When do you decide to 'split' a chapter into two chapters?

[Naruzeldamaster]

I generally follow my own rule of 'if the scene starts to feel 'long' end it' but sometimes I am unsure if keeping a chapter going for multiple scenes is a good idea?
I am at an impasse with my side project right now, where I have two scenes that could easily make for part of the 'first' chapter. But they're somewhat disconnected.
The first scene is introducing the reader to the gods of my fictional world, and their somewhat chaotic personalities. The time difference between it and the next scene effectively make it a prologue of sorts. Introducing the gods to the readers before they meet the protagonists is kind of an important part of the plot too.

The next scene is where the story actually 'starts' if that makes sense. It's disconnected enough from the first scene that it could easily make for a good chapter on it's own.
If I continue the scenes as one chapter, the chapter itself will be well over 12-15 pages long. I'm sort of on the fence, but I'm leaning more toward making the second scene it's own chapter.

I realize I went on a tangent there: So the question is the topic itself, I generally sort of get 'stuck' a lot (like I am right now) deciding on if a chapter should be a two part-er or a one and done.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

There are folks who would say every scene should be a chapter.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

There are folks who would say every scene should be a chapter.

Yeah, isn't there one author who people like who sometimes has two word chapters in their books?

 

[ThinkerX]

Just had to do this with my WIP. Gathered the characters together for the big climactic showdown - then realized that assembling them wasn't enough, they needed quick orientation/how to work together class of sorts first. So, the 'gathering' becomes one chapter, while the showdown becomes another, with the orientation sort of implied in between. Plus, there's another chapter between the two that illustrates just how bad things are getting.

 

[Finchbearer]

I think for a new chapter to start there needs to have been a feel of an ending with the last one. Even better, new chapters follow a different character or POV, then the story is broken up into bite size chunks rather than it being one long slog. But it all depends on the story and what it needs. If you think there is a natural break, then use that as a hook for the end of a chapter, or simply a place to stop off at?

Idk of you’re writing is inspired by anime - you’ve mentioned it before - but maybe the writing could mirror the long and over convoluted nature of anime?

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I think for a new chapter to start there needs to have been a feel of an ending with the last one. Even better, new chapters follow a different character or POV, then the story is broken up into bite size chunks rather than it being one long slog. But it all depends on the story and what it needs. If you think there is a natural break, then use that as a hook for the end of a chapter, or simply a place to stop off at?

Idk of you’re writing is inspired by anime - you’ve mentioned it before - but maybe the writing could mirror the long and over convoluted nature of anime?

Inspired by as in going for similar vibes of particular ones? Ye, but I'm not mimicking everything about it (like the tropes and stuff) other than maybe the eccentric nature on some character personalities. Eagle eyed anime watchers will be able to go 'oh that's totally a goblin slayer thing' and stuff to some things.

Also if you'll allow me to get distracted for a sec, not every anime is long/convoluted either, some of them barely make 3 seasons. Though I will admit the longer ones (especially one piece and Naruto, which are pretty good 'starter' animes to see if you like it, Dragon Ball (Not Z) also holds up well, Fairy Tail is also good if you like eccentric characters. Natsu is a goober and a genius at the same time.) tend to get toward the convoluted nature. Once any show gets around 300 + episodes the plot kinda...gets outta hand lol Trust me when I say this, even us anime fans get 'lost' sometimes, but that's kinda the fun, especially if the writing is good. Depending in what kind of stories you like I could probably find ya a shorter one to watch sometime.

Back to the topic, I do think some chapters will be much longer than an average story though to tell the whole scene. I just have a hard time finding 'break' points you mention, between one scene and the next, so I often stick one or two scenes in each chapter if the scenes connect enough.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I sometimes set a goal for a chapter. The characters have to get somewhere or learn or do something. Once this is accomplished I create a new chapter.

 

[Karlin]

can you do a scene break

~~~​

that is not an actual chapter?

 

[pmmg]

Chapters containing multiple scenes are not unexpected. Just make a clean divide for a scene.

In my own writing, I use CAPS to indicate the change a scene if it does not flow direction from the scene above...


Bob's scenes ends here.


BOB WENT INTO the room and had a new scene.


For soft breaks, where there is a small gap but the flow is the same, just add a blank line and no indent is the industry standard.

A break like this, with a little graphic, is not standard, but you might choose to do it anyway.

 

[Prince of Spires]

To answer a different "when do you split a chapter" question than you perhaps intended, I decide to split chapters when editing the story, after the first draft has been completed (and when the complete story is in place). So unless you're there, don't worry about it. Splitting chapters is probably the easiest thing when editing, so you could just do it last.

As for my criteria, I look at chapter length and completeness of the scene. Most of my chapters somehow end up being around 3k words long, maybe just a bit under. If I go over that by a large margin, I look to see if I can split the chapter somewhere, preferably somewhere in the middle, though it's no big deal if I can't. Nothing wrong with a longer chapter.

For my chapters, if I go over 4.5k words in a chapter, there tends to be a natural cutting point, where the viewpoint character switches from task A to B or has gathered some information and is now going to act on it, or moves from 1 location to the next. This of course isn't always the case, but it often holds true.

One thing to consider is how much breathing room you want to give your reader. Chapters are a natural stopping point for a reader. If you have a complete arc in a chapter (which is the most common thing in fantasy by the way), then readers will get a bit of breathing time and can put your book down. On the other hand, Trillers tend to end chapters at the hight of the tension. Something just exploded, or someone is knocking on the door, that sort of thing. The reader now has a direct reason to keep reading, and will be dragged through the book more.

 

[skip.knox]

There's more than one way to decide where to make the cut. Here are some possibilities you might consider.

The easiest, most common sort is when the scene of action changes. This can be moving from inside the castle to something on a mountain top, or it can be just going from kitchen to bedroom. Such changes should at least be considered for a divide.

Another angle is with the characters. A change in POV character is one candidate. A change in time with the same character is also possible.

A little more difficult to identify, but probably more important, is when the MC makes a decision to take an action. This creates tension for the reader, who will want to see the consequences of that decision and to see the action play out.

There can be others, but they tend to be less common. And, as ever, there are plenty of examples of perfectly good books that violate and downright immolate these and other recommendations.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Yeah, isn't there one author who people like who sometimes has two word chapters in their books?

Yeah. Me.

But seriously, we're in the 'every scene is a chapter' boat, for the most part. It's really more of a guideline than a rule, like everything else in writing.

Besides actually writing. Everyone has to do that much.

As the drafter, it's usually up to me to decide when a chapter needs to be broken up, and for that I listen to the music of the flow of words, of actions, and look closely at what the chapter needs to accomplish. When I discover I hit all of that two pages ago, I throw the whole thing into reverse, break it up, and then keep going. I know, it's awfully intuitive and probably not the specific answer you'd like, but this is the arts. T'is a mystery.