tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post7948743563124165534..comments2024-03-28T02:34:34.041-07:00Comments on Rachna's Scriptorium: Should chapters be of the same length?Rachna Chhabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-58385166851058751932013-08-22T17:11:37.579-07:002013-08-22T17:11:37.579-07:00This is such an interesting post. I probably would...This is such an interesting post. I probably wouldn't have paid attention to chapter lengths- but my co-author is a 5th grade teacher. She told me why she likes shorter chapters (read aloud, kids can get to the end of a chapter or maybe two during a reading time etc.). All of our chapters are not the same length, but we tried to keep them around 8 pages or less. At first we had some that were much longer.<br /><br />I am definitely curious if chapter lengths makes a difference. I know I love HP and the chapters are close to 20 pages long. :) <br /><br />Thanks for such a great topic!<br />~JessDMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04202502753961748992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-71340069878895937492013-08-07T16:22:48.894-07:002013-08-07T16:22:48.894-07:00I'm in the "whatever suits the story"...I'm in the "whatever suits the story", natural breaks, cliffhanger, make em' go to the next chapter category!!!<br /><br />Now if I'd only write those chapters...<br /><br />Bless you!!!Cheryl Klarichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12633250643087095689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-6776886358934828512013-08-07T12:59:27.494-07:002013-08-07T12:59:27.494-07:00Hi, Rachna,
First, THANK YOU for the lovely shout...Hi, Rachna,<br /><br />First, THANK YOU for the lovely shout out! I really appreciate it!<br /><br />As for chapter lengths, I find in my writing, the story /chapter dictates where it needs to end. Some may be a bit shorter, others longer. It depends on the scene and thought.<br /><br />If your novel has good pacing an flow then DON'T worry about it! It's all about the balance, ebbs, and tides. This is what makes a truly good story. Not the chapter lengths.Michael Di Gesuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047267262428143113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-23330606266671400212013-08-06T11:41:59.515-07:002013-08-06T11:41:59.515-07:00Well, as an artist you can do whatever you want, b...Well, as an artist you can do whatever you want, but I find that keeping some consistency in chapters helps keep the reader involved. Depending on the story, I will actually make chapters longer or shorter if I think it helps the overall flow. Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01793077012143289985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-28656477926944378462013-08-05T18:49:00.362-07:002013-08-05T18:49:00.362-07:00I try to keep my chapters, for fiction and non fic...I try to keep my chapters, for fiction and non fiction, all about the same length. There is some variation though, depending on what's included. Karen Langehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177923284595298347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-64675081652415924542013-08-04T22:01:18.955-07:002013-08-04T22:01:18.955-07:00And this time I waited Rachna as I wanted to learn...And this time I waited Rachna as I wanted to learn from all you writers on this important aspect of writing books! Well worth a wait to gain different views from so many good writers:)Rahul Bhatiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690287853990880735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-20064536426326067722013-08-04T21:42:53.388-07:002013-08-04T21:42:53.388-07:00Hi Rachna. Most romance publishers look for 3000-i...Hi Rachna. Most romance publishers look for 3000-ish chapter length and some consistency. I think the younger audience likes shorter chapters so they can brag how many chapters they read.<br />I try to keep my chapter lengths consistent.Denise Covey https://www.blogger.com/profile/07106490051555233439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-76462945649463356412013-08-04T15:43:43.214-07:002013-08-04T15:43:43.214-07:00It's funny, my chapters usually end up being a...It's funny, my chapters usually end up being about 2000 words. I'm relatively consistent there.Lydia Kanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00484415427764822386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-70167294916228211012013-08-04T11:03:06.459-07:002013-08-04T11:03:06.459-07:00In my longer books, my chapter lengths tend to var...In my longer books, my chapter lengths tend to vary depending upon the subject matter and timeline. My shorter ones are lower 4000s/upper 5000s, mid-length is 7000s/8000s, and my long ones are over 10,000 words. I view chapters the old-fashioned way, as like short stories, miniature novels unto themselves. The idea of a chapter of only a few pages is foreign to me. Ten double-spaced pages, in the drafting stages, is about my average in my shorter books.Carrie-Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05810154378449825641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-63131366519433755782013-08-03T05:32:55.289-07:002013-08-03T05:32:55.289-07:00Thank you for a very informative post. Thank you for a very informative post. MunirGhiasuddinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05232362559666320301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-856290587959866172013-08-03T03:36:00.510-07:002013-08-03T03:36:00.510-07:00You raise such pertinent questions and then it is ...You raise such pertinent questions and then it is a pleasure to read all the comments. This blog is a great learning place. It seems there are no set rules about the length of chapters.Alka Gurhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12050387590729571321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-61926036552169653012013-08-03T02:39:41.555-07:002013-08-03T02:39:41.555-07:00I can't say I've ever given much attention...I can't say I've ever given much attention to the relative lengths of chapters.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-37935940480979282262013-08-02T13:22:32.917-07:002013-08-02T13:22:32.917-07:00I can't believe that's a real issue, the e...I can't believe that's a real issue, the equal length part. I've taken note when one chapter starts to get too long, and I try and shorten it. I know that can be an issue. My first book has one chapter that is quite longer than the rest, and I shortened it as much as I could, but it's still long. But, I'd be a surprise if that was an issue for an agent, as they would make changes anyway. <a href="http://nancylarondajohnson.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Writer’s Mark</a>Chancelethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12880082145266359126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-20719404578265289502013-08-02T12:52:14.780-07:002013-08-02T12:52:14.780-07:00I don't think it's something to worry abou...I don't think it's something to worry about, certainly not at the shopping around stage. They'll let you know if chapters need adjustments (probably if you have very long chapters).<br /><br />mood<br />mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-34777999136170545182013-08-02T10:55:55.359-07:002013-08-02T10:55:55.359-07:00I've never heard an agent or editor comment ab...I've never heard an agent or editor comment about chapter lengths. A beta reader commented about a few chapters in my book (she wanted shorter chapters), but now the book has sold to a publisher, the editor made no mention of them nor asked for changes. Any reader can stop anywhere -- that's what bookmarks are for -- so don't worry about it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735576044552810103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-11429688928306971132013-08-02T09:37:41.842-07:002013-08-02T09:37:41.842-07:00Rachna, we can't do everyhing :0) you have a t...Rachna, we can't do everyhing :0) you have a treat ahead of you, Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957545161716269528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-34169689143158517252013-08-02T09:24:19.343-07:002013-08-02T09:24:19.343-07:00Hi friends, thank you all for chiming in with your...Hi friends, thank you all for chiming in with your advice and suggestions. I agree with you all that pacing is more important than word count. As long as the chapters are racy and the scenes zip along at an steady pace, the length of the chapters should not be a cause for worry. If boring exposition is what is making a chapter long, then it has to be snipped.<br /><br />Hope you all have a good weekend.Rachna Chhabriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-23863951548102950332013-08-02T08:25:43.097-07:002013-08-02T08:25:43.097-07:00When I'm drafting and working from an outline,...When I'm drafting and working from an outline, many times my chapters look the same length. Then when I'm revising I shorten, lengthen, combine, and delete, so the lengths vary. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-59132435978434877912013-08-02T07:17:51.949-07:002013-08-02T07:17:51.949-07:00Hmmm interesting. I think making the chapter lengt...Hmmm interesting. I think making the chapter lengths equal might curb creativity and spoil the story. I have read book where some chapters were a page and a half and others much longer. I think it depends on the publisher...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-64529239539809753812013-08-02T06:40:42.465-07:002013-08-02T06:40:42.465-07:00Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read m...Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read more in more than one book on writing that you should vary your chapter length. Just as, within a chapter, you should vary your sentence length. It keeps the movement of the story fresh. If you take one of your favorite books and go through it, counting pages, I'll bet you'll find both long and short. Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-41237805771610528402013-08-02T06:40:27.031-07:002013-08-02T06:40:27.031-07:00Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read m...Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read more in more than one book on writing that you should vary your chapter length. Just as, within a chapter, you should vary your sentence length. It keeps the movement of the story fresh. If you take one of your favorite books and go through it, counting pages, I'll bet you'll find both long and short. Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-5312631108801787852013-08-02T06:40:11.784-07:002013-08-02T06:40:11.784-07:00Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read m...Interesting post, Rachna. I've actually read more in more than one book on writing that you should vary your chapter length. Just as, within a chapter, you should vary your sentence length. It keeps the movement of the story fresh. If you take one of your favorite books and go through it, counting pages, I'll bet you'll find both long and short. Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-8492802167389042832013-08-02T06:32:47.643-07:002013-08-02T06:32:47.643-07:00I, like you, have never paid attention to the leng...I, like you, have never paid attention to the length of chapters and I'd honestly be shocked to learn that any publisher does, either. I mean, unless it's such a start contrast that it's jarring. But in general, i really can't imagine that matters.Bevimushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14924337684790883853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-59491510449713976702013-08-02T06:23:11.776-07:002013-08-02T06:23:11.776-07:00I think it would be impossible to make them the sa...I think it would be impossible to make them the same length, but as Donna stated, making them close would allow for even pacing. Dividing my manuscript into chapters is the last thing I do, and while I look first for natural breaks, I do try to keep the chapters within a couple pages of each other.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6083612851716281896.post-86734812812641137352013-08-02T06:12:38.660-07:002013-08-02T06:12:38.660-07:00I mix it up, although my chapters are always on th...I mix it up, although my chapters are always on the short side. It's all about what suits the story.<br /><br />Happy Weekend!Carol Kilgorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03745686632918324803noreply@blogger.com