What do you guys think about a novella-length story (maybe 25k to 35k words) without chapters? I have a few section breaks, but for some reason I really don't want to break this down into chapters. That's just not the way the story is coming together for me. I thought that if I kept it to a short novel or novella that I might be able to get away with it. Honestly, I think chapters are going to screw up the story a little. Can I do this or would this end up working against me? Has anyone done something like this and how did it work out? Does anyone have examples of novels or novellas without chapters?
You don't need chapters. As I recall, Heart of Darkness has no chapter divisions. In fact there are well-regarded novels without them.
Heart of Darkness has 3 chapters, but that aside I agree that chapters are not essential. I think a novella without chapters would be fine.
Good to go! I love a short book with all breaks and no chapters. Was The Road chapterless? I'd check but all my books are packed up to move. I swear McCarthy did something without chapters....
Given novellas are short, if I were in your situation I would just write as though I am crafting the story as one big chapter, or as a long "short" story, if you have a hard time wrapping your head around the idea of a "book" without chapter breaks. In my mind, chapters are more a part of tradition than they are a necessity of storytelling itself. Chapter breaks can be a bit jarring even in the books that do have them; but if your story is better suited to scenes that flow near-seamlessly into one another (aside from the odd break) then by all means, go for it!
I wondered the same thing with The Road, but couldn't remember. I read it such a long time ago, and McCarthy had some other unconventional things going on in that story as well.
Okay, I'm doing it. I'm committing to this little project and no chapters. I think what I have is pretty solid, and I'm excited about this one. No idea, really, for what to do with a novella. But if I'm going to stay away from the standard chapter format, I think I have to keep it somewhat short. Plus, I usually get a feeling of how long something should be pretty early on. I'm excited about this one. Thanks for the comments.
Don't know how long it is, although I strongly suspect longer than 35k, but Fahrenheit 451 has no chapters if I recall rightly. Not that I want to discourage you, but it was part of the reason I gave up on it. I need chapters because I need somewhere to stop reading.
McCarthy's The Road has not chapters, but it is broken up by advances in time through a ". . ." between segments. This gives it a vignette feel. I think a lot of short novels or novellas do a lot of the same, or just do page breaks as a sort of chapter stop. 25k to 35k is going to be a lot for a single chunk of reading. I've of course done it, but not having chapter breaks may lose most readers other than the ones with longer stamina. I think giving the reader breaks with at least a few section breaks can hold a few more readers ready for maybe 7.5k at a time to digest before digging in again. I know I like to have a set stopping point for an hour or two of reading and I'm sure I'm not alone. I know you've already decided on not having them, but just a few in natural feeling places may really help.
I wrote an entire novel without chapters, just breaks between the character's POVs. So it isn't a requirement, but it also isn't a popular format for anything longer than a short. So it is up to you if you use chapters or not, but I think of Novellas as long shorts, so it wouldn't bother me either way.
The purpose of chapters is to tell the story as a sequence of events, where each chapter moves the plot forward or changes its direction. This makes it easier to follow along in a longer, more complicated narrative - it gives the reader opportunities to pause and reflect on what they've learned so far. As such, having no chapters would subtly change the feeling of the story progression. I presume it would read in a more "flowing" kind of way, and may suit plots without major decisive events or one that moves at a brisk pace. Often it's worthwhile to trust your instincts: If it feels wrong to use chapters there's probably a reason you feel that way. I do suggest you examine the structure of your story and try to understand why this is, though. It's fine to try unconventional approaches, but then it's extra important to know what you're doing.
I don't recall having any trouble with Farenheit 451. Cloud Atlas is a series of connected novellas, and with the exception of the one that's a series of diary entries, there were no chapters or other breaks. Let the Right One in is a decent sized novel divided into something like five sections with no chapter breaks. Some of Stephen King's "short story" collections include entire novellas, and I believe some of those are chapterless. I know there are more. I mostly listen to audiobooks, and I've come across several books that were split in completely arbitrary places, because there were no chapters. I just can't remember which. Either way, there's plenty of precedent.
I've heard of some books that have no chapters and some of them are very famous too. Unusual perhaps, but if done correct. Break the rules!
