Chapter Length

[Etienne]

Should a writer make a conscious effort to produce chapters of uniform length?

 

In that same vein, how do you tell when a chapter is too short or too long?

[LittleBuddhaTW]

They don't have to be *exactly* the same length, but I think it's better if the chapters are within a few pages of each other in length. If Chapter 1 is 50KB, and Chapter 2 is 15KB, that just doesn't work, IMO.

[Camy]

some facts from Lee Masterton's article: 'How long should should your story be'

 

I agree with LB that whatever chapter length you choose stick close to it. Personally I like long chapters, especially if you don't post often. That being said I hate stories that the author gives up, or that get updated once in a 'blue moon'. Grrr.

 

Camy

[Lugh]

Oh bullshit.

 

The story should dictate the length of the chapter not the author. If an author is trying for uniform chapter length then he will find himself padding some chapters and chopping others to bare bones to fit some pre-defined preamiters that just isn't suitable.

 

I've seen chapters in published works as short as two words.... and it works.

 

Now I know that will not necessarily work for e-fiction, but there is a difference in a 'chapter' and a 'story section' too. When serializing the author is releasing a section of the story, not necessarily a full chapter, although it often is. It can be two or even three very short chapters to make up the proper line count needed for his column space (when this was actually done in print).

 

So don't let anyone dictate chapter lenght. Let the story unfold as it should, and just do what you do best... tell the story.

 

Lugh

[Etienne]

Oh bullshit.

 

The story should dictate the length of the chapter not the author. If an author is trying for uniform chapter length then he will find himself padding some chapters and chopping others to bare bones to fit some pre-defined preamiters that just isn't suitable.

 

I've seen chapters in published works as short as two words.... and it works.

 

Now I know that will not necessarily work for e-fiction, but there is a difference in a 'chapter' and a 'story section' too. When serializing the author is releasing a section of the story, not necessarily a full chapter, although it often is. It can be two or even three very short chapters to make up the proper line count needed for his column space (when this was actually done in print).

 

So don't let anyone dictate chapter lenght. Let the story unfold as it should, and just do what you do best... tell the story.

 

Lugh

 

 

Well said. As I look back over finished chapters of my current story, I find chapter length is somewhat uneven. Looking at chapters that are not finished, I find that in some cases I am tempted to pad

them with unnecessary text just to make them a tad longer and therefore equal to the chapters that preceded them.

[LittleBuddhaTW]

Oh bullshit.

 

The story should dictate the length of the chapter not the author. If an author is trying for uniform chapter length then he will find himself padding some chapters and chopping others to bare bones to fit some pre-defined preamiters that just isn't suitable.

 

Perhaps you should qualify that statement with an "in my opinion," as that is what it is.

[Lugh]

Perhaps you should qualify that statement with an "in my opinion," as that is what it is.

 

 

And perhaps I shouldn't....

 

on page 92 of Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Killian... it explains what a scene is, and how scenes make up chapters...

 

How long should it be? Long enough to make its point. It may run just a sentence or two, or it may take 20 pages. When it ends we should know more about the characters involved, and their problems should have increased.

 

I'm sure I have other sources.. that's the first one I could put my hands on....

 

Lugh

[Empathy]

I'm looking at my files now. Ch.1 65kb, ch2.46.5kb, ch3. 55kb, ch.4 66kb. They may not be to far from each other in length but I certainly don't try to keep them a certain length. Though I agree if chapter 1 is 65kb than it would be hard to carry a story, if the following chapter is 10kb. I've found myself going back and adding more description to my story in an attempt to try and match the length of the previous chapters having realized that my chapter is to short but I think it's up to the author to decide what's too short or too long.

[Lugh]

ok I'm going to give you an example from a paper copy book:

 

c 1 p 1

c 2 p 10

c 3 p 14

c 4 p 19

c 5 p 22

c 6 p 27

c 7 p 31

c 8 p 34

c 9 p 39

c 10 p 49

c 11 p 63

c 12 p 76

c 13 p 89

c 14 p 95

c 15 p 98

c 16 p 102

 

and that's just the first 100 or so pages... this novel is 658 pages and has 82 chapters. It all depends on the author.

 

Lugh

[Luc]

I

[lurker]

I think a lot of the opinions above make sense: don't force uniformity, let the story dictate the chapter length, and extreme differences in chapter length can disrupt things for readers.

 

But I think the deeper question should be: what IS a chapter? That is, why do we break stories into smaller segments, and what is each chapter supposed to do?

 

To me, chapters are the building blocks of a story and break things down for the reader in smaller, digestable parts. How you choose to lay out the sections makes a real difference in how the story 'reads' to your audience. Not every chapter needs to have the same 'feel' as another chapter, especially given the role that different chapters play in how you are telling your story. Chapters that lay out background will flow differently than chapters featuring the climax of the action.

 

Generally speaking, though, a well-paced story builds in action and intensity - focusing on some conflict (or multiple ones) and then offering resolution (though not always a 'complete' or 'satisfying' resolution). The same is true of a good chapter.

 

I think a lot of serial online 'chapters' aren't necessarily constructed with much attention being given to how they fit in terms of the general story (pacing, development, etc.), which is a problem.

 

Some authors do have a natural sense of when a chapter just 'seems' finished. Others meticulously plot/outline what must happen in a given chapter, giving some structure to what each chapter is supposed to accomplish. Other authors may find that a (flexible) word count keeps them in check to break down a story to manageable parts. And other authors seem to try to copy standard online 'conventions' for when a chapter is done, often with mixed results (all too often including the abused cliffhanger that is resolved in the first paragraph of the next chapter).

 

All in all, I don't think you should have a set idea of how long/short chapters should be or aim for a specific word count or for uniformity. But you should have an idea of how your chapters fit in telling your story, and not only is there nothing wrong with being conscious of this fact, it's probably a good thing. Most authors don't have an innate sense that allows them to be blissfully unaware as the chapters magically fall into place.

[lurker]

The first rule of writing is...there are no rules.

 

The second rule of writing is...there are no rules.

 

Oh wait, that's something different. I'm thinking of shirtless Brad Pitt, which has me all distracted.

 

Actually, I know this goes beyond the original question, but I want to point out that there ARE lots of rules. Rules, conventions, standards of procedure, whatever you want to call them, blah blah semantics blah.

 

You do not have to follow them all (as noted above, you probably SHOULDN'T try to follow them all). You don't have to follow most of them. In some cases, you don't have to follow ANY of them (think Shakeperian type-wrtier monkeys!)

 

The key is that when you make a choice to break the so-called rules, you should be able to explain WHY you did and how it works within your story.

[lurker]

When you break with these conventions, an explanation for why you did is the last thing that should be necessary - it should be written in such a way that the reader understands why the convention was broken.

 

When it comes to varying chapter lengths, this can be extremely useful when you are writing in the third person and each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. For example, in a story I read recently a thirty page chapter was told from the perspective of one character who, during the chapter, ended their long term relationship with their partner. The following chapter was four pages long and simply showed their former partner's reaction to the break-up. Now, with each chapter before it dedicated to the perspective of a single character the author was left with the decision of either switching perspectives in a chapter or having a shorter chapter devoted to a single character. The latter decision was the correct one as it was less confusing and I don't think the shorter chapter disrupted the story in any way.

 

So yes, lurker, I agree that if you break with convention there should be a reason, but that reason should be obvious to the reader - if you need to justify or explain it then it hasn't worked.

 

Heh. I think you misunderstood me. I never meant that the author should EXPLAIN why he or she is breaking the rules IN the story! Yeah, I agree with you that this would be silly. I just meant that the author should know why he is doing it and be able to explain it, if asked.

 

Beyond that, I'm curious which story you're referring to when you mention changes in perspective between characters. Usually, stories that do so are switching between first-person narratives (a technique that I don't think works for the most part). But you mention that this story swaps between third person - which I'm a bit confused about. Is it third person limited omniscient? I'm not familiar with any online stories using this perpective.

[DomLuka]

Should a writer make a conscious effort to produce chapters of uniform length?

 

In that same vein, how do you tell when a chapter is too short or too long?

 

 

I think it depends on the writer, the story, and the point they want to get across. If similar chapter lengths are important to the writer and they have a pet peve about having their chapters the same length (like whoever wrote that rule does) then by all means, try to shape your chapters that way. And, remember your readers, too. If they

[C James]

Reading this thread has been incredibly helpfull to me.

 

I tend to write piecemeal, working on chapter 5 for a bit, them on chapter 2, etc. My problem was that I couldn't get some chapters up to what I thought was the "standard", which seems to run between 7000 and 10,000 words.

 

My first chapter was only 2300 words. But, due to the story structure, I had to end it where I did. I tried adding some "filler", but it didn't work. I got around this problem by having it as a prologue, but I still had some chapters that were too short. Until I read this thread, I was in a quandary as to what to do. Now, I'm not going to stress out if one chapter is 5000 words instead of 7000 or 10,000. I'll be posting them at a high rate, so it shouldn't upset the readers too much.

 

Thanks everyone, for saving me from a MASSIVE headache!!