#chapter length

[not-poignant]

blease I'm curious I want to knowwww (Also please feel free to share in the tags if you mostly read fic on AO3, Wattpad, or somewhere else)

[allaboutlov3]

Dear fanfiction readers....

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Hi! Um, I'm bad at communicating. Just wanted to ask you- because maybe you know?

I want to do multiple chapters- because it's probably gonna be too long for only 1- but I don't know if people usually prefer shorter or longer chapters- so uh- any advice?

I'll probably either update regularly or way too soon cuz I plan on writing everything and only posting it when I'm done- so even if it's short there will be more-

So. Um. Yeah. Help me please?

I am a chronically long chapter bitch- but thats because its part of my writing style, for me? I struggle to condense a whole "Act"/ "Arc" in more than like 5k

Now something my english teacher drilled into my tiny malformed skull was "Write however many words the story needs to have" I have like 17 consequtive plotlines and an entire closet of yet to be loaded Chekov's guns- so for ME, the 5k is nessicary to keep things rolling.

HOWEVER- That isn't very sustainable for most people. I'd say a good chapter length is, generally this guide is what I see that WORKS for pacing, engagement, etc. (personal preference as well)

Less than 1k Total? Try one chapter, but if not? Two MAX

Around 1k Total? One to Three-ish max

2-10k? Around Two to Ten ish.

10-20k? At least two, up to like 15

20k+? At least two, up to 25

50k+? At least like three-five, can be up to 60

100k+? At least ten, or like 200 (though less is better at bigger numbers)

Again- most of this is my personal preference, everyone has their niche they enjoy. But if you want my advice, cut off whenever a chapter feels "complete" like a day is finished. (Exception being cliffhangers, but those should be saved for that exact reason so they're that much more impactful)

Id say rule of thumb is make sure each chapter does SOMETHING. I usually base my chapters chronologically over a set event. An entire event will be at least one chapter, if not up to three depending on all that needs to happen.

[fishwithtitz]

I guesstimated on the lengths for each size, so don’t shoot me, lol.

@copias-juicebox and I are curious!!!

[cordelia-noir]

Hey, question for you all on your fanfic preferences.

I just wrote a 10k peice that I can either break up into a bunch of little chapters, maybe 1k each until the ending bigger chunk, or keep it all together in one big chunk.

It really doesn't make any difference to me, I'm just trying to figure out what would be the best reading experience.

[madamestephanie]

Like, do 8-10k word count chapters bore you, or you like that stuff? Do you prefer shorter chapters, so your interest is kept up, or it doesn't matter?

I'm trying to make my writing easier to digest for the general public, and I'm curious what people think when it comes to fanfiction. Thank you in advance! ❤️

[zepskies]

Hey, Zep! A bit of advice: how do you manage to make your chapters longer? Mine average at about 1500 words, which looks really short on Tumblr 😅

Hey Arty!

Ooh interesting question. I'm afraid my answer's kind of boring, in that I don't really pay attention to the word count when I'm writing until I tally it up for the post.

My chapters in a series tend to range on the long side, anywhere between 3K - 8K. (I'm long-winded at the best of times. 😂) It really just depends on how much story I'm trying to tell, and where I think a good stopping point is. I also think of chapters like "episodes," or even parts of episodes.

For my writing process, I always start with an outline of a story, beginning to end. As I write using my outline as a guide, I can add, take away, or rearrange elements of scenes as I figure things out (almost always adding lol). Scenes can take new life and expand as I get additional ideas, or they might go in a different direction entirely as inspiration strikes.

All that to say, it really just depends on the story you're trying to tell. If you can accomplish that in 1,500 words, then that's fine! If it makes sense to combine chapters, then that's okay too.

Creating chapters of a series is kind of like putting a puzzle together, except the puzzle can have different combinations that could still make sense together.

Hope this helps! 💜

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Okay writers/readers of tumblr, I’m curious. What do you consider the ideal chapter length?

[anymal28]

I personally give myself a goal of at least 3,000 words per chapter, and try to avoid going over 6,000. I also like to keep all my chapters similar lengths for consistency. Of course this is only something I've recently started doing as I've only recently dedicated time to actually writing.

@bonesby @louisapennyfeather2021

[bitletsanddrabbles]

A Note On Chapter Length

One thing I see a fair amount of on Ao3 is people apologizing for short chapters. If a chapter is less than three printed pages, people seem to think it is inferior.

I am here to tell you that is a load of bs.

One of the best books I ever read - not for fine writing, mind, but for not taking itself seriously and generally having fun - was Kent Montana and the Mark of the Moderately Vicious Vampire.* What made this book so memorable to me?

Well, a number of things. For instance the main character staunchly defending his pyjamas when the main female comments on them having "flowers and little cows" printed on them. (It's heather! And they're highland cattle!) The main character responding to being called "an English dog" by the villain. (In case the pjs didn't tip you off, he's Scottish, so you can guess how that went down)

The most memorable part was when the characters split up to check a house. Each character (or in some cases pair of characters, if I remember rightly), got their own chapter, outlining their adventures. The chapters for the characters searching the cellar were so great, I have them memorize and I will type them in their entirety here:

"It's dark."

"It's fucking dark!"

Yup. That's it. Two chapters that were exactly one sentence a piece and it was gold! To give you an idea of how big an impression this made on me - I read this book once, in 1998.

So go ahead! Post that three paragraph chapter without apology! We make entirely too much of a deal about 'quantity' in this world, but sometimes 'quality' calls for small amounts.

*the link is Amazon simply because that's what pulled up and I want to show you that I'm not making this up. If you want to read it, feel free to acquire it from another vendor, should you so wish.

[dhwty-writes]

After not writing at all for a long time, I've finally started (at least drafting) an original project again and it's messing me up. I've written fanfic for such a long time and it's so different

[imaginary-things-nothing-else]

Yeah, this is pretty much how I do it. Though I do feel bad when I give people a kinda short chapter...I just know how much I love to read long chapters myself

IDK who needs to hear this but (I certainly did) : A chapter is not required to be 2000-4000 words in length (or whatever 'reasonable' amount it is in your head.) A chapter ends where you feel comfortable ending it. You make your own rules!

[anwhitebooks]

Short vs. Long Chapters: The great debate

February 13, 2024 We’ve all experienced that moment right before bed when we internally debate the merits of reading one more chapter or calling it a night. This dilemma has plagued bibliophiles for ages, with our love for reading occasionally winning out over our basic needs. A big factor in that decision: chapter length. It’s a common talking point these days, and I’ve even seen the mention…

[cjjasp]

Scenes, pacing, and chapter length #amwriting

Chapter breaks are transitions. I have found that chapter breaks fall naturally at certain places as I write. I’ve discussed this before, but I’m always happy to repeat myself. In my opinion, chapters can be the length they need to be. When we commit to writing daily, our writing style grows and changes. When I began writing, some chapters totaled over 4,000 words. As my writing style evolved,…