot of dialogue. I can't say whether or not it's wrong or right, but while writing, I generally stopped when it felt right and made sense. :idea:

katdad · Sep 12, 2005

Don't just arbitrarily break your book into meaningless chapters -- a chapter should be a "scene" or "critical event", no matter how short or long. Of course, if the event is quite long, you may wish to put the event itself into one chapter, the immediate discussion/aftermath in the next.

But it's meaningful and never arbitrary. You seem totally correct as I see it.

katiemac · Sep 12, 2005

I just break it at the end of a "scene," usually as a cliff hanger so the reader says, "Oh, just one more chapter before bed." Heh.

It's people like you why I get no sleep.

Ray Dillon · Sep 12, 2005

I like to write in really short chapters; 4-6 pages. That's because, when I pick up a book to read, I'm much more captivated knowing that I only need to read a few pages to get to a stopping point. I usually end up reading a few chapters because I'm just so into the pace. I really just hate stopping in the middle of a chapter because I'm too tired to keep reading (I generally read at night).

It doesn't have to be a fast paced book, just giving me breathers every once in a while. Nothing worse than reading a chapter that's 30+ pages. I think I read a 100 page chapter in a King book once. I love his writing, but I don't get that.

KTC · Sep 13, 2005

How many licks does it take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Pop? - another example of an irrelevant question.

Just kidding. There is no right and wrong. Or, as Ray said, "42."

NewB · Sep 13, 2005

Jaycinth said:
She said reading long chapters made her feel stupid.

On the contrary, I know some people who say that when they read short chapters, they feel that the author is under-estimating their attention span.

[font=&quot]Personally, I don’t really bother about the length of the chapter. If the story is really riveting, why does someone bother whether the story is actually in chapter 10 or chapter 21! As long as the chapter breaks make sense, its fine with me. IMO, I don’t think you should think too much about your friend’s comments.[/font]

aadams73 · Sep 13, 2005

As a reader, I really don't care about chapter length. It makes no difference to me whatsoever.

Ray Dillon · Sep 13, 2005

KTC said:
How many licks does it take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Pop? - another example of an irrelevant question.

Just kidding. There is no right and wrong. Or, as Ray said, "42."

That IS the answer to the ultimate question.

StoryG27 · Sep 13, 2005

KTC said:
How many licks does it take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Pop?

Oh, I know this one! It's 3! Haven't you ever seen the commercial with the owl??? Wow, do I get a prize?

As for my chapters, they can be as short as two pages and as long as twenty-something pages. Basicially, they are however long it takes me to write a scene and leave a cliffhanger for the next...and that's that.

Adding as an after thought:

Jaycinth said:
She said reading long chapters made her feel stupid.

So do short chapters make her feel smart????

Jamesaritchie · Sep 13, 2005

Length

Jaycinth said:
How many pages is 'too many pages' for a chapter?

A person I had reading for me gave me back my manuscript and said that even though it is double spaced with 1" margins that having a chapter that is 20 pages long got her discouraged. She read 3 chapters, approx 65 pages and said it seemed technically alright and the story had her riveted, but I needed to take the 3 chapters and make it 10 chapters. She said reading long chapters made her feel stupid. She gave it back to me with red marks where she thought the New chapters should be. The places she broke the story don't even make sense, she just counted 6 pages and BREAK!
Most of the books I read have 20 or 30 page chapters, and that is after it is typeset and printed. Some books skip the chapter idea and just put spaces.

AHHH so what is correct?

There is no right or wrong answer. As long as the chapter is actually a chapter, length is largely unimportant. But a twenty page, double-spaced chapter isn't really all that long. I'd say you just found a reader who is a bit on the odd side. And certainly one who doesn't know what a chapter is.

maestrowork · Sep 13, 2005

Arbitarily breaking texts into 6-page chapters is wrong.

Ray Dillon · Sep 13, 2005

maestrowork said:
Arbitarily breaking texts into 6-page chapters is wrong.

Wow. It's the chapter police!! Scram, everyone!!

Why? If it works, why is it wrong? I didn't say I'd do it even if it made no sense and just cut it off at page six. But, generally, I find (and try to find) a natural place to break right around there (A change of setting, time, character, etc.).

That's like saying that keeping your genre audience in mind as you right is wrong.

Sorry if I seem a bit snappy, but I've had a few too many of these negative responses in the week I've been here. What's the point of it? There are better ways to express your thoughts. It drags the mood of the place down.

:Shrug:

Why can't we be friends?

:Cheers:

maestrowork · Sep 13, 2005

I won't argue with you. But show me your ms, and I'll cut it into 6-page chapters, ARBITARILY. And see if you like it.

]

p.s. you must be new here. Those who know me and my 7000+ posts would know that I don't "drag" this place down. Sometimes, you just have to get my sarcasm, I suppose.

StoryG27 · Sep 13, 2005

maestrowork said:
Arbitarily breaking texts into 6-page chapters is wrong.

Ray Dillon said:
Wow. It's the chapter police!! Scram, everyone!!

Why? If it works, why is it wrong? I didn't say I'd do it even if it made no sense and just cut it off at page six. But, generally, I find (and try to find) a natural place to break right around there (A change of setting, time, character, etc.).

That's like saying that keeping your genre audience in mind as you right is wrong.

Sorry if I seem a bit snappy, but I've had a few too many of these negative responses in the week I've been here. What's the point of it? There are better ways to express your thoughts. It drags the mood of the place down.

It's ok to be snappy; we all get like that. But I think you misinterpreted what Ray was saying. I don't think he was trying to say it's wrong that YOU like to end your chapters at 4-6 pages, which is why he said ARBITARILY. If you wrap up your scene or get to a good breaking point, which I'm sure you do, it's fine. But going through an MS with chapters that are already longer than that and breaking them down to six pages even if it's a horrible place to stop, that's when it is wrong, that's when it ruins flow and pacing.

At least, that's how I interpreted what Ray said...guess I could be wrong too.

EDITED: Oops. Ray posted while I was writing my long winded explanation...he, he, guess I'm always too little too late. *shrug*

maestrowork · Sep 13, 2005

storygirl said:
At least, that's how I interpreted what Ray said...guess I could be wrong too.

Storygirl, you're correct. "Arbitarily" is the key word.

Torin · Sep 13, 2005

Terry Pratchett's Discworld books have no chapters, only scene breaks. I rather enjoy that, actually, and wrote my first novel that way. Then I had to make chapter breaks and it was a big pain in the rear. Now I put 'em in where it seems to make sense.

Jaycinth · Sep 13, 2005

Gee, I feel like 20 people just hugged me!

Chapter 42 C ( You guys said that was the correct answer. That'll be the title of my next one.)

Thanks for the input. I only had two people reading for me, and when she offered, I thought, "well, hey, she's graduated from college, I'm sure she can critique/edit this." SIGHHHHHH::::::::::

I'm going to go and see if I can find a reader around here. My friends are too weird.

How many pages is "too many" for a chapter?

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