Questions on chapter length (and a touch of shameless story promotion...)

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned in my intro, I've been working on a genre-bending gay vampire/paranormal romance (we have humour, librarians, garden gnomes and undead who really look undead), and posting it to my journal. (Linky here, if anyone's curious.) What's so different about writing this story, for me, is that it's my first multi-chapter work where I'm deliberately writing short, one-scene chapters - with a max word limit of 2000 words. I'm averaging around 1500 words a chapter, and I've only come close to my word limit once.

Now, a pretty common saying is that a chapter is as long as it needs to be, but in my browsing around the internet, there seems to be a bias against reading short chapters. I've seen people make comments that they won't read a work if the chapters were under 1000 words. (I've written chapters that were under, or just slightly over, that mark.) The argument seems to be that, especially for online fiction, a reader doesn't have enough time to get into the chapter, and back into the story, if the chapters are too short.

Personally, I much prefer shorter chapters for online fic - I don't have forever to spend at the computer, writing or reading (and I don't have a printer) - but I feel like I'm in a minority, and I don't want to be writing something that isn't enjoyable to read!

So I'd be very much interested to know, as a general question to the comm - what are your thoughts on what constitutes a readable chapter length? (I know, ideally, a chapter needs to address a point or event that moves the plot or characterisation forwards, and anything that fails to do that is more of a divison based on word length.) Do shorter chapters deter, or encourage, you to read - online fiction, published fiction? If a story is updated frequently, would you be more willing to read short-chaptered fic than if, say, you had to wait a month or more between chapters? Does anyone actually try to write to a relatively short word-limit, and how effective do you find it, both for writing and reading?

Thank you for reading, and any replies you care to make - I'm rather curious to know if I'm the only one who really enjoys writing and reading short chapters!

Comments

[starlight83.livejournal.com]

For me, the bias against short chapters is only relevant to serial fiction. When I follow a story while someone is actively updating it, even on a regular basis, I get really frustrated by short chapters that don't *accomplish* anything significant in the plot. For me, a readable chapter length in a serial piece of fiction is one that manages to take the plot a step forward...something that gives me enough time to remember where I was at in the story, get back into it, and learn something new.

If you have a fast paced plot, short chapters can work really well. They keep things moving, make your reader feel like they're whizzing through rather than slogging.

In published fiction, or fiction that is posted as a complete whole, chapter length is pretty much irrelevant to me. Although, if I'm reading something on my computer, I do prefer chapters to be somewhere under say...10,000 words, because past that the scrolling tends to become a bit much and it's harder to find my place again if I need to leave and come back to it.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! A lot of the comments I've read seemed to look at word length in general, without looking at whether or not the chapter actually drives the plot forward. (I hate reading anything that's even vaguely filler-ish myself, so I totally hear you on that.) I'm going to keep in mind the three points you made with regards to chapter purpose, though, because that's a nice, neat summary, and I think that'll help me craft chapters in general. Thank you!

[tracy-d74.livejournal.com]

I am of the opinion that chapters can be whatever is needed for the story. I do find that chapters that run past 25 pages tend to feel cumbersome regardless of the events in the chapter. I think a lot of books aim for 15-20 page chapters. But if a major event that moves the plot forward needs one page, then give it one page and move to the next event and give it what is needed. I think computer books require shorter chapters because of scroling and people get tired of being tethered to their computer.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Thank you for commenting! I rarely think about chapters per page count, so you've given me some interesting numbers to consider for another story I've been writing. :)

[tracy-d74.livejournal.com]

Interesting, I don't think of chapters as words counts. I think of chapters as scenes that move a plot forward.

Glad I could help you out.

[fyifoff.livejournal.com]

in novels i do see short chapters,and i agree with starlight83, the chapter should have meaning and purpose. It should reveal something and move the story forward.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

I agree, most definitely - it's what a chapter should aim for. I read fantasy, so it's actually hard at times to find short chapters in novels!

[thebonedawg.livejournal.com]

I honestly prefer short chapters. My absolute favorite author writes extremely short chapters (most are under 1000 words), and that is just one of the many reasons I love him. I love short chapters because I feel like I can read more in one sitting. I won't start a chapter if I can't finish it. I take my book (literally) everywhere, and sometimes I don't have the time to read a 25-page chapter. But with 3-page chapters, I can read anytime, anywhere without feeling like I'm stopping in the middle of something. Also, I've noticed that a lot of the longer chapters (excluding most fantasy novels) contain a lot of fluff. Pages and pages of description that could be summed up in a couple paragraphs.

Anyway, my point is don't feel like you have to write long paragraphs. If you can make it work at 1000 words or less, do it. Don't feel obligated to put in a bunch of unnecessary information.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Oh, you could be reading my mind - as a reader, I hate having to finish in the middle of a chapter. (May I ask who this author is? I'll honestly read almost anything in English, but I only have short lunch breaks at work, so something with 3-page chapters would be great!)

I really appreciate your taking the time to comment; it's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks this way. I actually find it a fun challenge to write shorter chapters - I can concentrate on what's really important to include.

[thebonedawg.livejournal.com]

The author is James Patterson. He gives the perfect amount of description to everything, his stories move along quickly, and his chapters are really short.

My chapters used to be a lot shorter, but many people told me that I wasn't including enough description of environments and surroundings. So once I started doing that, my chapters increased in length. But they are still usually between 4 and 10 pages.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll have to investigate, and see what our local library has on offer. I really need something new to read, anyway.

I don't generally tend to much description myself, even in my other story (with more regular-sized chapters) but, so far, nobody has commented that I'm not doing enough. That said, description is also something on my list of 'skills I could use improving on'...

[thebonedawg.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

And it's always good to know one's own strengths as well as weaknesses.