In a typical novel, maybe the length of an average long published and popular book, how many words, roughly, are in each chapter? for example, maybe the third harry potter book, a lord of the rings, any others i have not included. i know that no one knows exactly how many words per chapter there are, but an estimation would help. -thanks
When I started writing, I chose a book of a similar length to what I was looking for (CHERUB) and I counted the amount of words on one of the pages and then worked out how many words were in the chapter approximately. When writing, I aim for around 2,500 words per chapter give or take a couple of hundred. However some chapters can be significantly shorter or longer.
depends...100,000 words in 20 chapters = 5,000 per chapter on average 100,000 words in 40 chapters = 2500 words per chapter on average As you can see, it depends on how many total words you want and how many chapters you use. I don't think there is norm and the number of chapters is usually determined by the development of the story, rather than pre-set. In my book, there are 21 chapters and 135,000 words. Some chapters are less than 2,000 words while a couple are over 10,000.
There's no real rule to it, and to be honest, I don't see that there needs to be. A chapter should be as long or short as it needs to be. That said, if a chapter is too long, I find it a bit more difficult to read.
I would also have to add that it depends on your audience. I am writing a novel for a younger audience 9+ so in the beginning my chapters are shorter and get longer the deeper into the novel I get. This has happened for a couple of reasons. 1. I wanted my younger readers to feel a quicker pace, and like they were making progress in the reading of the story. 2. I use 'natural' chapter markers for example the end of a day or a new scene or location.
I read a weird book called black water where the chapters were a paragraph apiece sometimes. Style has a lot to do with it, but I think a chapter should be a complete idea in your story unto itself. If it takes 7k words to finish the idea so be it
This is one of those questions that keeps coming up, but there really doesn't see to be a good answer that I have found. I have found plenty of good discussions on the subject, however, by entering the following searches into Google: Writing how long should a chapter be Writing why chapters The second question is to me the more interesting one, but I found fewer discussions that actually addressed it. I still don't feel I've found a good enough answer. My gut feeling is that chapter breaks are mostly there as convenioent places for the reader to take a kitchen or bathroom break, or to switch off the lights and go to sleep if he or she is reading before bedtime. Yes, chapter breaks typically fall between scenes, but not between every pair of scenes. Switching POVs is often done on chapter boundaries, as are significant discontinuities in chronology. But as an organizational unit. every author seems to use them differently.
From what I see the next chapter may take place in the same scene or setting, but a new idea has begun. if there is a new idea there must be a new chapter I believe.
Ives, Pick up books off your shelf (or go to the library) and do the math. Take an average as NaCl suggested. Or, do an average count...determine how many lines per page, and about how many words per line. Then determine how many pages in a chapter...multiply. Then check each chapter. Pick novels you're interested in (the genere or the market/publisher) and use those if you desire. I don't think you'll find anywhere a 'rule' that says how many words per chapter is proper. What you'll find when you write, is how many words per chapter work for your particular piece. I've never come across an editor who remarked, "I'd have been willing to publish that novel, but the author's chapters averaged 1500 more words in them than I prefer." Just my two cents. Terry
there is no standard or rule, period!... some successful writers have 1-2 page long chapters, while others run to 10-30 pages... the only rule to follow is what will work best for the story you are telling and not what worked for anyone else's... what will be relevant is who you're writing for... 'tween market readers [9-12] will do better with shorter chapters, while YA and adult readers can handle pretty much any length, as long as it makes sense re the story... just make sure you switch chapters when/where they seem to need it...
I try to keep it around 2,000. Some of them will be as low as 1,000 while I have a few in my novel's rough draft that are around 5,000. I've even got one that I need to divide into three or four seperate chapters that is around 10,000 (wasn't thinking as much about chapter sizes as I was about just writing and it was late at night )
One book I read made the interesting decision to not even use chapters. He essentially took what would be the two main plot points were it a movie, and used them to divide it into three acts, no other formal chapters at all, but a space when he changed scenes.
Each chapter should have a beginning, middle, and end. However many words it takes to accomplish that. I have noticed on average most chapters are between 1000-3000 words. Personally I don't like chapters to be over 3000 words in novels I read.
I tend to squeeze around 3,000 words in each chapter at least. But when I write for children, a chapter could be 200 words. Just go with the flow I'd say.
All my chapters thus far have fallen between 4,000-4,500 words. But each chapter is broken into two or three sections using those * * * things that everyone is so fond of. They're usually broken up into equal parts (two segments of 2k words each, or three sections of about 1,500 words ea.). I never actually aimed for those numbers. It's just something that seems to happen naturally. But I am a little bothered by the chapter I just finished: 4,360 words in two parts; 352 words in the first part; 4,008 in the second. It's such an uneven split, but I can't break the second half because it's one continuous scene. Oh well.
What do you think it's the appropiate, or approximately how long does a chapter should be? Sometimes I just feel wrong when they turn to be like 800 words... Anyway, maybe it's just my self-criticism. Correct me if I'm wrong. :redface:
A chapter should be as long as you want, but if you're really worrying about it. Each chapter in the Count of Monte Cristo is about 20 pages long, and I think in Great Expectations they're about 8. So you should be able to get an idea from that.
There are lots of threads on this topic. Use the search function and one of the threads you find should have a satisfactory answer.
Marcelo, This question has come up quite often, and if you search the forum you'll find a number of threads discussing this topic at length. But, I believe the short answer is that there is no standard chapter length that is considered 'acceptable.' On average, YA novels have shorter chapters than adult novels, but even in that you'll find exceptions. It is very unlikely that an agent or an editor will pass on a manuscript because some of the chapters are too short. That is something that can easily be fixed in the editing process. The quality (or lack there of) is what will count. Good luck. Terry
It's not a bad idea to check out other books within your selected genre and demographic. Get a sense of the average and go from there. There simply isn't any standard for books in general, and there are always exceptions that deviate drastically from the norm within genres. . .
It doesn't really matter how long the chapters are. Of course, you don't want them to go on for sixty, seventy pages, then have the next chapter be two pages. Upon looking back at some of my previous projects, I notice that my chapters usually have two plot events before ending. But that's just me. In the end, it doesn't matter how long they are, but what does matter is the content contained within the chapter. Just try to find a logical cut-off point.
I think that it depends on the type of novel you're writing, and what it is you're trying to achieve with it. For example, if a character sees the world as dull and monotonous, and seems to exist rather than live, then I find that longer chapters help to emphasise their view. Or if the character finds it a struggle to keep up with the world, and feels that they're always one step behind everyone else, then a lot of short chapters that jump around in time are more effective. But that's just one way of looking at it. A chapter ends when it ends. So don't feel as if you need to drag out scenes to make it longer.
Quite right, Ted. However. . . there may be something to be said for making somewhat of a effort to standardise your format. It might slightly improve your odds as a first time author. Still, I wouldn't stress it. I doubt that they care very much. Chapter length is one of my least concerns. I always include some significant plot development, and try to raise questions for the reader. A good book always has you saying "well. . . just one more chapter, then I'll sleep". Following my little formula inevitably brings my chapter word count up to a minimum 2-3k, sometimes 7-8k, which seems fine. A little variety is nice, I think.
