Average Chapter Length

[Paul Whybrow]

I have a feeling that this thread will start a debate about something that doesn't really have an answer. All the same, it will be interesting to see how Colonists tackle the issue of chapter length.

I have a tendency to grasp tricky concepts, notice fine details and see things laterally—while missing the blooming obvious! The thought came to me last night, while outlining the closing chapters of my WIP, that there were quite a lot of them—50—which made me wonder if it was too many.

A typical word count for my chapters is 1,600-2,250. I'm writing a psychological thriller, though I haven't tailored the word count as being ideal for readers of this genre. Rather, it's come about naturally, fitting the requirements of the mini-story that each chapter essentially is, imparting a discrete part of the whole. I'm conforming to the expected length of 80,000 words for a debut novel by an unknown author.

Chapters can be of any length, of course, and I've seen one word chapters and even blank pages used to convey emotion, while some authors don't bother with chapters at all. With my longer chapters, I've used two or three section breaks, when the scenes described are potentially connected—though being a story about a criminal investigation, I leave that up to the reader to decide. They like to work things out before the detective protagonist.

Is chapter length something that you consider when writing erotica, romance, fantasy or science-fiction?

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I've tried to keep them on the short side and of uniform length. About 10 pages.

 

[Carol Rose]

It's all over the board. My chapters are between 7 and 12 pages. Other romance authors I know write shorter ones, and some do longer ones.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

My average chapter would be 3-4 k (everything between 6 and 10 pages, I have a lot of dialogue). And my story is quite short- too short I often fear. I'm still working on it, but I doubt it will be more than 40 k....

 

[Nicole Wilson]

I change chapters every time there's a scene or POV shift, so I average about 70 chapters a book, but they're only about 500-1500 words per chapter. Occasionally I'll have the long one, but those are usually climax scenes that I don't want to slow down with a scene break.

 

[SueRoe]

I remember an editor told me once that chapter lengths had to be more or less the same. But I've read books where chapter lengths vary enormously. So, in answer to your question, Paul, I don't know.

 

[Madeleine Conway]

I generally write longer chapters (4ooo words) for historical fiction and shorter chapters (2000-2500 words) for YA. This was not a plan. I'm not sure how it came about. Once I'm into a book, I seem to build a rhythm so my chapters are all roughly the same length, again, not a plan, probably also a consequence of the fact that when I'm writing steadily, I set myself a target of 1500 words per day, and I like to end a writing day either in the middle of a chapter or several hundred words into the next one.

There is no right or wrong answer, but speaking as a reader, there is a Goldilocks effect, where it is neither too long nor too short and that for me is about 3-5K. I'm not wild about books where there is a single word chapter or a paragraph - although I know plenty of YA books where that happens. Sometimes, it works when it really reflects characterisation and a dovetailing of events and personality (Sally Green, Half Wild books, Sally Gardner, Maggot Moon), but sometimes it's just gimmickry.

The genre fiction I've enjoyed most recently is thriller/spy stuff, especially historical, e.g Alan Furst and Simon Mawer, and their chapters are pretty meaty. Gradually, I'm putting my finger on what I really want as a reader, which is immersion. I want to be totally hauled into the world. I suspect that explains a preference for longer chapters with plenty of world building.

 

[James Marinero]

It varies with me - some are only a few pages and others can be quite long. I like the end of a chapter to be a natural break point for the reader.

 

[Marc Joan]

It varies with me - some are only a few pages and others can be quite long. I like the end of a chapter to be a natural break point for the reader.

Long time no see. Been sailing?

 

[James Marinero]

Long time no see. Been sailing?

Yes, some book research in the Canary Islands and a little writing. Very useful. I realised that I was close to finishing a book that I can break into two - with a solid plot for a third to make a trilogy. Finally got back to some solid writing this morning. Then I get back to Litopia a half hour ago and find that there's a zoo when I try to like someone's post. And now I find out about pandas. bloody hell. Thank you for asking.

 

[Geoff]

There seems to be a wide range of chapter-types, if that is a correct terminology. Not sure if there as been any research into which type is more favoured by which genre? Some writers like to give each chapter a title, which I quite like as it gives the reader an idea of what to expect in the pages that follow, until the next chapter. A list of contents using this format would read like a mini-synopsis. Like Katie-Ellen, small chapters are my preference too, they are more punchy and give the reader the chance of a break if needed, something which is particularly useful when commuting to work. As your train approaches its destination it is much easier to make a judgement as whether you have enough time to complete a chapter before starting it, rather than finishing in mid chapter flow.

 

[KG Christopher]

My chapters are usually 2.5 to 4.5k word counts. If I think I am going over 4.5k, I usually think there must be something wrong. If I still have a need for more than 4.5K I would tend to split the chapter into two.

 

[J. Rook]

I have a feeling that this thread will start a debate about something that doesn't really have an answer. All the same, it will be interesting to see how Colonists tackle the issue of chapter length.
Is chapter length something that you consider when writing erotica, romance, fantasy or science-fiction?

You make a very good point about a chapter being a "mini-story". So long as I have the three-part exposition/climax/anticlimax structure, the word numbers vary in accordance with the content. For example, a fight scene chapter can be quite short, whereas the unfolding of a dreadful family secret can be much longer. In my sci-fi writing the chapters lie between 3000 and 5000 words. Just as a matter of interest, Georgette Heyer's mystery novels tend to be regular in their chapter lengths - 10 to 12 paperback pages.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

For my (YA and MG) novels, I run around 2500 words per chapter. I found at first that this was about right for each "mini-story" as J. Rook dubbed them, and now I sort of plan them that way, adjusting my writing accordingly. That said, if a chapter ends up significantly shorter or longer, because of the story needs, I let it be so.

 

[Chase Gamwell]

My chapter lengths vary depending on the genre I write. For my mystery novel, chapter lengths are typically from 2,000 to 3,000 words long. There are a few outliers, but most of the chapter lengths fall within that range. For science fiction - since I have to include description and world building - my chapter lengths typically fall between 3,000 and 4,000 words. For instance, my current WIP consists of almost 7 complete chapters (I have about 1,000 more words to write in 7) and the average word count per chapter is 3,700 words...

My mystery has about 3,100 words per chapter (average across 21 chapters and an epilogue)...

 

[James Marinero]

A list of contents using this format would read like a mini-synopsis. Like Katie-Ellen, small chapters are my preference too, they are more punchy and give the reader the chance of a break if needed, something which is particularly useful when commuting to work.

I use a contents table to help me keep track of my plot. Then I leave it in to help the reader - they are not quite a synopsis as they do not give the plot away - they tend to be more locational or time specific to help the reader with the flow. Also, I use scene breaks within a chapter - I don't have any set rules for these - they just seem to be needed - maybe for background or info - during the story flow.

 

[Sea-shore]

You can tell I’m an amateur; in my last story my chapter length is all over the place (1000-3000) depending on what scene I was writing.

For my WIP I have meticulously followed the three-act structure with about 2000 words per chapter. I come from a science/maths background so it’s nice to follow a method I know works. I hope it doesn’t show up as too formulaic, but it has pushed my writing along.

Anyone here using the three-act (set-up, conflict, resolution) structure?

 

[Patricia D]

I write mysteries and most chapters are 2,000 to 3,000 words and one scene. My WIP is about a two week period, it is divided into days, and each day is divided 1, 2, 3, etc as needed. Chapters, IMO, are the books organizing structure.

As a reader, I like shorter chapters.

 

[Jay Aitch]

One thing I dislike as a reader; the one page chapter. God's teeth, underpants, and snot rag on a stick, it's annoying.

 

[Quillwitch]

That´s exactly the problem I´m trying to weather at the moment. My chapters are maybe too long for my tween novel and last night I spent the evening trying to cut them down. But so far I have: prologue: 20 pgs, Ch. 1 - 18 pages, Ch. 2 - 16 pages Ch. 3 - 12 pages, Ch 4 - 8 pages. I´m guessing this is logical, don´t know if it´s correct.
I always try to check books similar to what I´m doing. One of these books has the following --17, 16, 18, 19, 26, 27, so I guess i´m on the right track.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I like a bit of variety in chapter length, for several reasons. One is that if a reader sees the next chapter is short, they may keep on reading—and if you prime that chapter with something intriguing, they may go onto the next!

The longest chapter of my WIP is 2,500 words, though it's separated into three section breaks. This is to avoid there being a long block of narrative, which could look off-putting, but also to hint that there's a link between what's going on in each bit. I'm teasing the reader in my thriller, getting them to do some work to beat the detective protagonist to the punch.

 

[Quillwitch]

I like a bit of variety in chapter length, for several reasons. One is that if a reader sees the next chapter is short, they may keep on reading—and if you prime that chapter with something intriguing, they may go onto the next!

The longest chapter of my WIP is 2,500 words, though it's separated into three section breaks. This is to avoid there being a long block of narrative, which could look off-putting, but also to hint that there's a link between what's going on in each bit. I'm teasing the reader in my thriller, getting them to do some work to beat the detective protagonist to the punch.

Sounds like you´re doing it right!

 

[Boopadoo]

I try to do between 2k and 3k words. Why? Because many, many moons ago, in the previous incarnation of this very community, we had the same discussion. Someone posted links to a couple of blog posts by a couple of prominent agents, and that range appeared to be the consensus, so I made it my habit.

Not that it ever was or is absolute truth, but it did give me a wide benchmark to work toward without having to think too much about it.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

One thing I dislike as a reader; the one page chapter. God's teeth, underpants, and snot rag on a stick, it's annoying.

Just to play devil's advocate here, I have to say that a well-used one page chapter can be powerful. It can create 'white space' around a dense, critical scene that makes it stand out in all its shocking glory. Like a deliberate pause in a song, a stanza break in a poem, the hushed silence just before the start of a race.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

You can tell I’m an amateur; in my last story my chapter length is all over the place (1000-3000) depending on what scene I was writing.

For my WIP I have meticulously followed the three-act structure with about 2000 words per chapter. I come from a science/maths background so it’s nice to follow a method I know works. I hope it doesn’t show up as too formulaic, but it has pushed my writing along.

Anyone here using the three-act (set-up, conflict, resolution) structure?

I guess I do. I really try to convene a message per each one of my chapters (like the "each chapter as a mini-story" idea discussed above). So yeah, they are stories on their own a bit, a beginning and an end in the frame of one chapter. There are no cliff-hangers, I believe.

 

[KG Christopher]

I don't get it, for me a chapter is very free flowing. It might take place in one location, with one set of characters, or spread over a few events. I try and keep it as free flowing as possible. I also have an 'outline' for each chapter with a title, but after I have written and edited the chapter, I re-name the chapter to pick up on a piece of dialogue. But beginning middle and end I try and avoid. I think I am more like @Bluma Bezbroda , trying to convey a message.

 

[Sea-shore]

I don't get it, for me a chapter is very free flowing. It might take place in one location, with one set of characters, or spread over a few events. I try and keep it as free flowing as possible. I also have an 'outline' for each chapter with a title, but after I have written and edited the chapter, I re-name the chapter to pick up on a piece of dialogue. But beginning middle and end I try and avoid. I think I am more like @Bluma Bezbroda , trying to convey a message.

Yeah, for my first two stories I just free flowed and just wrote what was happening, but for some of the chapters nothing happened very much except the characters interacted etc. So for my WIP now, I have deliberately manipulated things so that there is a struggle to overcome in every chapter, and of course throughout the main story. (It need a bit of brainstorming to create conflict in every chapter, but given I have a martial arts theme going on, it wasn't very hard and hope it doesn't show as being contrived. I'll let the beta readers decide.)

So for each chapter as well as the whole story, I use:

1 beginning - pity - suffering
2 middle - fear - struggle
3 end - catharsis - overcoming

I started doing this as I was trying analyse the Hunger Games books which I am using as a model as I write YA. The author's story structure is broken down in to 3X3X3 act structures, with 27 chapters.