Chapter Length

  • julescarlyle

    julescarlyle (100)

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    How long should chapters be?

    I was recently told my chapters were too short. :S Is there really a right or wrong length for chapters? If so, what is it? How long are your chapters?

    My chapters are usually 3 pages in size 12 font (that's 10-12 hand written A5 pages) between 1000-1500 words. Is that too short?

    Opinions, please! :D
    October 28th, 2010 at 06:49pm
  • bellamy blake

    bellamy blake (3280)

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    I think chapter length depends on the story and the individual writer. I know some people who write drabble-ish chapters, but it works great for those particular stories.

    I don't really know why someone would tell you that 1000 words is too short, that's about the length of an average oneshot.

    I usually aim for around four or five pages in Word per chapter, but I write a lot of dialogue, so that isn't necessarily that long.
    October 28th, 2010 at 09:28pm
  • julescarlyle

    julescarlyle (100)

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    its not just me then that thought that comment was kinda mean. i knew my chapters weren't overly long but i don't think they were short :S maybe i should take it as a compliment that the chapters were too short because they liked my writing so much they wished they had more to read :D
    October 28th, 2010 at 10:49pm
  • chum

    chum (100)

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    My chapters are anywhere from 1000-2500 words.
    I don't think they're too short. Think
    October 29th, 2010 at 01:59am
  • Saul Hudson

    Saul Hudson (355)

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    It depends on the stories.

    Sometimes my chapters are a little over 500 words.

    And then other chapters are more then 1000 words.

    For the most part though I try to make sure they're over 1000 words.
    I hope there not too short
    October 29th, 2010 at 04:03pm
  • julescarlyle

    julescarlyle (100)

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    i dont think thats too short :S
    October 29th, 2010 at 06:15pm
  • This.Useless.Heart.

    This.Useless.Heart. (115)

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    I don't know. I used to have no standards, but now I try to make them at least 3 pages, but preferably no more than 10. (for online stories anyway.)
    October 29th, 2010 at 10:19pm
  • Audrey T

    Audrey T (6730)

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    Before working with Jinxeh on Awkward, the word-count for most of my chapters was around 1,000. Now they're about 3,000. But I think that it's really up to the author. You know your story best and you know when your chapter should be done, so there's no reason to lengthen or shorten your story to fit anyone else's standards. I find that most chapters come to a conclusion on their own and trying to put it in a box is only going to make your writing unnatural and forced.
    October 29th, 2010 at 10:23pm
  • This.Useless.Heart.

    This.Useless.Heart. (115)

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    That's true, too. I shoot for a certain length, but if I feel like a chapter should end or continue outside of those standards then obviously I'm gonna go with what makes the chapter best.
    October 29th, 2010 at 10:27pm
  • julescarlyle

    julescarlyle (100)

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    thank you i dont feel bad for being the author i am so much any more :D
    October 29th, 2010 at 11:21pm
  • This.Useless.Heart.

    This.Useless.Heart. (115)

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    Hey, as long as you're doing what's best for the story don't worry about it. Arms
    October 30th, 2010 at 06:08am
  • budgie

    budgie (100)

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    It depends for me. For my original fic that I'm writing, chapters are about three thousand words each. For the fan fic I'm writing at the moment they're about a thousand. Cute
    October 30th, 2010 at 03:02pm
  • Icamane Hatake

    Icamane Hatake (250)

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    I agree, I think it depends on what you're writing. When I'm writing my longer fanfics like "The Last Fight," my chapters are usually 1500 words, or when everything's spaced properly, about 7 pages in MS Word. But then I have other stories like my Diaries of Hogwarts series where the average chapter is around 300 words.
    October 30th, 2010 at 07:11pm
  • Skylight Madness

    Skylight Madness (100)

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    The longest chapter I've written to date was only around 50 words shy of 4000 :)
    November 5th, 2010 at 12:14am
  • academic sorority.

    academic sorority. (150)

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    As everyone else has said, it all depends on the story, and the content of its chapter. Dramatic chapters may be more effective if they're shorter, but emotional chapters may become tiresome if they're too long. It really does depend. I'm sure you'll get a feel for what works best for you soon enough.

    Personally, I don't think it's very long at all. I've written a chapter before that was bordering on 6,500 words...Too long, probably
    November 7th, 2010 at 02:54pm
  • kafka.

    kafka. (150)

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    I like reading stories with longer chapters. It makes them feel serious~ in a way. Like the writer didn't just write a chapter for the sake of updating the story, but put serious thought and work into it.
    I know that sounds a bit horrible and very irrational. Shifty
    November 7th, 2010 at 03:17pm
  • malkin.

    malkin. (105)

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    I think it depends on the author as well. I personally find it quite difficult to write anything longer than 1000 words. Currently I'm writing a chaptered story, where the chapters are about 1500 words a chapter - and that is a lot fo rme. I put a lot of effort in to make them that long - and yet, for some other author, to write that much is easy as pie.
    November 7th, 2010 at 05:51pm
  • loverfayce.

    loverfayce. (105)

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    I'm reading a story, She Was Fading, that has chapters about 30-150 words per chapter, and it's absolutely amazing. They manage to fit so much into those small parts. It doesn't need paragraphs upon paragraphs of explanation about a relationship, it manages to get there with only a few words. Just beautiful.
    November 7th, 2010 at 07:09pm
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    For Confusion is the Strongest Emotion (my nano story), one chapter was only 3k, I think and the other was over 11,000 words.
    January 1st, 2011 at 06:32pm
  • dreaming dawn

    dreaming dawn (100)

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    It really does depend on the author. My average is around 1,000 to 2,000 words. Sometimes shorter. However, my longest chapter is over 5,800 words. In Love So, just take your time and write to the best of your ability. Besides. I don't think 1000 is that short.
    January 2nd, 2011 at 12:34am