How long should chapters be?

[PureTrash]

Mine is probably around 500. Definitely less than 1000.
I used to set a minimum 1K words, but i just got stressed & lost motivation because it seems so far away.
Now i turn to one-shots. Whatever wordcount it is, if i'm done telling what i want, the chapter is done.

Woah! Almost all the stories I've seen had 1k as a minimum. I can totally relate to getting stressed for not meeting the word count I expected. Nice to know that we share sentiments. I do one-shots too, hello comrade!

 

[AliceShiki]

I see. Thank you for the advice!

Thank you, I'll try my best! !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

I see, I'll keep that in mind.

Thank you! I'll make sure to keep everything you said in mind. As of now, I've settled for 2k words per chapter, though it may change in the future. I'll try my best not to burn out too.

On a total side note, try to avoid double/triple/quadruple posting. You can use the "+Quote" button to reply to multiple people in a singular post, it helps keeping the thread cleaner and easier to go through~

 

[CR-V]

I thinks when you write, aim to publish your story. one page usually have around 250++ words.
So, write as many words as you could or like in a chapter, but consider wrap the book with a good climax at around 300 pages++ and publish it to e-book, do so with a good editors if you could.
If the story continues, then have a good volume 2 for your book.
This is how most japanese light novels are born.

 

[LWFlouisa]

My answered is going to be biased to the fact that I prefer short fiction and poetry.

 

[PureTrash]

On a total side note, try to avoid double/triple/quadruple posting. You can use the "+Quote" button to reply to multiple people in a singular post, it helps keeping the thread cleaner and easier to go through~

Thanks for the advice! I rarely ever participate in forums so I'm not sure how everything works. (T-T)

I thinks when you write, aim to publish your story. one page usually have around 250++ words.
So, write as many words as you could or like in a chapter, but consider wrap the book with a good climax at around 300 pages++ and publish it to e-book, do so with a good editors if you could.
If the story continues, then have a good volume 2 for your book.
This is how most japanese light novels are born.

I see! Thanks for ze knowledge!

My answered is going to be biased to the fact that I prefer short fiction and poetry.

Yeah, they have completely different formats. I enjoy both genres too :)

 

[LWFlouisa]

Even short fiction gets confusing though. For example, that depends on if you're going for Flash Fiction ( and all the sub lengths within that ), brief fiction ( fiction between 1200-1500 words ), and regular short fiction ( 2000-7500 words. 7500+ gets into novelette direction. )

My preferred "chapter length" is between 1000-1500 words, to answer your question more properly. Or 4-6 pages.

 

[jmitsitsiyo]

I guess it depends on the story. I write from 1000 to 3000 at most. Though, 2000 plus is already long when typing in Microsoft Word.

Come see this!

 

[BenJepheneT]

It really depends on many factors. How long in between do you post? How much do you need to convey? Is there extra fat to cut or is it not enough to fully flesh the story out?

I do monthly updates, and my chapters average around 8K words. Sometimes 10K at times. But since I cover a lot in one chapter and release sporadically, it works for me.

 

[Fighterman481]

As a reader, I prefer chapters of 3000+ words, and my chapters vary from around 3000 words to around 5000 words. I like to be able to sink my teeth into something, and I think that's somewhat reflected in the chapter length I write. Honestly, I feel like the "real" answer to this question is write whatever feels right to you. I wouldn't advise going under ~500 words unless it's an extra chapter or something, since I feel like that's around the minimum for a "good" scene to be done (at least in my experience), but just write what you would want to read.

I would only recommend forcing your chapter to be within certain constraints if it ends up being way too big or way too small (thresholds for which change from story to story. My "too big" threshold is around 6000 words for normal chapters, and "too small" is generally around 2500), since if you have to force yourself to meet that, the sections you add/remove have a good chance of feeling forced to readers and your quality will suffer.

 

[Igi]

My chapters are between 3000 and 5000 words. And like many here advised, write chapter length that seems right to you.
There are no rules.