Author Topic: How Long Are Your Chapters?  (Read 2427 times)

Offline SuperflyMD

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile
How Long Are Your Chapters?
« on: January 20, 2011, 01:37:01 AM »
My chapters seem a little short. They seem to end up around 1800 to 2000 words each. In my mind they wrap up OK and I don't really feel they're incomplete, but I'm curious about reader response. 

I've got two words for you: no.

Offline Enjorous

  • Seriously?
  • ***
  • Posts: 12664
  • Prince of the Gutter since 2010
    • View Profile
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2011, 02:41:40 AM »
I dunno, I think they vary. I mean someone like Dan Brown has epically short chapters, some of them I doubt are more than 500 words. Then you have someone like Stephen King who occasionally have 4 chapters in a 200 pages.
Kentucky Fried Shuriken - Finger Lickin' Death.
Quote from: horsehearted
Nah, women are just batshit crazy ALL the time!  :D
87.1% Dresden Pure rank: Nicodemus

Offline Gruud

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 59
    • View Profile
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2011, 03:06:47 AM »
For some inexplicable reason, mine all seem to be tracking at right around 15 pages / 5000-ish words ...

It's starting to kinda creep me out.

And then I had one that came in at nearly twice that, and it makes me feel like its wrong ...

Offline Snowleopard

  • Needs A Life
  • ***
  • Posts: 27961
  • Small but sneaky.
    • View Profile
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2011, 03:19:33 AM »
Just play it by ear, guys.  Let the chapters break where they want to - you can always go back later and alter the break if you think it needs changing.

Offline Starbeam

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 5722
  • Twitter: @stellamortis
    • View Profile
    • Stella Mortis
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2011, 03:25:35 AM »
They're as long as they need to be.
"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury

Offline Nickeris86

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 362
    • View Profile
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2011, 07:00:25 AM »
my first chapter alone is over 8,000 words. O.o and i am still not sure if its too long or not long enough, but its finished and i'll fix it in revision.
In the darkest hour i shall be there.

Offline the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh

  • O. M. G.
  • ***
  • Posts: 39098
  • Riding eternal, shiny and Firefox
    • View Profile
Re: How Long Are Your Chapters?
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2011, 09:18:22 PM »
I pretty much always do one chapter/one scene; they usually come out between 2000 and 4500 words, though i've had exceptions at either end.
Mildly OCD. Please do not troll.

"What do you mean, Lawful Silly isn't a valid alignment?"

kittensgame, Sandcastle Builder, Homestuck, Welcome to Night Vale, Civ III, lots of print genre SF, and old-school SATT gaming if I had the time.  Also Pandemic Legacy is the best game ever.