Hello Everyone,
I have a quick question. What is a good word length for chapters. My current work is going to be somewhere between 24,000 - 34,000 words. Should I break it into chapters?
Hello Everyone,
I have a quick question. What is a good word length for chapters. My current work is going to be somewhere between 24,000 - 34,000 words. Should I break it into chapters?
A chapter should be as long as the scene within needs it.
That would set a minimum length for a given chapter at a very general level, but there is no rule that a chapter can't encompass multiple scenes.
That would set a minimum length for a given chapter at a very general level, but there is no rule that a chapter can't encompass multiple scenes.
A chapter isn't divided according by 'scenes' (that's how you allocate section breaks within chapters). Instead, each chapter generally deals with a central theme/issue, and consist of as many sections/scenes as it takes to relate the particular issue (setting up the scene, introducing the players, and then letting the issue play itself out. But there's no requirement that you resolve the conflicts/issues raised. That would be an entirely separate chapter, probably many chapters in the future.
each chapter generally deals with a central theme/issue
That is one way to do it. It works for you and others and that is fine.
Some of us prefer to have multiple themes/issues in a chapter. We even like to carry those themes/issue into the next couple of chapters or skip chapters and in those chapters we add additional scenes/chapters.
A chapter isn't divided according by 'scenes'
I didn't say it was, but the comment to which I was commenting said or at least implied that every scene should be it's own chapter
Should I break it into chapters?
The way I see it the main advantage to dividing a story into chapters is that there is a better chance for additional readers to notice your story.
A secondary advantage is it makes it easier for you to proofread and edit your own work if it is in smaller segments.
ETA: My typical chapter length is between 8-10K words.
Should I break it into chapters?
A short story should not be broken into chapters. But a short story is typically shorter than your story so I consider it a short novella. But if it has the traits of a short story, such as taking place during a single event, it would be okay to keep it whole.
Saying that, I like short chapters. Especially reading stories online. The only tning I hate more than long chapters is long paragraphs. My chapters range from just under 1,000 words to maybe 6,000.
paragraphs.
Are graphs that jumps from a perfectly good airplane wearing parachutes. Normally with a weapon and about 80 pounds of gear, each.
But a short story is typically shorter than your story so I consider it a short novella.
I have noticed some dead tree stories of as few as 35,000 words being passed off as novels recently.
Wikipedia (spit!) reckons "A novella is a text of written, fictional, narrative prose normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel, somewhere between 17,500 and 40,000 words."
I share your preference for short chapters. They make it easier to find a convenient break point.
AJ
I share your preference for short chapters. They make it easier to find a convenient break point.
In my WIP, the last chapter I wrote had a scene where something happened and the wife fled the living room and locked herself in the bathroom. She sat on the floor crying, thinking how she screwed up. Then her husband came knocking on the door and the next part of the scene continued. The total was around 3,500 words.
I broke it into two chapters of about equal length and left the end of the first one with her crying in the bathroom with those ghastly thoughts about how her life was ruined.
Not quite a cliffhanger, but a nice page turner. And it kept the chapters short. If the reader wants to keep reading he's free to do so. If for whatever reason he needs to stop, he has a logical break point while wondering what will happen next.
y current work is going to be somewhere between 24,000 - 34,000 words. Should I break it into chapters?
As a reader, I find short chapters in a long story to be annoying, The same goes for long chapters in a short story.
Another annoyance is internal cliffhangers. If you are doing a series, it's okay to end the entire story on a bit of a cliffhanger. However, splitting a scene between two chapters (internal cliffhangers) are annoying.
A novella, or a particularly long short story (not quite long enough to qualify as a novella) should be between 5 & 10 chapters.
A full length novel should be at least 10 chapters and no more than 25 chapters.
An Epic novel (400K + words): at least 25 and not more than 100 chapters, preferably under 50 chapters.
You should not plan for anything over 100 chapters for a story under 1M words.
Thank you, May I ask the scale you use? For example, the scale I use as a rule of thumb not including flash + micro flash as people get bitchy about it is:
7,500 words or less = Short Story (most of my works fall in this range)
25,000 to 7,501 = Novella if you're being picky.
25,001+ = Novel again if you're being picky.
Thank you, May I ask the scale you use?
Here is something I would consider a good scale.
https://thewritelife.com/how-many-words-in-a-novel/
Flash Fiction: 300–1500 words
Short Story: 1500–30,000 words
Novellas: 30,000–50,000 words
Novels: 50,000–110,000 words
Average ranges by genre for novels:
Mainstream Romance: 70,000–100,000 words
Subgenre Romance: 40,000–100,000 words
Science Fiction / Fantasy: 90,000–120,000 (and sometimes 150,000) words
Historical Fiction: 80,000–100,000
Thrillers / Horror / Mysteries / Crime: 70,000–90,000 words
Young Adult: 50,000–80,000
Personally, I wouldn't consider anything under 40K words to be novel length.
Would you estimate the number of words that would be the maximum that would fit onto a Single Page on this site?
My goal is to have each chapter in my series each be 1 page in length.
Thank you (in advance).
Would you estimate the number of words that would be the maximum that would fit onto a Single Page on this site?
Don't need to, our host has already done it.
https://storiesonline.net/author/posting_guidelines.php
Under Submission tips
Chapter/Part/Story length:
Due to various technical reasons, we try to keep the length of each file served from the site below 55,000 characters (approximately 12,000 words). Any story or chapter longer than 55,000 characters will be served in pages on the site, just like in a book. The page breaks are created by a script, so you never know where your file will be divided. If you don't like the idea of page breaks in unexpected places, then divide your own text into smaller chunks.
If you want a more precise figure, there are tools out there that will analyze a text sample or document and calculate your average word length. Then divide the 55K character limit by your average word length. Of course, punctuation, spaces (and other whitespace charaters such as tabs) also count against the character limit, so you need to account for that as well.
Then divide the 55K character limit by your average word length. Of course, punctuation, spaces (and other whitespace charaters such as tabs) also count against the character limit, so you need to account for that as well.
Libre Office has a function that gives a word count which also includes a character count. I suspect to applications do as well.
Cheers
Wow! Perhaps I am using too many words?
I just submitted the first chapter in my first story on this site. It is 13,477 words.
In this chapter I depict a short background of the main character and a significant supporting character, including two sex scenes (a Foreplay/Oral scene, and then the "main" sex scene). I am trying to set the tone for some of the sex scenes in following chapters. It also sets the tone for the main character; I hope to Show, not Tell why he gets into some of the situations that occur in following chapters.
I hope that in the "flashback" to the sex scene(s) is also an explanation of why the female character is nervous about flying.
I am trying to get each Chapter to be a Single Page on this Site.
Thanks everyone,
The reason I ask is "Learning Together" is not quite 21,000 words in length and covers three pages. "Learning Together II" has passed 21,000 words and that covers 19/30 scenes as I count them. These last eleven will be word intensive.
I don't want to burn my readers out trying to wade through it in one go.
What is a good word length for chapters. My current work is going to be somewhere between 24,000 - 34,000 words. Should I break it into chapters?
Yes. Chapter size depends upon what information you need to have in that particular section, and whether or not you want to end it in a cliffhanger or not. Having said that, my personal preference is around 10 pages or so per chapter, somewhere between 4,500 - 7,000 words, again depending upon what needs to happen in that particular section. My main current WIP is at 10 chapters right now, will probably end up around 50 - 60 chapters, 350,000 or so words, unless I change things around.
I prefer to read a Series with many chapters; each chapter only one page long.
If someone writes interesting characters, I want to enjoy them for quite a while. Read about various activities, not just sex, that they participate in. I enjoy coming back and reading further activities of those characters, and discovering additional aspects of them.
@Marius-6
Just read your first chapter and blog post requesting feedback. Good first chapter. Although a bit long in absolute terms for my liking (I like one page chapters) I can't see how you could have split this one and still provide a strong "hook" for the rest of the story. So "ideal" chapter length "depends".
Here's a good article from "Writer's Digest": https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/complete-first-draft/3-ways-to-know-when-to-end-your-chapters
Thoughtful chaptering is more important than ever. By starting and ending in the right places, your chapter breaks alone can serve the powerful function of building suspense and keeping your readers reading. Unlike sentences or paragraphs, which have rules, chapters are artistic decisions; there are no rules. Here are three simple, essential techniques that can help you make effective chapter pauses.
1. FOCUS ON THE WRITING FIRST.
2. BREAK CHAPTERS WHEN YOUR STORY REQUIRES A SHIFT.
3. BREAK CHAPTERS IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION.
3. BREAK CHAPTERS IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION.
Personally, as a reader, this is something I find rather annoying.
3. BREAK CHAPTERS IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION.
Personally, as a reader, this is something I find rather annoyin
Especially the "Walking-dead-method" (big fight at end of the episode only to fizzle out in the first 3 to 5 minutes in the next episode)
Personally, as a reader, this is something I find rather annoying.
Keep in mind, the article said:
Effective as it is, there are a couple of caveats: First, you don't want to end every chapter this way, or even most of them. It becomes predictable, which is something you don't ever want anybody to say about your novel. After a while, this tactic loses its punch. Suspension of disbelief can go just so far. Second, for the technique to be most effective, it needs to be an integral part of the overall story, not a gratuitous invention inserted just for effect.
Effective as it is, there are a couple of caveats: First, you don't want to end every chapter this way, or even most of them.
My opinion, more than once in every 10 or 12 chapters is too much.
2. BREAK CHAPTERS WHEN YOUR STORY REQUIRES A SHIFT.
3. BREAK CHAPTERS IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION.
They're contradictory, as the examples in the article demonstrate. I don't think that means either is necessarily wrong, but they're only suggestions on where to consider breaking a chapter when a break feels necessary. Whatever your thoughts about chapter length, I think consistency is a good thing.
As a reader, I hate breaks in the middle of the action. When reading a dead-tree novel, for example, I use chapter ends as a convenient breakpoint when I need to eat or sleep etc. Picking up the story again afterwards just doesn't seem the same - the tempo has been lost.
AJ
They're contradictory,
No they're not.
#2 is when you require a shift, like when the POV character changes or the time and/or place changes.
#3 happens when the things in #2 don't occur. So even though the POV character doesn't change or the time or location doesn't change, you can switch to a new chapter (the cliffhanger or some variation of it).
And even #2 isn't a given that it requires a new chapter. You can create a new scene within the chapter. Or if the time and/or location changes, you can use a transitional paragraph.
#2 is when you require a shift, like when the POV character changes or the time and/or place changes.
Basically a new chapter at the end of a scene.
#3 happens when the things in #2 don't occur. So even though the POV character doesn't change or the time or location doesn't change, you can switch to a new chapter (the cliffhanger or some variation of it).
Basically a new chapter in the middle of a scene.
AJ
#2 is when you require a shift, like when the POV character changes or the time and/or place changes.
Basically a new chapter at the end of a scene.
Usually, but not necessarily.
In my above example, the next chapter could have been from the husband's POV, and that's why I started a new chapter. Although when POV changes within a scene, you typically have a scene break within the same chapter.
Like the article says, there are no black and white rules for chapters.
Basically a new chapter in the middle of a scene.
I find that wrong, as a chapter should include the full scene, in my opinion.
I find that wrong, as a chapter should include the full scene, in my opinion.
I guess it depends on how you define a scene.
In my example, the family comes home from a nightmare scene, has a talk with the kids about it, trying to calm them, and then the husband and wife settle problems they were having. Then something happens and the wife runs from the room and locks herself in the bathroom thinking she ruined what they just resolved.
Then the husband follows her and they talk and then they straighten things out and make love.
I originally wrote that as one chapter, one scene. But I broke it into two scenes and two chapters. At the end of scene 1 she's fretting over what happened. In scene 2 they clear things up and make love.
Could those be one scene? Sure. Could they be two scenes? Sure.
I use chapter ends as a convenient breakpoint
It is very rare for me to read a dead-tree novel and hit the chapter break at the same time as I need a break. I usually just bend the corner of the page over and pick up where I left off.
I have the same type of problem with posted stories. With those, I note how far I am into the chapter based on the scroll bar, and then just find where I was when I closed the page.
3. BREAK CHAPTERS IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION.
Over use of the cliff hanger like this is a sure way to make me put the author on the 'never read again' list. Books are not cheap movie serials.
Over use of the cliff hanger like this
Again, what it said in that section was:
Effective as it is, there are a couple of caveats: First, you don't want to end every chapter this way, or even most of them.
And it doesn't have to be a cliffhanger to be a page turner. I end a chapter with a distraught wife locking herself in the bathroom because she misinterpreted her husband's reaction to something she did. The chapter ends with her thinking:
Oh no! Bella thought. What have I done? What have I become? He thinks I'm a whore. He hates me!
It just so happens the next chapter begins right there with her cowering in the bathroom crying and her husband comes and knocks on the door. So it's not #2 where the POV character or time or place changes. But I don't consider that a cliffhanger.
The name of this thread is "Chapter length." I forgot to mention that the "Writer's Digest" article I linked to never mentioned length. Although in #1 it sort of alluded to a novel as having 20–25 chapters. I guess that would determine chapter length. I don't know what's so special about 20–25 chapters for a novel, though.
It is very rare for me to read a dead-tree novel and hit the chapter break at the same time as I need a break.
That's an advantage of paper books over ebooks. You can see how long the next chapter is to determine if you want to start it.
Many, Many years ago my mother read "The Bobbsey Twins" books to me and my sister as a bedtime story. Since every chapter (almost) ended in a cliff-hanger so we wanted to know what happens next and didn't want to go to bed, she started to stop reading in the middle of a chapter and pick it up the next night at that point. Result, we were willing to go to sleep when she stopped reading and there were no cliff-hangers to keep us awake. Almost all SOL story readers are much older than we were, but it remains a possible strategy for reading stories you know are going to end in a way you need to know what happens next. Quit reading in the middle of a chapter and the next time you pick up the story, start where you left off. If you read from the middle of a chapter to the middle of another you can sleep better.