I don't know if this topic has been discussed before but I was wondering if there is certain length to a chapter that you should just stop.(to the extent it starts to become too long for the reader and it gets annoying and you lose interest).

For example, I mean 15-20 pages for a chapter/one-shot is too much right? (I know the Dokuga rules of chapter length and words)

Thanks,

Lady N.

Personally, when I see a chapter is long, I'll wait until I have the time to dedicate to reading it all, but if it takes me longer than half an hour to read a chapter I begin to get frustrated and bored. Unless there is seriously a lot happening that is interesting enough to keep me engaged.

It all depends on the reader. Some actually like long chapters. Others don't.

I go by word length, personally. 15-20 pages may be longer or shorter depending on the font and font size.

I’m going to use a “A Demon Lord’s Cry” as my example because that is my longest running story and largest. I personally for any story don’t make the first chapter any longer than 4,000 to 6,000 words unless it’s an experimental story [as in IDK how I feel about it] then I make the first chapter 2,000 words to 6,000 words.

Any chapter after that I usually increase the length by 500 to 1,000 words plus. It keeps it consistent and makes my readers happy that they can expect a longer chapter next time. On that note the longer a story runs it usually means that chapters wrong longer because the chapters become more intricate. ADLC started with I think 4,500 words as the first chapter and the most recent chapter put out was almost 15,000 words. That’s my view as a writer and I stick to that for all stories I post.

As a reader though – if the first chapter of the fic is epically long then I expect the writer to always put up chapters at that caliber. I honestly dislike a story that has 8,000 words as the first chapter but the second chapter has 4,000 words. I don’t like it went chapter lengths jump around because then I feel like I waited for however long for such a short chapter to come out.

One-shots are a completely different animal for me though. Some one-shots I like them to be short and sweet and cute. However the ones that have super intricate backgrounds I expect them to be longer. I’m currently working on a possible three shot but it is going to be an intricate story line so each chapter has to be long to explain what the heck is happening. Especially if you’re working with canon Sesshoumaru and Kagome. If they start out in the beginning of the one shot as not really knowing one another/slight enemies [as in the anime/manga] I can’t see them falling in love 500 words later. It usually makes for a poor story.

The again, like I said, they’re a different animal and all one shots are portrayed differently.

I know I may be in the minority in some of my thoughts... Meh.

Really, a chapter that's too long? Maybe if it's 95% filler, 4% dialog, and 1% plot (+/- (whatever)% to make it work for you). If the chapters are written well enough, then length is a non-issue (at least for me).

Lady Nefertiti wrote:
I don't know if this topic has been discussed before but I was wondering if there is certain length to a chapter that you should just stop.(to the extent it starts to become too long for the reader and it gets annoying and you lose interest).

As a reader... see below. But no, I think you should write what you as the author feels fits into a chapter, length be damned. It's your story right? Sure, you may need to edit a bit if you're under the 700 word chapter minimum for chapter stories, but an overly descriptive, and highly expressive chapter once in a while, never hurt anyone.

It's your story... Don't worry about the reader. You're posting these for enjoyment, not to make a buck. If you are happy with the chapter, that should be all that matters, not whether the readers are happy with you. If you're happy with the chapter you post, great. If not... It's not like new revisions of writings are a new thing. =)

DemonQueen17 wrote:
It all depends on the reader. Some actually like long chapters. Others don't.

For me, it's the author/writing more than the length of the chapters. Some authors I can't bring myself to read a single 300 word chapter even if I do like the stories general plot idea. The writing... sometimes I just can't force myself to continue. (1)

On the other hand, there's one story on FF.n I'm reading that has ~13k word average chapters, and I could continue reading 'em no matter what size the chapters were. I just like the authors writing style and the plot they developed in the story.

If the writing clicks with me, then I don't care what size the chapters are... actually, I'd prefer longer chapters in that case. But I'll take what I can get.

-J

(1) - Prolly how some people feel about my typing often... ;P

Thanks for your help everyone