Novel Which is worse: inconsistent chapter length or inconsistent POV structure?

Like with most others, I don't care at all about either but Chapter Length would be the least of the two that I would even remotely care about.

 

Neither are an issue.

 

Reviving this thread because I found a blog post some others might find interesting: Analyzing chapter lengths in fantasy fiction

I was wigging out the other day because I had a chapter that hit 10k, by far the longest I've ever written, and I was like SURELY THIS IS UNNATURALLY LONG and I didn't want to split it because of all the POV reasons I described in my first post. But then I found that blog post, and... what do you know, 10k really isn't all that long. In fact, it seems quite normal. Granted, those are mostly older books they've analyzed there, but I doubt the situation's changed much nowadays. I read Assassin's Apprentice just last month and at no point was I like "my god, when will this 11300-word monstrosity end." I didn't even notice that there was a chapter about twice as long as the average.

So, I feel better. But I'm also kind of annoyed now at all the advice I've seen out there about how chapters should be about 5000 words. I worried for nothing!

 

...I still kind of want to split that 10k chapter because there are two distinct arcs in it, but, ugh. I have no one else's chapter to put in between lol.

 

I don't see any need to put someone else's chapter in between. The fact that you change chapters when you change POV doesn't need to mean that you change POV when you change chapters.

 

I didn't want to reiterate my first post, but the structure I'm going for is to not have two of the same POV in a row. Hence the (admittedly minor) dilemma.

 

I think I assumed that strategy had been eliminated as the thread went on. Apparently I misread the thread.

The way I see it is, “OK, so the reader is happily immersed in one character. We’re about to start a new chapter. That new chapter would most naturally be about the same character. But that would be wrong. We NEED to disrupt the reader’s interest and focus at least once per chapter.”

 

For me, (and the majority it seems) chapter lengths are a non-issue, some are longer than others and that's absolutely fine. But I do think you have to choose the right time to start a new chapter, and it's not always necessarily at the point where you change POV.

I have one book from two POVs (first present, third omin) and another one from six, (one as first present, the rest as third omni) and although I have indicators to inform the reader of the POV change, I don't always start a new chapter at that change.

So in answer to your question, I would not worry about the chapter length consistency, and just concentrate on the other stuff.

 

Seems like an arbitrary rule for your book. I would take another look at the reason for this structure.

 

Yup... that's why I started this thread.

 

Write the story, worry about structure after you are done or almost done. I don't see how strictly alternating two POVs with every other chapter contribute to the story.

Keep that in mind: does this move the story forward, does this matter to the story?

And don't be afraid to kill your darlings, in this case the alternating every other chapter POV.

 

Damnit, this advice is so simple and reasonable, I guess I'll have to follow it.