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How long should a chapter be?

mhdragon

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Quick question: I tend to write relatively short chapters. They are usually between 1300-1700 words. That is about 5-7 pages in ms word double spaced. Is that too short for every chapter? Do you prefer shorter or longer chapters?
 

lizmonster

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My chapters have ranged from 5 words to 6,000 words. A chapter should be as short or as long as it needs to be.

If 1300-1700 is working for your story, that's the right length.
 

mwritesdragons

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:rolleyes:

Thank you for asking this...subbing. I'm curious to see the answers and discussion for this one. I also generally write shorter chapters, and sometimes get even more brief ~500 words. If a scene has done what I need it to do, I try not to worry about how many words it took to accomplish the goal.

From books/articles/interviews on craft, I've seen the idea that shorter chapters are more engaging and can be more likely to keep a reader reading, so I don't think 1300-1700 is necessarily too short. I think it will depend a lot on how you're writing too (first person, third person, if you're in the same character's perspective, etc.)
 

DeleyanLee

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I have seen chapters that was a sentence long (Stephen King) and I've seen them be 78 pages (Wen Spencer) in published novels.

A chapter is as long as you make it. There is no "right answer".
 

TrapperViper

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I think it's probably more important to focus on scene length. Most scenes average average around 1500 words. Depending on what genre you are writing (thriller/suspense, spec fiction, etc.) and where you are at in the act you (set up, climax, etc.) your scene length will naturally become shorter or longer depending on the context.
 

lizmonster

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I think it's probably more important to focus on scene length. Most scenes average average around 1500 words. Depending on what genre you are writing (thriller/suspense, spec fiction, etc.) and where you are at in the act you (set up, climax, etc.) your scene length will naturally become shorter or longer depending on the context.

I do think it's worth noting that any average says nothing about what is or isn't appropriate for a specific book.

And besides, expending too much energy over this before the first draft is finished is premature optimization anyway.
 

ChaseJxyz

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There's no right answers, but right-er answers depending on genre and audience. A 50 page chapter can fight in certain situations in a thick fantasy/sci-fi book but would be way too much for a book for middle schoolers. Also how many "pages" it will end up being depends on the format it's read in. Someone reading your book as an epub/mobi on their smart phone is going to have way, way more pages per chapter than a nice hardcover book, and the trade paperback will have more pages/chapter than the hardcover. Chapters can be really long in non-fiction books but those usually have sections/subheadings (I'm thinking about the O'Reilly programming books specifically in this case) but those books aren't usually designed to be read cover-to-cover like fiction.

In my current manuscript it's anywhere from 5 to 19, with 11 being the average. So that's 5k words give or take (it's not in standard manuscript format, but one that's easier on my eyes and my own readability, which is more important at this stage). That's about 3 or 4 scenes. The chapter ends when it needs to, I'm not going out of my way to make them any specific length. You just kinda have to have a feel for what's right and gets the job done, like most things in writing. There's no formula or way to calculate what's the best.
 

mccardey

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Do you prefer shorter or longer chapters?
To write, or to read?

Actually, it doesn't matter because I don't fuss, either way - but I agree with Liz that worrying about this sort of thing (I do it too) is counterproductive to moving forward: and with Marissa that relatively shorter chapters can be very effective for tension.

I've learned to just stick a comment saying ?Chapter Break? into the earlier drafts.

By the last draft it's usually sorted itself out.

Good luck with it :)
 
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indianroads

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I think of chapters as chew-able bites of your story. Each moves it forward, but provides a needed "whew" and time to digest.

The "whew" is welcome when I read just before bed; I can put the book down with a clear mind, and know what's happening when I pick it up the next evening.

As a writer, I plot to keep my chapters between 3000-5000 words.
 

Meemossis

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I tend to aim for 2k per chapter. However, saying that, I don't think even one of my chapters is 2k words long. Like what a lot of people have been saying, they are as long as they need to be. I love being kept on my toes when reading. If you know that every chapter is 5 pages long, then you know when a certain scene is going to end. There isn't any movement for a twist in the chapter.
 

FletcherHavarti

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I think of chapters as chew-able bites of your story. Each moves it forward, but provides a needed "whew" and time to digest.

The "whew" is welcome when I read just before bed; I can put the book down with a clear mind, and know what's happening when I pick it up the next evening.

One piece of feedback I get very often from test readers is that they like short chapters -- specifically because they like to read a quick chapter before bed. Since hearing that feedback multiple times, I have tried consciously writing shorter chapters and found that that has been good for my writing. It's helped me tighten up scenes and get straight to the interesting part.
 

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My chapters vary according to how much of a break is needed in the narrative. If I'm handling multiple characters' POVs I tend to have short chapters as I head toward the climax of the action. If I am establishing a certain mood I tend to write longer chapters to let the description sink in and set the tone. It's hard to give any set rule for breaking books into chapters. Whenever you think you should, I guess. That's not very helpful, I know. You could think of a chapter as a significant break in time, setting, and character.
 

K.S. Crooks

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I like to have a plot objective for each chapter. It might be characters meeting or travelling to a new location or a battle. Whatever number of words to reach the goal. I do sometimes set a minimum number of words for a chapter. This is to force me to be more descriptive, as I sometimes forget to add what a person's senses would tell them of scenes and people. A way to remind myself that people can only visualize what I have imagined if I provide information.
 

benbenberi

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Q: How long should a chapter be? A: How long is a piece of string?

There is no universal right answer, and no ideal length to strive for. Long chapters, short chapters, no chapters at all... you can find well-loved books with any variation you can think of.

Keep in mind: a chapter is not a natural or inherent component of storytelling. SCENES are the building-blocks of a story. Chapters are merely conventional units that can interact with the actual story structure in a lot of different ways, depending on what the writer wants to do. Sometimes they're used to signpost shifts of time or place or narrative POV. Sometimes a writer uses one chapter per scene, or one scene per chapter. Some writers want all their chapters roughly an equal length. Some mix it up. Some writers want a certain number of chapters in their finished book. Some don't care. Some writers want chapters to be short and punchy. Some like them long and flowy. Some do chapter cliffhangers. Some don't. Some consider chapter divisions an important part of their creative process; some don't care, or try to view them mainly from the perspective of readers (who, again, are not unified: some always try to read till they come to a chapter break, then stop, while some don't even notice them or consider them intrusive speed bumps rather than helpful aids).

So I say: write chapters however you long you want them. As long as your chapters fit the book you're writing, you're doing it right.
 

Drascus

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My chapters tend to be between 2k and 3k words, but I've had 4k or 4.5k chapters when that part of the story is just jam packed.

As others have said, it's a good pacing tool. Each chapter should have a purpose. Even better if it has it's own mini arc with a beginning, middle, and end.

Though if you want to write short, punchy chapters and end on a cliffhanger that's a different purpose, and it means you're writing a thriller, or at least a novel with thriller pacing.

I think the biggest thing to look for is what is your average chapter length, and what chapters vary greatly from that average. Like if I know that most of my chapters are 2,500 words, and I see that one I've written is 4,500 words, I should probably at least look at that chapter. Does it need to be that long, or did I unnecessarily bloat it? Would it flow better as two chapters?

If I'm happy with the big chapter then I'm fine, but it's a nice flag during the editing process to look at excessively long or short chapters compared to the rest of what you did.
 
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drawrite

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The chapters I've written have averaged out at 1.5k~ words or less, due to shorter scenes being a priority. This has been said above and yep, same opinion here. What works for the story is really up to you, and then what you think is good after hearing feedback from others.

You could always, instead of one huge chapter, break up POV in smaller chapters all pieced together in a "book" with a number. i.e. Book 1: 15 chapters or something similar. The most I've noticed is that, once you find your average, especially in a novel, you should keep them consistent. Basically:

I think the biggest thing to look for is what is your average chapter length, and what chapters vary greatly from that average. Like if I know that most of my chapters are 2,500 words, and I see that one I've written is 4,500 words, I should probably at least look at that chapter. Does it need to be that long, or did I unnecessarily bloat it? Would it flow better as two chapters?

This right here. Completely agree. Only thing I'd add is, if you do end up with different chapter length, it could probably work well if it's the climax of say, a big battle, and you're getting the whole start to finish of it. Just an example, since I was musing about it. I'm sure everything has a way to be utilized, even if it's unconventional.
 

Maple

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Really interesting to see what length chapters everyone writes. Mine usually average 2k to 4k,sometimes a bit longer or shorter. When I'm reading I'd rather not have super long chapters, it's nice to have a stopping point and seems to keep the pace faster. I agree with everyone else that 1300 to 1700 is not a problem, whatever works for the book is a good length. Also, if you're still writing, I wouldn't consider chapter length too much, its likely to change during editing.
 

angeliz2k

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Chapters are malleable. They can be invisible for the most part (the story continues seamlessly from the end of one chapter to the beginning of another), or you can take advantage of the chapter breaks (ending on a cliffhanger or just some deep thought or memorable bit of dialogue or a suggestion that something is going to happen next). Sometimes you can shift around chapter breaks without any problem, sometimes you can't. Sometimes you arbitrarily break where you feel like you've written too many words. Sometimes you break where it feels like a natural break in the action. Sometimes a chapter is a self-contained unit, sometimes it isn't.

It all depends on what effect you're going for. That's something to consider as you write, though it isn't something you need to consider too hard, unless you're really making a point of the chapter breaks. There are many more-important things to worry about.

All that being said, my own chapters tend to range from 1500 to 2500 words and occasionally tick longer when it's an action-packed, important chapter. My most recent WIP, however, has more, shorter chapters. Some are only a few sentences long; some are a few pages. This is by design; we're hearing four family members chime in as they tell the family's story, and we get a new chapter every time we switch POV. Towards the end, we're down to two and then one (and then zero) narrators, so the chapters are longer since we aren't switching off as frequently. I got up to something like 120 chapters in a 90k ms.
 

Kalyke

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I've been reading a really interesting book on Creativity, called "Explaining Creativity" by R. Keith Sawyer where in the "writing" section he says that each "level" of the book is a larger application of the basic sentence. So teh basic sentence is S-V-O. That would mean that the basic paragraph is really S-V-O and on upwards to chapter and whole book. So Abby gets her man is S-V-O.

So a chapter is what is needed to state a subject, a verb, and an object. James Bond found the entrence (of the top secret base). S-V-O.

So if your outline is

1. Jane sees the Burgler
2. Jane hides from the burgler
3. Jane is nearly caught


These can all be separated in chapters, or really they can be part of a larger chapter "Jane and the burgler"

It really depends on how you typically like formatting your own work-- also the audience because if it is YA, shorter chapters are desireable due to reading levels and attention span differences between younger and older people.

I personally like shorter chapters. 5 double sided pages is good. I feel that the book is moving forward quickly. It speeds the reading up, and also allows the reader to pause at realistic pausing places.
 

Primus

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Chapters can be any length you want them to be. I have short chapters and long chapters in my only novel. For the longer chapters, however, I include line breaks. I think these are important not just for purposes of skipping ahead in time, but also to provide a natural break for the reader.
 

Yzjdriel

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I can’t for the life of me remember what the book was called, but right in the middle there was a chapter that was just two words (this book didn’t use chapter numbers): the chapter title (which was a character’s name) and then just the word “Bastard”.