Having 30k words in just 5 chapters

[D_Gahum]

Does anyone that having 5k words on average for one chapter is too much? I honestly don't know how many scenes to put in a single chapter, I just put stuff in there until I'm satisfied. I've seen others have like 15k words in about 10 chapters so I'm starting to think that my chapters are a little bit too overloaded. What do you guys think?

 

[dummycake]

 

[Glitched]

Depends. I follow a really good writer who can keep me hooked with his 5k word chaps. Others get me bored after 2000, especially if they're just rambling on. If you know you're a good writer then go for it, but I would recommend getting some outside input for your work to see how the average viewer feels.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Brevity is the soul of wit.

 

[RiaCorvidiva]

There is something to be said that breaking up 5k chapters into 2, 2.5k chapters gives you more front page visibility time. That provides a disincentive against making your chapters too long. It can also be a lot for readers to digest in one sitting, since there's no opportunity for intrachapter bookmarking. I stick to a fairly narrow range of ~1750-2250 both to manage reader expectations and to balance giving readers enough meat each chapter vs. how many times I can upload in a week.

 

[LilRora]

30k words in 5 chapters is completely fine, so long as you write it well. Generally, the longer the chapter is, the more engaging it needs to be or it will just get tedious to read. It's got a lot to do with content (I think I don't need to explain the average feelings after reading 5k words of filler) but prose also plays a huge impact.

Depending on what you want to achieve though, splitting the chapters into two or even three might be a good idea. The main thing is that frequent and consistent uploads, where making your chapters smaller can help massively, are one of the most important things if you want to get more people to read your story.

 

[Aez_Nairo]

6k words/chapter. Whelp, thats quite high.
Makes me smile, that you can do it.
Now the quality, depends if the reader can read it finely.
Its your choice to split it or not whether your intention is to make it popular like the suggestions from other scribbler.
Or be like my old mindset to torture them reading a disguised random novel of 10k words in one chapter because such things makes me laugh.

 

[Sergeandgreen]

I think shorter chapters have the advantage that you can easily read the story in between. On a bus or train, for example. 5k chapters need a little longer to read, and it is unsatisfying if you have to stop mid-chapter. The attention span of people is also surprisingly low, so I guess pushing the next chapter button is something that can help people refocus or take a break when needed. On the other hand, if your writing is good and your readers take the time to sit down to enjoy your story, long chapters make the reading experience more immersive. Shorter chapters also increase the visability of your story (assuming you keep up with the word count). Generally, I think a lot depends on your release schedule. If you only release one chapter per week, it might be better to split it in two and release two per week. If you would publish one chapter a day, you wouldn't need to split it (that pace would be insane). If you only release once a month, I would say a longer chapter would be better. I mean, if I wait so long, i at least want to read for more than 5 minutes.

 

[prognastat]

"Too much for what?" is the question.

For getting more views/readers it's a suboptimal strategy. More frequent chapters will be more beneficial for visibility of your story. It is better for getting views to write 6k chapters and release six a week spread out throughout the week than releasing one 6k chapter per week.

For the enjoyment of reading. It depends on the the genre you are writing in and the quality of what you are writing.

Personally I prefer shorter chapters I can read between other things in my life, but if the book is captivating enough I don't mind making exceptions and investing more time in reading a chapter for a great story.

 

[ManwX]

There is something to be said that breaking up 5k chapters into 2, 2.5k chapters gives you more front page visibility time. That provides a disincentive against making your chapters too long. It can also be a lot for readers to digest in one sitting, since there's no opportunity for intrachapter bookmarking. I stick to a fairly narrow range of ~1750-2250 both to manage reader expectations and to balance giving readers enough meat each chapter vs. how many times I can upload in a week.

Pretty much nailed it. I so the same keeping it between 1700- 2400 words. No more. Something I go well beyond 4k but it's like a few chapters.

 

[jrell]

Meh, I always prefer long chapters. The longer, the better. If the average word count is under 2k, I usually don't bother reading it. This is because such texts often lack descriptive details, making it more like a military report than an engaging story. I enjoy visualizing the scenes in my head and find it difficult to do so with shorter chapters.