Writing When is it too much or too little words?

[3kockeleda]

I've been wondering ever since I started working on my novel, what is the line that is considered too much when it comes to chapter lengths?

I'm used to writing between 3K and 5K words depending on the chapter and I feel that it can be too much for a reader, but I saw a lot of other chapters saying that anything above 2.5ish K is too much?

What is the general consensus of that ?

 

[LilRora]

I think the general consensus is that it's all up to the author, but that shorter chapters usually rack up more pageviews because of more visibility that comes with more frequent updates.

Also, it's generally more difficult to write longer chapters.

 

[Corty]

There is no general consensus.

Many others will tell you that it depends on how frequently you update your story and what the release schedule is.

My personal opinion:

2k-ish (2k min, 3k max) per chapter.

As for why? That is totally a personal preference because it is what I settled into after three years of daily chapter releases. It is achievable to write every day, and it doesn't feel too short and doesn't get so long that the reader feels it is a slog to read.

 

[3kockeleda]

I think the general consensus is that it's all up to the author, but that shorter chapters usually rack up more pageviews because of more visibility that comes with more frequent updates.

Also, it's generally more difficult to write longer chapters.

Yeah I figured as well, I noticed on TikTok, Twitter and other forums that most prefer chapters that around 2kish if it's not a physical copy, so I was wondering if there is a more of a set of rules that would be best to follow.

There is no general consensus.

Many others will tell you that it depends on how frequently you update your story and what the release schedule is.

My personal opinion:

2k-ish (2k min, 3k max) per chapter.

As for why? That is totally a personal preference because it is what I settled into after three years of daily chapter releases. It is achievable to write every day, and it doesn't feel too short and doesn't get so long that the reader feels it is a slog to read.

Thank you, and yeah I don't plan on posting daily since that's impossible with my schedule, but maybe a few posts a week (3-4 posts) is enough. I'm trying to figure out what's the best pace for posting and in intervals

 

[prognastat]

There is quite a bit of variety and then there is also the difference between what works best for reading comfort and what works best for readership growth.

Two main things I would say should be your goals is no less than 1k words per chapter and try to get to daily chapter uploads first and foremost.

If you can write more than 1k words per day then write longer chapters daily. People won't really start complaining about them being too long unless you are uploading daily 5k+ word chapters which if you are writing as you go is untenable for most.

If you can do 3-4 chapters a week at 3-5k words per post I would recommend spreading it to 7 chapters a week at 1.25k - 2.85k words each. At least from gaining an audience perspective as it will perform better both by getting your readers checking it regularly and appearing on the front page more frequently as a form of advertisement. You don't actually have to write daily if you tend to work more in bursts every few days you can always just schedule out the posts ahead.

 

[3kockeleda]

There is quite a bit of variety and then there is also the difference between what works best for reading comfort and what works best for readership growth.

Two main things I would say should be your goals is no less than 1k words per chapter and try to get to daily chapter uploads first and foremost.

If you can write more than 1k words per day then write longer chapters daily. People won't really start complaining about them being too long unless you are uploading daily 5k+ word chapters which if you are writing as you go is untenable for most.

If you can do 3-4 chapters a week at 3-5k words per post I would recommend spreading it to 7 chapters a week at 1.25k - 2.85k words each. At least from gaining an audience perspective as it will perform better both by getting your readers checking it regularly and appearing on the front page more frequently as a form of advertisement. You don't actually have to write daily if you tend to work more in bursts every few days you can always just schedule out the posts ahead.

The i should divide my future chapters into half? If that's what you suggest for reach. Current chapter I'm writing is currently at 4K words, so it would be best to divide it into half, upload one now, other part tomorrow and so on?

 

[overclockedw]

I try to aim for 2k minimum, and if I'm having fun? I just go for however long I want to.

I have gotten advice however that I shouldn't make chapters too long on this site. And I will admit writing small chapters prevents me from going through writer's fatigue via daily writing.

I think 2k-3k is a good limit to set for yourself, but you shouldn't force yourself to keep the chapter there if you feel like the chapter needs more.

 

[melchi]

I'm only speaking for myself, but if the chapter takes less than 15 mins to read I consider it too short. So 2k+ is what I like to see.

I don't mind longer chapters so long as stuff is happening. Someone can spend 1000s of words climbing down a cliff and reflecting but is it really needed?

EDIT: 4k words is not bad, yeah shorter is better but there comes a point where too much compression just makes things happen to fast to follow easily.

 

[prognastat]

The i should divide my future chapters into half? If that's what you suggest for reach. Current chapter I'm writing is currently at 4K words, so it would be best to divide it into half, upload one now, other part tomorrow and so on?

Purely as far as improving readership acquisition if currently you are doing 4k chapters 3-4 times a week yes doing 2k chapters daily would probably help because you'll spend more time on the front page which means more chances for people to see it and give it a try. Also 2k won't be an amount where people complain your chapters are too short.

Also daily chapters is more habit forming and for reader retention having your readers form a habit out of checking up on and reading your story every day can be good.

In the end though this is just what is optimal. Just like when you play an RPG the optimal strategy might not always be what you enjoy the most so it's up to you whether you actually end up wanting to do that.

 

[3kockeleda]

Purely as far as improving readership acquisition if currently you are doing 4k chapters 3-4 times a week yes doing 2k chapters daily would probably help because you'll spend more time on the front page which means more chances for people to see it and give it a try. Also 2k won't be an amount where people complain your chapters are too short.

Also daily chapters is more habit forming and for reader retention having your readers form a habit out of checking up on and reading your story every day can be good.

In the end though this is just what is optimal. Just like when you play an RPG the optimal strategy might not always be what you enjoy the most so it's up to you whether you actually end up wanting to do that.

Thank you so much, you helped me a lot. I'll start with daily chapters next week as I accumulate a backlog that I'm able to divide properly and not get in a reading and writing dump.

Thank you

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Too little is when you have a half-made screenplay with only one line paragraphs for both details and conversation.

Too much is describing how the characters are going about shopping for bread and counting coins and nothing of note happens. We get it. They continue to live without starving. It's implied that they have regular lives doing so already. Shopping would be irrelevant if it's not, with some squinting real hard in a pitch black room, at the relevance to the setting.

 

[nemonusquam_]

I'll agree with most here and say that 2k-3k is the sweet spot.

Release schedule should also be taken into account—I wouldn't find it unusual to see 1.5k word chapters for a story posting five times a week, or 5k chapters for a story posting once or twice a week.

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

A typical number for a chapter, according to google cuz im too dum, is 1,000 to 4,000 words. If you want to go beyond, then it's fine. Though be careful because you may run out of things to write very quickly. While also more likely to cause a burn out.

Something I learned the hard way

 

[ReadLight]

I, at one point, wondered about it also, and even asked in a thread.
I also asked my readers in a poll: Genshin Impact X Terraria: The Terarian in Teyvat - Chapter 2: The Guide Just Fell From the Sky! Wait, No, That’s a Goddess | Scribble Hub
That may be useful to you.
40 people answered so far.

That said, I ended up not caring about the length of the chapter. I currently aim for them to be as short as possible, and as long as it needs to be for the plot. This decision eased my mind when writing ever since.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

I think the general consensus is that it's all up to the author, but that shorter chapters usually rack up more pageviews because of more visibility that comes with more frequent updates.

Also, it's generally more difficult to write longer chapters.

I found the opposite true. Keeping chapter length down was difficult. Then my computer keyboard started glitching, and now I can't type u, n, m, y, and h properly. It either doesn't type or multi-types. Worst of all, I have trouble logging in, leading me to think I have a keylogger stalling things.

 

[LilRora]

I found the opposite true. Keeping chapter length down was difficult. Then my computer keyboard started glitching, and now I can't type u, n, m, y, and h properly. It either doesn't type or multi-types. Worst of all, I have trouble logging in, leading me to think I have a keylogger stalling things.

What I meant was more not about writing in itself, but writing well. From my experience, shorter chapters do not need to be nearly as engaging as long chapters, while those longer chapters tend to get tedious to read if they're not interesting enough, or completely messy if too much happens in one chapter.

Short chapters have their own issues, of course, but I believe on average it's easier to write a few 2k words long, loosely connected scenes than an engaging, consistent scene with 6-10k words.

 

[Nyxia_]

Yeah It all up to one's own choices, I personally aim for 1000 words a chapter, but you can do whatever you wish

 

[bulmabriefs144]

What I meant was more not about writing in itself, but writing well. From my experience, shorter chapters do not need to be nearly as engaging as long chapters, while those longer chapters tend to get tedious to read if they're not interesting enough, or completely messy if too much happens in one chapter.

Short chapters have their own issues, of course, but I believe on average it's easier to write a few 2k words long, loosely connected scenes than an engaging, consistent scene with 6-10k words.

Well, usually if it's an 11-pager, it's something like a common theme (crossing a mountain, navigating a dungeon, or in one case a series of goofy sidequests). I usually think of a chapter as trying to contain a single idea rather than being bound by length. It can be as short as "For the next few years, I did nothing but eat and sleep." And have the next whole chapter deal with snapping out of that depressive funk.

 

[Obsoleteness]

I feel like the content is more important than the word count. If you spend 3k words describing a pair of socks just to get the word count up then maybe you would be fine with shorter chapters. (I dare anyone to write 3k about a pair of socks)

 

[SurfAngel_1031]

I've been wondering ever since I started working on my novel, what is the line that is considered too much when it comes to chapter lengths?

I'm used to writing between 3K and 5K words depending on the chapter and I feel that it can be too much for a reader, but I saw a lot of other chapters saying that anything above 2.5ish K is too much?

What is the general consensus of that ?

I changed my planning from my first book to my more recent one. In my first, I didn't really have an upper limit - I wrote a chapter until I felt it was complete - the longest coming in at 16k
My second book, I am trying my best to keep between 7-9k
Now when I upload, I break them into easy to read parts of about 1500, so people that are reading can get my story in for the day and keep on moving if they so choose. I certainly don't want to bog them down for an hour at a time.