#chapter length

[ao3polls]

What is your "ideal" chapter length for a fic?

< 1000

1000-3000

3000-5000

5000-7000

7000-10000

10k+

50k+ "oneshot" as god intended

[not-poignant]

blease I'm curious I want to knowwww (Also please feel free to share in the tags if you mostly read fic on AO3, Wattpad, or somewhere else)

[allaboutlov3]

Dear fanfiction readers....

[munstysmind]

I’m SLOWLY making my way back to writing and I’m curious what you guys would prefer…

GENERAL TAGLIST: @rookiemartin @babeyyemor @secretaryunpaid @pixie88 @chickensarentcheap @dhoruwolfie @themaradwrites @cali-nyc5 @darsynia @whatcjdidnext @diamondoftheball @wewannasaygoodnight @sweetbunnyliddle @kingliam2019 @sillyrabbit81 @angelcavill66 @mis-lil-red @rcarbo1 @secretdream2 @identity2212 @fanfics-r-us-official @km-ffluv @dream-beyond-the-fantasy @ktficworld @juliaorplI78 @henry-cavs-tudor @red-write-hand @queenzee27 @therockandaroll @kandis-mom @greatmistakes @raven-blue3000 @jaydianna01993

[reedmurdock]

Do you guys prefer short, medium or long chapters/one shots?

edit: I know these are very very short in some people’s eyes. They are in mine too. I’m used to reading 2k+ chapters/one shots, but this is more about the time I have to spend on writing

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Hi! Um, I'm bad at communicating. Just wanted to ask you- because maybe you know?

I want to do multiple chapters- because it's probably gonna be too long for only 1- but I don't know if people usually prefer shorter or longer chapters- so uh- any advice?

I'll probably either update regularly or way too soon cuz I plan on writing everything and only posting it when I'm done- so even if it's short there will be more-

So. Um. Yeah. Help me please?

I am a chronically long chapter bitch- but thats because its part of my writing style, for me? I struggle to condense a whole "Act"/ "Arc" in more than like 5k

Now something my english teacher drilled into my tiny malformed skull was "Write however many words the story needs to have" I have like 17 consequtive plotlines and an entire closet of yet to be loaded Chekov's guns- so for ME, the 5k is nessicary to keep things rolling.

HOWEVER- That isn't very sustainable for most people. I'd say a good chapter length is, generally this guide is what I see that WORKS for pacing, engagement, etc. (personal preference as well)

Less than 1k Total? Try one chapter, but if not? Two MAX

Around 1k Total? One to Three-ish max

2-10k? Around Two to Ten ish.

10-20k? At least two, up to like 15

20k+? At least two, up to 25

50k+? At least like three-five, can be up to 60

100k+? At least ten, or like 200 (though less is better at bigger numbers)

Again- most of this is my personal preference, everyone has their niche they enjoy. But if you want my advice, cut off whenever a chapter feels "complete" like a day is finished. (Exception being cliffhangers, but those should be saved for that exact reason so they're that much more impactful)

Id say rule of thumb is make sure each chapter does SOMETHING. I usually base my chapters chronologically over a set event. An entire event will be at least one chapter, if not up to three depending on all that needs to happen.

[no-regrets-absolutely-none]

so i wanted to ask something— what is the ideal length for a chapter on ao3 or another fanfiction platform? i tend to write in chunks of 1,000 words because i feel like i’d get burnt out with more but what do yall think?

[m0dernchr0n1cles]

孙太子：Story Length

@journeytothewestresearch @eternal-3clipse @gaaralover55 @nightstar47 @runeiio @avalonnights @mabeljonesrock @lilmissbacon @ryin-silverfish @wonderwomanpleasesteponme @atlamillia @gingersnap2010 @cynicalwindmill @argiphon @madisonthetimewalker @karoxarts

I need help with writing 孙太子 (my DC Monkey Prince rewrite & crossover with my Black Myth, New Gods au).

My initial plan for 孙太子 was to try to keep it within 12 chapters to match the 12-issues of the original run of DC Monkey Prince.

When I tried to integrate the Devil Nezha into the storyline, I wanted to keep it to only 7 chapters, like the 7 issues that made up the original main story.

[fishwithtitz]

I guesstimated on the lengths for each size, so don’t shoot me, lol.

@copias-juicebox and I are curious!!!

[cordelia-noir]

Hey, question for you all on your fanfic preferences.

I just wrote a 10k peice that I can either break up into a bunch of little chapters, maybe 1k each until the ending bigger chunk, or keep it all together in one big chunk.

It really doesn't make any difference to me, I'm just trying to figure out what would be the best reading experience.

[madamestephanie]

Like, do 8-10k word count chapters bore you, or you like that stuff? Do you prefer shorter chapters, so your interest is kept up, or it doesn't matter?

I'm trying to make my writing easier to digest for the general public, and I'm curious what people think when it comes to fanfiction. Thank you in advance! ❤️

[dangersnekcrowleylover]

Chapter Length Question

I have always struggled with figuring out what most people prefer in terms of length. I used to write 3k min and have written chapters 20k+ but I am always unsure. Generally I think I prefer to go up to 10k but usually less so I can keep up with writing it, due to my hand injury. I'd like some opinions before I start posting!

[writerpolls]

Poll Idea:

Does chapter word length (word count compared to other chapters in the same work) bother you?

[Asking this because I see a lot of polls asking like "what length should my next chapter be" "is it okay if this ones shorter/longer" etc and thats just like not something i personally think about]

[also i know these are gonna be too long to put in the poll sorry would it be okay to include the full option list in the poll somewhere]

Yes, all chapters need to be precise to the thousand (or less)

Yes, they need to be roughly the same length

As long as they're not wildly different it's fine

No, but they all need to convey a comparable amount of events/information/etc

No, but the chapters need to start and stop at reasonable places

No, but [other reason - say in notes]

I don't care as long as I'm enjoying it

I don't care about it at all

Presented it as best I could anon, hope this captures your intention!

Requester has confirmed - this poll is for both writers and readers!

[owilder]

Since my chapters are, throughout my book, throughout the series as a whole, longer than is typical in modern fiction, I preemptively implore anyone who reads my work to bear in mind that they are, by design, each to be read in individual sittings, like short stories or, more specifically, like episodes of anime, as they were originally intended to be.

[zepskies]

Hey, Zep! A bit of advice: how do you manage to make your chapters longer? Mine average at about 1500 words, which looks really short on Tumblr 😅

Hey Arty!

Ooh interesting question. I'm afraid my answer's kind of boring, in that I don't really pay attention to the word count when I'm writing until I tally it up for the post.

My chapters in a series tend to range on the long side, anywhere between 3K - 8K. (I'm long-winded at the best of times. 😂) It really just depends on how much story I'm trying to tell, and where I think a good stopping point is. I also think of chapters like "episodes," or even parts of episodes.

For my writing process, I always start with an outline of a story, beginning to end. As I write using my outline as a guide, I can add, take away, or rearrange elements of scenes as I figure things out (almost always adding lol). Scenes can take new life and expand as I get additional ideas, or they might go in a different direction entirely as inspiration strikes.

All that to say, it really just depends on the story you're trying to tell. If you can accomplish that in 1,500 words, then that's fine! If it makes sense to combine chapters, then that's okay too.

Creating chapters of a series is kind of like putting a puzzle together, except the puzzle can have different combinations that could still make sense together.

Hope this helps! 💜