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.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 08:36 pm (UTC)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.