1. Graham Penman

    Graham Penman Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2014
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    8

    Novel How long should a chapter be?

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by Graham Penman, Jun 24, 2014.

    I was just going over parts of my novel and keep thinking my chapters maybe to long or short. They are all roughly 15-16 pages. Is there a general rule to chapter lengths or does it matter as long as it's not dragging on?
     
  2. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    May 20, 2012
    Messages:
    4,620
    Likes Received:
    3,807
    Location:
    occasionally Oz , mainly Canada
    A lot of answers will be as long as you need them to be. And to a point they'll be right. But I think sometimes genre can play a part in chapter length. I've noticed Horror and Action/Crime genres love shorter chapter. Every scene is like a mini cliff-hanger
     
    Graham Penman likes this.
  3. A.M.P.

    A.M.P. People Buy My Books for the Bio Photo Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2013
    Messages:
    2,163
    Likes Received:
    1,374
    Location:
    A Place with no History
    As Peach said, there is no set requirement.
    I've seen big authors have one or two page chapters and some that drag on forever.
    As long as you don't have excess fluff in a chapter (1000 words describing someone's clothing) it won't really matter how long it is :p
     
  4. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2006
    Messages:
    3,374
    Likes Received:
    1,629
    Location:
    Ohio, USA
    Graham Penman,
    As others have said, there isn't a hard and fast rule for chapter length. Some might point out, for example, that YA tends to have shorter chapter lengths than novels targeted at adults.

    It's a matter of style, story being told, and how you as an author want to structure the story.

    If you are concerned what's 'common' go to the bookstore or library, and check out recently published novels in the genre you're writing, and that are similar in storyline to what you're working on. That would give you a ballpark figure.

    That being said, I cannot see an agent/editor turning down what is otherwise an excellent story because the chapters are too long (or short). I've never heard of such an occurrence. That chapter length is not a difficult thing to address in edits/revisions.

    Good luck as you move forward.
     
  5. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    5,101
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    One suggestion: get used to expressing length in terms of words rather than pages. Page totals can vary based on font size and style, line spacing and margins. Word count is word count.
     
  6. Graham Penman

    Graham Penman Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2014
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    8
    So far, on the novel i am currently working on, i have written 2 chapters and used 6633 words.
     
  7. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    5,101
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    In my current draft, I have one chapter of 800 words and others that are 10,000. They are as long as they need to be.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice