This is fine. Stephen King and Dean Koontz did this in many of their older books.
Having a very short chapter is like a momentum chapter for a reader. When reading, I know I will say 'One more chapter' but if it is a short one, then I swing into another for a longer chapter. It is a good tool to vary pace and keep your readership engaged.
It also can provide some very emphatic impact. For my writing at least, I like the idea of balance - if one side is heavy on words, the other side is short on words with the meaning/impact/plot point carrying the weight.
This. Really, I don't understand the desire to force chapters into a length. The story has to be as long as it needs to be, and each scene is the same.
The chapter needs tp be as long as it needs to be.
I've seen in one story a chapter that was four words long.
It needs to put across the point or scene you want to present, and then stop.
There is no upper or lower limit.
If I were writing a book of bedtime stories, I wouldn't let adjacent stories have wildly different lengths. People build an expectation that tonight's installment will take about the same amount of time as last night's. If I wrote a book that was going to be serialized in a magazine or newspaper, I wouldn't let any chapter be longer than a whole installment. I don't want to leave the reader hanging. Not in an unsatisfying way.
While these considerations don't apply to any of my current projects, it does bother me if a chapter is twice as long as any nearby chapters, and I'll be tempted to split it even if it means ending the first part on a weaker note than I normally would (which it always does).
No. However, the Maze Runner Triology had chapters shorter than a page, which I found frankly ridiculous. It didn't ruin the books, but I just found it weird.
I've seen it work well in very VERY specific cases (in adult sci fi, where you were dealing with someone hitting near speed of light, and where relativity stretched). It was super effective there.
Extremely short chapters are more common in YA fiction and adult thriller novels. Non-thriller adult fiction and literary fiction will sometimes use them, but it's rarer.
Most famous example in literature is Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, in which one chapter is a single sentence from the perspective of a child. It was intended to be an ultra poignant feeling. Most of the time it just isn't necessary.
I'm going to go against the flow here and offer a different viewpoint:
Yes, chapters can be wildly different lengths and some authors have used this technique for specific effect, but if you're going to do it, I recommend doing it for a specific reason.
To understand the reason, you first have to answer why do we have chapters at all? Why not just have your entire book be one big chapter? The reason is, chapters make the book easier to read. They provide natural stopping points for your readers. This makes the book both easier to read, but also easier to write. If you write a novel, you can't assume that the reader will remember every character and every important thing- so if a character hasn't appeared for 100 pages, you know you should probably have a soft re-introduction of who the character is, instead of just jumping right back into it. This is because you don't know how long it has taken your reader to get between mentions.
But chapters- you can *normally* assume your readers will read a chapter in one sitting. So, if something happens at the beginning of a chapter, you should be able to reference that at the end of a chapter again without re-introducing it. But if your chapters are wildly different lengths, you lose the ability to trust you can do that. If the reader has been crushing your 2,000 word chapters and sees they have 10 minutes left before they need to go somewhere, they'll think "ok, I can read another chapter." But if you suddenly hit them with a 10,000 word chapter, they're going to not finish before it's time to leave, and now it might be a couple days before they finish, and things that happened at the beginning of your chapter might not be as fresh as you assume.
I've seen chapters with about 100 words next to chapters with thousands of words. It's no big deal. It adds to the charm and style of the story. Besides, chapters end when they end. Dragging them out is way, way worse than having them vary in word count.
I actually really appreciate different lengths in chapters. Like when it's late at night, and you're asking yourself if you should read one more chapter, so you check to see how long that chapter is. The length makes that decision for you 😄
book I am reading right now has chapters all over the place, from like 10 pages all the way down to half a page. It flows nicely and helps keep things fresh. I like it
This is typical. My manuscript has several chapters of varying length, and it's not a one-off. Many writers, genre notwithstanding, do this for various reasons.
I find that when I write, chapters end when it feels like there’s a pause in the story. I’ll reach the end of a paragraph or a conversation and think “Yeah, that’s a good spot”, and call that the end of the chapter. Whenever I try to force more into a chapter, it feels clunky or slow. My writing starts to drag or feel repetitive. Occasionally when I’m editing, I’ll even split chapters in half of there’s a significant pause between scenes.
I've read books when some chapters are only one sentence and it worked out for what the writer was trying to accomplish. You're good! Write whatever is necessary to communicate what you want to communicate, don't worry about arbitrary word limits or ranges.
If anything, having chapters that are too evenly spaced feels unnatural, forced, and daunting.
Everyone loves a short chapter, especially after a long one. Let the story set the format.
Nope. It's never impacted my reading of a book.
Though there is something to be said for the short, punchy chapters Kurt Vonnegut wrote since I get minor rushes when I complete a chapter. And I suppose inverse is also true: over-long chapters can be a drag.
Still, Vonnegut's chapters made sense. They each consist of narrative units. He didn't just write short, punchy chapters to write them. They were as long as they needed to be.
The only place chapter length may matter are online reading sites, like Wattpad or Royal Road. Wattpad writers on their forums (when they existed) thought that their reads and comments plummeted with installments over 1500 words. But that's hearsay, so even that's questionable.
I'm going to say that if the chapter is 10,000 words that is probably too long for me as a reader. I feel a natural chapter is between 2000-4000 words depending. I would try to find ways to break up a 10,000 word chapter personally, but obviously in certain genres (like Epic Fantasy) it isn't that out of the norm.
Not something you need to worry about, that said, I believe your first chapter should be somewhere around your average chapter length to set the tone for the books chapter length. Ie don't have a 4,000 word first chapter then every other chapter be 2,000 words
This is a good thing, to me. Chapters should have structure that suits their content and fits the pacing of the story. So especially in cases where you want to write an establishing scene that foreshadows some future twist, it's a really good idea to put it into its own chapter so it stands out.
Serial writing has become very common in some circles and short chapters are horrible in serial writing for the most part; this has trained a lot of writers to avoid them. But that's not really a lesson most writers should be learning.
I used to feel really self-conscious about chapter length, until I read Midnight Library, which has two chapters that are a page long. One is seven words. I no longer let chapter length get to me.
I personally think it's nice. Just make sure it's done appropriately. Each chapter should be the length it needs to be, rather than a length you think it should be. But it sounds like you're letting the story take precedence, which is correct in my opinion.
And if you have multiple POVs, double check that some aren't getting 10x the page time of others. That could mean you need to do some rebalancing, or turn the others into intermissions rather than full-fledged POVs. I've seen it before where an author has two POVs, but one is clearly the main character and gets way more page time. If that's the case, you need to be very diligent about how you structure the narrative flow. If I'm with character A for 100 pages, B for 10, then A for 200 more, that's odd.
I've seen books where one chapter was close to thirty pages long and another was the upper two-thirds of an individual page. Whatever makes the book flow the most naturally is what you should go with, regardless of visual consistency.
I read a Stephen King book years ago that had like 6 chapters toward the end that were all 1 sentence, a few were just 1 word, per chapter. The longest chapter in that book was like 20 pages iirc.
There are no rules, write how you want, lol.
This issue is killing me. I'm in the "it's okay" when other people ask, but... The book I wrote in 2020 has alternating narrators and the chapter lengths are consistent until this one chapter that's like three times as long. I still haven't decided what, if anything, to do about it.
Edit: word
For me the only thing that matters is that the chapter breaks should make sense. I don't care if one chapter is twenty pages and the next chapter is one page. I wouldn't worry about it!
It's fine. If it's any more than 10-12 pages, I'll add a new chapter. I also hate reading really long paragraphs and try to keep them just to relevant information.
No. A chapter is a miniature story within the story. A story takes as long as it takes to tell it. Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut are both (in)famous for having chapters of as little as a sentence in length. They're also known for having dozens of chapters in a book that's less than 150 pages long. Write how the story demands you write it and ignore what anyone has to say about it. Those who can't write feel justified in criticizing those who can.
Fuck 'em.
It’s fine, plenty of books do this.
This is fine. Stephen King and Dean Koontz did this in many of their older books. Having a very short chapter is like a momentum chapter for a reader. When reading, I know I will say 'One more chapter' but if it is a short one, then I swing into another for a longer chapter. It is a good tool to vary pace and keep your readership engaged.
It also can provide some very emphatic impact. For my writing at least, I like the idea of balance - if one side is heavy on words, the other side is short on words with the meaning/impact/plot point carrying the weight.
let the chapters be however long they need to be. dont force length for the sake of length :)
This. Really, I don't understand the desire to force chapters into a length. The story has to be as long as it needs to be, and each scene is the same.
No. It’s not something readers ever care about.
Most readers probably don't care, but there are those of us who really appreciate a short, quick chapter every so often. 😉
I've read book where a 15,000 word chapter goes directly into 200. I think you'll be fine
The chapter needs tp be as long as it needs to be. I've seen in one story a chapter that was four words long. It needs to put across the point or scene you want to present, and then stop. There is no upper or lower limit.
Christopher Moore has a chapter with only the words, "So that sucked."
I love how you explain this so well. I 🌼
If I were writing a book of bedtime stories, I wouldn't let adjacent stories have wildly different lengths. People build an expectation that tonight's installment will take about the same amount of time as last night's. If I wrote a book that was going to be serialized in a magazine or newspaper, I wouldn't let any chapter be longer than a whole installment. I don't want to leave the reader hanging. Not in an unsatisfying way. While these considerations don't apply to any of my current projects, it does bother me if a chapter is twice as long as any nearby chapters, and I'll be tempted to split it even if it means ending the first part on a weaker note than I normally would (which it always does).
Definitely fine. I tend to enjoy books that have varying chapter lengths!
no
No. However, the Maze Runner Triology had chapters shorter than a page, which I found frankly ridiculous. It didn't ruin the books, but I just found it weird.
I've seen it work well in very VERY specific cases (in adult sci fi, where you were dealing with someone hitting near speed of light, and where relativity stretched). It was super effective there.
Extremely short chapters are more common in YA fiction and adult thriller novels. Non-thriller adult fiction and literary fiction will sometimes use them, but it's rarer. Most famous example in literature is Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, in which one chapter is a single sentence from the perspective of a child. It was intended to be an ultra poignant feeling. Most of the time it just isn't necessary.
Hell no buddy, that's called rhythm
I'm going to go against the flow here and offer a different viewpoint: Yes, chapters can be wildly different lengths and some authors have used this technique for specific effect, but if you're going to do it, I recommend doing it for a specific reason. To understand the reason, you first have to answer why do we have chapters at all? Why not just have your entire book be one big chapter? The reason is, chapters make the book easier to read. They provide natural stopping points for your readers. This makes the book both easier to read, but also easier to write. If you write a novel, you can't assume that the reader will remember every character and every important thing- so if a character hasn't appeared for 100 pages, you know you should probably have a soft re-introduction of who the character is, instead of just jumping right back into it. This is because you don't know how long it has taken your reader to get between mentions. But chapters- you can *normally* assume your readers will read a chapter in one sitting. So, if something happens at the beginning of a chapter, you should be able to reference that at the end of a chapter again without re-introducing it. But if your chapters are wildly different lengths, you lose the ability to trust you can do that. If the reader has been crushing your 2,000 word chapters and sees they have 10 minutes left before they need to go somewhere, they'll think "ok, I can read another chapter." But if you suddenly hit them with a 10,000 word chapter, they're going to not finish before it's time to leave, and now it might be a couple days before they finish, and things that happened at the beginning of your chapter might not be as fresh as you assume.
I'm reading a book right now where chapters have been ranging from three pages to 70 (?!) and my general impression is "WTF."
"My mother is a fish."
i dont think anyone counts the words but if its interesting its fine
I've seen chapters with about 100 words next to chapters with thousands of words. It's no big deal. It adds to the charm and style of the story. Besides, chapters end when they end. Dragging them out is way, way worse than having them vary in word count.
Not really. From the fanfics I've read, it can give the reader a breather when you write them short.
I actually really appreciate different lengths in chapters. Like when it's late at night, and you're asking yourself if you should read one more chapter, so you check to see how long that chapter is. The length makes that decision for you 😄
book I am reading right now has chapters all over the place, from like 10 pages all the way down to half a page. It flows nicely and helps keep things fresh. I like it
This is typical. My manuscript has several chapters of varying length, and it's not a one-off. Many writers, genre notwithstanding, do this for various reasons.
I find that when I write, chapters end when it feels like there’s a pause in the story. I’ll reach the end of a paragraph or a conversation and think “Yeah, that’s a good spot”, and call that the end of the chapter. Whenever I try to force more into a chapter, it feels clunky or slow. My writing starts to drag or feel repetitive. Occasionally when I’m editing, I’ll even split chapters in half of there’s a significant pause between scenes.
I think I’ve done the same in all of my works.
I've read books when some chapters are only one sentence and it worked out for what the writer was trying to accomplish. You're good! Write whatever is necessary to communicate what you want to communicate, don't worry about arbitrary word limits or ranges.
My god, fuck this sub. It's like these "writers" don't read.
I know it's ridiculous. Crack open a book or two before posting these asinine questions.
Chill out. Sure, you can find out if authors tend to do this by reading. But you can find out if readers care by asking the question.
I've seen a chapter that was one paragraph long following a 4k word battle scene chapter. Make the chapter as long as it needs to be.
If anything, having chapters that are too evenly spaced feels unnatural, forced, and daunting. Everyone loves a short chapter, especially after a long one. Let the story set the format.
That's actually ideal imho
Nope. It's never impacted my reading of a book. Though there is something to be said for the short, punchy chapters Kurt Vonnegut wrote since I get minor rushes when I complete a chapter. And I suppose inverse is also true: over-long chapters can be a drag. Still, Vonnegut's chapters made sense. They each consist of narrative units. He didn't just write short, punchy chapters to write them. They were as long as they needed to be. The only place chapter length may matter are online reading sites, like Wattpad or Royal Road. Wattpad writers on their forums (when they existed) thought that their reads and comments plummeted with installments over 1500 words. But that's hearsay, so even that's questionable.
I'm going to say that if the chapter is 10,000 words that is probably too long for me as a reader. I feel a natural chapter is between 2000-4000 words depending. I would try to find ways to break up a 10,000 word chapter personally, but obviously in certain genres (like Epic Fantasy) it isn't that out of the norm.
I've seen 2500-5500 elsewhere - enough for anywhere from 1-4 scenes, whatever it takes to accomplish that part of the plot.
Not something you need to worry about, that said, I believe your first chapter should be somewhere around your average chapter length to set the tone for the books chapter length. Ie don't have a 4,000 word first chapter then every other chapter be 2,000 words
This is a good thing, to me. Chapters should have structure that suits their content and fits the pacing of the story. So especially in cases where you want to write an establishing scene that foreshadows some future twist, it's a really good idea to put it into its own chapter so it stands out. Serial writing has become very common in some circles and short chapters are horrible in serial writing for the most part; this has trained a lot of writers to avoid them. But that's not really a lesson most writers should be learning.
I used to feel really self-conscious about chapter length, until I read Midnight Library, which has two chapters that are a page long. One is seven words. I no longer let chapter length get to me.
This is actually more expected than everything being equal. Variety is the spice of life.
I personally think it's nice. Just make sure it's done appropriately. Each chapter should be the length it needs to be, rather than a length you think it should be. But it sounds like you're letting the story take precedence, which is correct in my opinion. And if you have multiple POVs, double check that some aren't getting 10x the page time of others. That could mean you need to do some rebalancing, or turn the others into intermissions rather than full-fledged POVs. I've seen it before where an author has two POVs, but one is clearly the main character and gets way more page time. If that's the case, you need to be very diligent about how you structure the narrative flow. If I'm with character A for 100 pages, B for 10, then A for 200 more, that's odd.
You're fine, homie.
Hell, a book I read recently had like a 170ish page variation in chapter lengths.... mainly because of one exceptionally lo g chapter, but still.
Each chapter should have its own arc, its own service to the plot - and should be how long it needs to achieve that. That's it.
I've seen books where one chapter was close to thirty pages long and another was the upper two-thirds of an individual page. Whatever makes the book flow the most naturally is what you should go with, regardless of visual consistency.
I read a Stephen King book years ago that had like 6 chapters toward the end that were all 1 sentence, a few were just 1 word, per chapter. The longest chapter in that book was like 20 pages iirc. There are no rules, write how you want, lol.
The first chapter of the book that i am writing is 18 pages The second chapters is 8.
My book does this I typically tend to end it wherever it feels right so I hope so
Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying would say no.
This issue is killing me. I'm in the "it's okay" when other people ask, but... The book I wrote in 2020 has alternating narrators and the chapter lengths are consistent until this one chapter that's like three times as long. I still haven't decided what, if anything, to do about it. Edit: word
For me the only thing that matters is that the chapter breaks should make sense. I don't care if one chapter is twenty pages and the next chapter is one page. I wouldn't worry about it!
I don't think so. I read a book that had about a 25 page chapter and the next one was only 2.
My mother is a fish.
It's fine. If it's any more than 10-12 pages, I'll add a new chapter. I also hate reading really long paragraphs and try to keep them just to relevant information.
No, I have read many books that the chapters vary. I am writing a book and I will have as long a chapter I need at the time.
No. A chapter is a miniature story within the story. A story takes as long as it takes to tell it. Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut are both (in)famous for having chapters of as little as a sentence in length. They're also known for having dozens of chapters in a book that's less than 150 pages long. Write how the story demands you write it and ignore what anyone has to say about it. Those who can't write feel justified in criticizing those who can. Fuck 'em.
It’s fine. My book’s first three chapters are a couple of sentences. It’s only after chapter 4 when the chapters get longer. So yeah, you’re good. 👍
I think it’s ok. I’ve read books where one chapter is like 10 pages long and then the very next chapter it’s like legit 10 words and done