chapter length

[aptasi]

I was wondering how often I should put chapter breaks.

[dianahawthorne]

I used to write really short chapters, but now I'm working on increasing the length. My current chapter average is about 2500 words per chapter.

[littlemorgsi]

I have very little experience as a writer, but I think you should break when it works best for you. e.g. if you get to a place and it just feels like a good place to end a chapter, or if you like to write a chapter at a time, however much you have written in one sitting. There are a lot of different ways writers split up chapters. In fact the Terry Pratchett books I've been reading recently, (some of the earlier Disk World Novels), are split up into only a few sections, or in the case of the one I'm reading now, I'm nearly half-way through a 200 page novel, and there has yet to be any sign of chapters, just the occasional - very occasional - extra couple of spaces between paragraphs! In other words, experiment and find what works for you.

Just keep in mind that if a chapter is too short, like only 200 words or so, you may find it difficult to get a reader involved in your story. If the chapters are too long, as in 20,000 words a chapter or something, readers may find it difficult to stay with you for the whole chapter. Of course, both of these things depend on the style of writing and the individual reader.

Did that help at all or just make things worse?

[iheartdinozzo]

all i can say is- cliffies are EVIL
teehee

[StormAngel]

I dunno about this, I usually cut my chapters whenever I start work on another scene or when a mini-plot in that area is done. I don't really like to have long chapters because it's a chore to edit and it bores me if I'm reading through a really long chapter.

[MMADfan]

For myself, when I'm reading serialized fiction, like fanfiction WIPs, unless I see that something is labelled as being a series of drabbles or snapshots, or such, short chapters are really frustrating. It's not as bad when the story is finished, but even then, a story with extremely short chapters (fewer than ~1,500 words per chapter, and certainly fewer than 500 words per chapter) can seem choppy. Obviously, there are exceptions.

Personally, I like to keep my chapters under 10K words, as I think a chapter tends to become ungainly after that point, but there have been occasions when I haven't broken a longer one up because the chapter would have lost something as a whole. One of my stories, I tried to keep the chapters between 5 & 7 thousand words, since that seems an ideal length for the way I write, and succeeded fairly well, though not completely. In another recent story, the chapters are shorter and faster in the beginning as the different story-lines are being set up, but they become longer as the different story-lines are developed.

It's kind of an old-fashioned notion that each chapter of the same story should be about the same length, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it's not necessary, either.

On some of the moderated archives, there is a requirement that every chapter of a fic be at least 500 words, unless it's a prologue, epilogue, or a drabble. That seems as good a number as any!

I selected, "whenever there's a break in the story," although I think it's okay to have section breaks within a chapter if there are scene or perspective changes.

One thing that always stops me from reading a fanfic, whether it has short or long chapters, is lack of formatting. If everything is single-spaced and there are no paragraph breaks and the dialogue is run in with the rest of the text, I hit the back button. The same when it's obvious that the person hasn't bothered to run spellcheck or proofread for obvious typos. Not only is it difficult to read, but it also appears that the writer doesn't care about what they wrote or about communicating with the reader.

[rogueinker]

I had to choose "Other." Your chapter breaks should occur at the points in the story where such breaks have the most impact or best fit depending on what you're trying to convey.

In any given story I tend to break the chapters up in ways that serve to enhance the story's structure, intent, tone or plot. Each chapter breaks for a different reason. I think that having a variety of methods to end chapters is one way of contributing to the story's impact - have the reader just itching to get to the next chapter, have the reader cry "foul" over an evil cliffhanger, have reader thinking of one thing only to have that thing be obliterated in the next chapter. I also believe that the way and type of breaks you use depends on the nature of the story - mystery, romance, humor, etc.

I break up chapters in a variety of ways myself such as:

1. Dialogue - End on a particularly titillating or provocative or shocking line. Whatever the line it must lead clearly into the next chapter. Otherwise the reader will feel cheated.

2. Revelation - End on a character revealing something or have a clue unearthed or even the entrance of a pivotal character. This is quite useful in a mystery. Of course, the reader doesn't have to know that you've just dropped a valuable clue right then and there. That realization can come later on as long as you know you put there.

3. Time - End at a chronological point like the end of the day or other time period. I've used this one sparingly as it demands that you match the plot to the time window and that's not always easy. When I have used it though I've found that it greatly adds to building suspense or tension.

4. Setting - End when you change settings or scenes. While this is a natural thing to do it won't necessarily motivate the reader to keep reading. I've used this to go from present day to ancient times.

5. Mood - End when the tone changes say from a funny chapter to a serious one. When I've used this method I've found that it can refresh a story. I could have a very dramatic piece going for 5 chapters then to avoid reader/author burnout I put in a lighthearted chapter. To me, if the change is in the right spot, it can serve as that pause at the top of the rollercoaster just before the heart-stopping dive.

6. Perspective - Some writers like to change chapters when the point of view changes. I've gotten used to mixed POV in chapters that I don't use this one too often but it would depend on the story and the writer's purpose.

7. Word length - Unless I had an absolute limit, I personally don't look at the word count. I will say that I find short chapters very unsatisfying unless the chapter is really tight and well done. Then short chapters are desirable.

8. Plot Point - Start a chapter if there is something specific to the plot that you want to highlight. For example, I have a plot device such as a desk and I want to make points about the desk without writing 3 narrative paragraphs about it. I would write a chapter that revolves around that desk such as other characters discussing the desk or showing how the desk has indirectly affected someone else. I'd start a new chapter once I was done "talking" about the desk.

I think the question on chapter breaks is a good one and I couldn't resist responding. What I wrote above applies I've found to scene breaks, too. But, in my head and in my use, chapters and scenes are pretty much the same.

Just my two cents,
Rogue

[jkamd18]

I think a new chapter should start after a cliff hanger.

[fallingmoon]

I chose other. I think you can make your chapters as long as you like (well maybe not really long) and then you can make them as short as you like. As a writer that is your choice.

[amandahleigh]

i chose other because it depends upon the story at hand. sometimes short chapters are best, other times they break things up in an awkward sort of way.

:-)

[tabbyminerva]

Well...it's really up to whoever is writing, but cliffhangers tend to keep people interested in your stories.
Btw amandahleigh: I LOVE your signature.

[ariana27]

they shouldn't be really short because that just seems pointless, but on the other had really really long chapters tend to lose my interest. But, this is just my opinion =]

[MinnieQuill]

When I first started my chapters were around 1000 words but as I've written more and more they've grown to be between 5000 and 10 000 words, which suits me. Short chapters tend to annoy me as the constant page changing irritates me (yes, I'm annoyed easily.)

Long chapters (over 10 000 words)which remain readable rely on the writer's skill. I can only think of two people who can pull it off from the top of my head: 'Noveau' by Cranky Cauldron (which I keep hoping she'll upate) and 'For the Hearts You Break' by Veruka.

[gahhMinerva]

It's up to when it's appropriate to put a break in the story, not necessarily at a certain word limit - although on average I think a chapter should be roughly between 1000-3000 words.