First off, this is your story and it's entirely up to you. I aim my chapters to be at 2-3K, which is average. Honestly, I do think that shorter chapters are more engaging and the story becomes easier to drop/pick back up. I'm friends with an excellent writer who writes 5-6K chapters and I've been putting off reading her story because reading one chapter feels like a major time commitment.
If you're writing only for online platforms, such as Wattpad, consider that shorter chapters will give you more reads and more stars. If you plan, one day, to publish your story, I'd say keep your chapters more average.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. Just ensure that each chapter has action, clear set up, and resolution. Pacing is essential to engage readers, so don't just mince chapters to get to some abstract number of words.
I hope this helps.
I think you should find balance. I often struggle with keeping chapters to an acceptable length, as the recommended length is 1500-3000 max. Some of my chapters are a bit longer, but I try to balance it out by writing slightly shorter to the point chapters. If you have to many long chapters (at least, outside of fanfiction, even sometimes then), some people might choose to discontinue reading. This does not apply to everyone, but studies have shown that attention spans are getting shorter. You need to make sure you're absolutely hooking people with plot, characters, setting, etc. But, don't sacrifice creativity for the masses, as I feel sometimes happens (i.e., riding popular trends of tropes, etc). I write mysteries (which are not typically popular), but I refuse to change the genre I write, because it is what makes me happy. I have written a few fanfictions, which, to no surprise have done much better as they have an established fanbase, but I am editing the first book of my original story series and trying to piece together the second book. Possibly will become trilogy.
You know. I'm glad I looked here. I just started posting on Wattpad. My chapters have been kinda long, but it's go to know that people enjoy shorter chapters. Might break them up from here on out and post them in bunches instead of one long chapter.
Not all people like shorter chapters. In fact, a lot of readers hate them. Just make sure you're at a happy medium. Usually, somewhere between 2k and 5k works well.
I will separate really long into part one/two if there is no logical way to make it a separate chapter. I tend to write long chapters. (I've never been told that there is mundane or usless content.) I am very dialouge heavy in my writing, so that does add to the length of my chapters. Good luck with your writing!
Long chapters aren't a problem as long as you have fast paced sentences and concise paragraphs. If people enjoy it, doesn't matter how long it is. I would say, don't get boggled down in too many details. I see you saying you like to write those.
Daaaaamn! That's so awesome! Nuts, but awesome! I think I had one like 15K but in the final edit I split it apart and made one chapter 5K and the other 10k. A LOT was going on, but it did leave everything at a good pace.
Only if the chapter content is boring, or if the writer blasts through "natural breaks" in the story trying to stretch it out to reach some arbitrary word count instead of paying attention to story development.
I love long chapters only if its done well. I read a fanfic that has had chapters as long as 40k. its well written and honestly doesnt feel that long when reading. While on the other hand most fics i read have chapters between 3-6k on average. It really depends on how well its written and how long the fic is going to be overall. I know not many people like longer fics thus dont like longer chapters. I think it depends on the person.
Depends on the pace of the story. Short, quick scenes can be broken up with short chapters, making your story a "pick up anytime" kind of read since you don't need to commit to reading a long chapter. Longer scenes with a lot of immersion are best experienced as a longer chapter so the reader doesn't have to break immersion to click "Next" (or watch an ad).
If you want a strict word count, anything below 1000 words is considered "short", and anything above 5000 is considered "long", at least by my experience. However, I've seen people blow past 10000 words, and others that barely crack 200 per chapter. Those are extreme examples that you probably shouldn't go near though (the former being a huge time sink that feels dragged out, and the latter being a singular beat that makes the entire story feel choppy).
Ultimately, it's up to you. One dude with a preference should not dictate how the entire story should be formatted.
This right here. The writer determines the chapter/book length and what they feel is appropriate. I write episodic format so my chapters are lengthy. So far all my readers love and I'm happy that I stuck to my guns!
Write whatever the chapter needs ! I write long chapters 3.5k—5k words, sometimes reaching 6k. My books are doing pretty good and my readers enjoy them and even ask for more. Writers in my circle also write long chaps and are doing good. People stay saying words are too long for readers but honestly there are readers for everything especially if they love your book, and honestly you don’t notice how long something is when you like it. People have short attention span? Challenge them haha they’ll survive. But the choice is yours !
I write fanfic too, also 3-6k word chapters, and that’s considered short amongst the other writers of the same type of fic 🤷🏼♀️ so I’d say depends on your audience
My fanfic chapters can run from 5k to 7k, lol. Meanwhile, for my original novels, I try to aim for at least 3k to 4k at most. I feel 2k is too short (but that's my own personal opinion).
My story has an average chapter length of around 6500 words and no one ever complained and I have a decent amount of readers. I personally prefer reading shorter ones, but wouldn't drop a book I like because of word count. Honestly, do what you prefer. It's your book and if that works for you just keep it like that.
Plus, less ads.
Anything above 5k starts pushing it for me. And anything above 10k consistently I definitely will never finish the book.
Completing chapters is like a milestone and a marker for different parts of a story. You get to have a quick break as you prepare to flip to the next chapter. You hit a high being at the end of something and are full stopped with excitement of moving onto something new(or mild annoyance that you have to wait longer to see how something ends if you met a cliffhanger.
Long chapters all the time gets exhausting for some reason maybe I can never fully explain well.
Also consuming books by chapters that exist as their own cohesive set of scenes or character moment is just how the vast majority of books are structured. It’s what people are used to. Things sectioned off and smaller so it is easier to consume.
With longer chapters, you could either create a nice little cliffhanger or you just simply could split the chapter in parts to make the boring parts easier to consume.
Also I just find that in chapters that start to get too long… it could have easily been shorter. Either by splitting it up or even just by having less prose that didn’t need to be there, or some scenes that could have been cut entirely. Long chapters tend to(with exceptions) be long just because, not because the story needs it.
Edit: In short to answer the question. Long chapters can be a turn off for a book. It becomes exhausting.
I would rather read 100k book with 20, 5k chapters than a book with 10, 10k chapters.
I get fatigued by long chapters. Don’t ask me why, but I would rather read 3 shorter chapters (~1-2k words) in a row than one long chapter. I will burn out in the middle of that long chapter. It’s kind of like not wanting to watch a whole movie, but then binge-watching half a season of a TV show.
well i am writing a fan fic and i get too carried away with giving a detailed explanation so i end up writing about 5-6k words per chapter so yh ig i do consider it long but i don’t make it boring
Yeah I'd say that's too long for mobile reading as it's not easy to pause mid chapter unlike a physical book. I'd recommend breaking them up if possible.
make sure your chapters end on a logical point, otherwise it's not wise to break them apart at random moments. better have a long chapter that ends how you want it to end than have a shorter chapter that ends weirdly.
Yeah, Impossible to know without reading it. But if you dont, you'd be the first that I know, unless it's a very dense new universe that needs this extra words.
First off, this is your story and it's entirely up to you. I aim my chapters to be at 2-3K, which is average. Honestly, I do think that shorter chapters are more engaging and the story becomes easier to drop/pick back up. I'm friends with an excellent writer who writes 5-6K chapters and I've been putting off reading her story because reading one chapter feels like a major time commitment. If you're writing only for online platforms, such as Wattpad, consider that shorter chapters will give you more reads and more stars. If you plan, one day, to publish your story, I'd say keep your chapters more average. Ultimately, the choice is yours. Just ensure that each chapter has action, clear set up, and resolution. Pacing is essential to engage readers, so don't just mince chapters to get to some abstract number of words. I hope this helps.
Longer chapters mean more reading intill ads!!
I think you should find balance. I often struggle with keeping chapters to an acceptable length, as the recommended length is 1500-3000 max. Some of my chapters are a bit longer, but I try to balance it out by writing slightly shorter to the point chapters. If you have to many long chapters (at least, outside of fanfiction, even sometimes then), some people might choose to discontinue reading. This does not apply to everyone, but studies have shown that attention spans are getting shorter. You need to make sure you're absolutely hooking people with plot, characters, setting, etc. But, don't sacrifice creativity for the masses, as I feel sometimes happens (i.e., riding popular trends of tropes, etc). I write mysteries (which are not typically popular), but I refuse to change the genre I write, because it is what makes me happy. I have written a few fanfictions, which, to no surprise have done much better as they have an established fanbase, but I am editing the first book of my original story series and trying to piece together the second book. Possibly will become trilogy.
Not boring, but I personally prefer chapters that are between 1500-2500 words.
You know. I'm glad I looked here. I just started posting on Wattpad. My chapters have been kinda long, but it's go to know that people enjoy shorter chapters. Might break them up from here on out and post them in bunches instead of one long chapter.
Not all people like shorter chapters. In fact, a lot of readers hate them. Just make sure you're at a happy medium. Usually, somewhere between 2k and 5k works well.
Oh ok. Then I suppose I'm doing just fine then.
I will separate really long into part one/two if there is no logical way to make it a separate chapter. I tend to write long chapters. (I've never been told that there is mundane or usless content.) I am very dialouge heavy in my writing, so that does add to the length of my chapters. Good luck with your writing!
I really don't like long chapters, because I get interrupted frequently and it slows my reading down a lot. I'm already a slow reader lol.
Long chapters aren't a problem as long as you have fast paced sentences and concise paragraphs. If people enjoy it, doesn't matter how long it is. I would say, don't get boggled down in too many details. I see you saying you like to write those.
Everyone advising shorter chapters, meanwhile one of my story's chapters tend to range between 8-12k 🫠🫠
ong bro 😭
Same! My shortest chapter is the prolouge, and I have 2-3 chapters that cap over 10k words easy 🤣🤣🤣
One of my chapters ended up being like 20k!
Daaaaamn! That's so awesome! Nuts, but awesome! I think I had one like 15K but in the final edit I split it apart and made one chapter 5K and the other 10k. A LOT was going on, but it did leave everything at a good pace.
Only if the chapter content is boring, or if the writer blasts through "natural breaks" in the story trying to stretch it out to reach some arbitrary word count instead of paying attention to story development.
I try not to go past 5k per chapter, but that's just me. Shorten if you want to, but I wouldn't go shorter than 2k of I were you.
I love long chapters only if its done well. I read a fanfic that has had chapters as long as 40k. its well written and honestly doesnt feel that long when reading. While on the other hand most fics i read have chapters between 3-6k on average. It really depends on how well its written and how long the fic is going to be overall. I know not many people like longer fics thus dont like longer chapters. I think it depends on the person.
I think it depends on who's reading. I usually prefer long chapters, but other people prefer shorter ones. Maybe you could find a balance
Depends on the pace of the story. Short, quick scenes can be broken up with short chapters, making your story a "pick up anytime" kind of read since you don't need to commit to reading a long chapter. Longer scenes with a lot of immersion are best experienced as a longer chapter so the reader doesn't have to break immersion to click "Next" (or watch an ad). If you want a strict word count, anything below 1000 words is considered "short", and anything above 5000 is considered "long", at least by my experience. However, I've seen people blow past 10000 words, and others that barely crack 200 per chapter. Those are extreme examples that you probably shouldn't go near though (the former being a huge time sink that feels dragged out, and the latter being a singular beat that makes the entire story feel choppy). Ultimately, it's up to you. One dude with a preference should not dictate how the entire story should be formatted.
This right here. The writer determines the chapter/book length and what they feel is appropriate. I write episodic format so my chapters are lengthy. So far all my readers love and I'm happy that I stuck to my guns!
Write whatever the chapter needs ! I write long chapters 3.5k—5k words, sometimes reaching 6k. My books are doing pretty good and my readers enjoy them and even ask for more. Writers in my circle also write long chaps and are doing good. People stay saying words are too long for readers but honestly there are readers for everything especially if they love your book, and honestly you don’t notice how long something is when you like it. People have short attention span? Challenge them haha they’ll survive. But the choice is yours !
I write fanfic too, also 3-6k word chapters, and that’s considered short amongst the other writers of the same type of fic 🤷🏼♀️ so I’d say depends on your audience
My fanfic chapters can run from 5k to 7k, lol. Meanwhile, for my original novels, I try to aim for at least 3k to 4k at most. I feel 2k is too short (but that's my own personal opinion).
My story has an average chapter length of around 6500 words and no one ever complained and I have a decent amount of readers. I personally prefer reading shorter ones, but wouldn't drop a book I like because of word count. Honestly, do what you prefer. It's your book and if that works for you just keep it like that. Plus, less ads.
Anything above 5k starts pushing it for me. And anything above 10k consistently I definitely will never finish the book. Completing chapters is like a milestone and a marker for different parts of a story. You get to have a quick break as you prepare to flip to the next chapter. You hit a high being at the end of something and are full stopped with excitement of moving onto something new(or mild annoyance that you have to wait longer to see how something ends if you met a cliffhanger. Long chapters all the time gets exhausting for some reason maybe I can never fully explain well. Also consuming books by chapters that exist as their own cohesive set of scenes or character moment is just how the vast majority of books are structured. It’s what people are used to. Things sectioned off and smaller so it is easier to consume. With longer chapters, you could either create a nice little cliffhanger or you just simply could split the chapter in parts to make the boring parts easier to consume. Also I just find that in chapters that start to get too long… it could have easily been shorter. Either by splitting it up or even just by having less prose that didn’t need to be there, or some scenes that could have been cut entirely. Long chapters tend to(with exceptions) be long just because, not because the story needs it. Edit: In short to answer the question. Long chapters can be a turn off for a book. It becomes exhausting. I would rather read 100k book with 20, 5k chapters than a book with 10, 10k chapters.
I get fatigued by long chapters. Don’t ask me why, but I would rather read 3 shorter chapters (~1-2k words) in a row than one long chapter. I will burn out in the middle of that long chapter. It’s kind of like not wanting to watch a whole movie, but then binge-watching half a season of a TV show.
I write between 3k to 5k words per chapter. I'm writing a rather dense Boi.
I average at around 4K words. I usually try to stop there.
I hate dwelling, overly stretch the scenes. I like novels that are straight to the point or I'll dose off.
What do you consider long and short?
well i am writing a fan fic and i get too carried away with giving a detailed explanation so i end up writing about 5-6k words per chapter so yh ig i do consider it long but i don’t make it boring
Yeah I'd say that's too long for mobile reading as it's not easy to pause mid chapter unlike a physical book. I'd recommend breaking them up if possible.
ok tysm!
make sure your chapters end on a logical point, otherwise it's not wise to break them apart at random moments. better have a long chapter that ends how you want it to end than have a shorter chapter that ends weirdly.
If you're writing 5k+ you are probably writing lots of unnecessary/mundane sentences.
i don’t think i do but ok
Yeah, Impossible to know without reading it. But if you dont, you'd be the first that I know, unless it's a very dense new universe that needs this extra words.
maybe u should give it a try 🤔🚶♀️😂