What do you think is a good chapter length for a fantasy novel nowadays?

[Archon of Cringe]

I heard that readers can't pay attention for more than 15 pages. Google tells me 5000 words is the max. What is a good length to strive for?

 

[pmmg]

well...compared to the world at large, most people would not choose to read any book. So, I wonder where that number comes from. Does it come from actual readers?

If that were true, no one would ever finish a book.

I think readers will stick with it if they are invested, and continue to find things they like, or want to see play out.

For me, 40 pages of a hobbits birthday was a killer for LOTR, but he seems to have had much success. I don't have chapters, just a lot of scenes. Each scene, maybe 1000 words, so there are plenty of stopping places. (I hope that does not kill my chances...but I like it that way.) I do get chapter fatigued if it very long, cause chapters are good stopping places. If I have to do something else, being at the end of a chapter is a good thing.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Our chapters range from 300 words to 3000 or so, depending on what the chapter needs to accomplish. Length doesn't matter for us, but we also write character-driven stories at a thriller pace, so there aren't many chances for the reader to breathe, much less put the book down.

I also can't get through Tolkien, not because I don't like his work, but because I can't spend dozens of pages reading about a dinner party where nothing of import happens. Make your chapters do their work, or they don't have a reason to be there.

 

[Finchbearer]

I’m doing anywhere from 1000-3000 words per chapter but certainly not 5000, and I think you’d be hard pushed to find books that exceed 4000 per chapter.

 

[ThinkerX]

I have chapters as short as 300 words - and a few that top 8000. Depends on the tale the chapter needs to tell. Most, though, are on the order of a couple thousand words.

 

[Prince of Spires]

A chapter needs to be as long as needed to achieve their goal, and no longer...

I personally think it doesn't matter. Terry Pratchett had novels without chapters, and he was one of the best-selling novelists of the 90's. James Patterson I think has chapters which are a handful of pages or less. There is no hard and fast rule for length. Do what feels right and matches your style.

At most, try to be a bit consistent in when you start a new chapter.

 

[Jason]

I averaged 2000 words in my debut. It worked out that way though I worried the chapters were too short. Now I think that's the right size for an entertaining, easy-reading episode.

 

[Archon of Cringe]

I see. Let me add on to this. How would I write to an inciting incident in the first chapter? The books I am reading now don't have those until the 20th-50th page but have a series of short chapters establishing the world and characters.

I wanted to do that originally, but I was advised against it here and to start the story with the inciting incident. Sometimes I struggle with fitting all the worldbuilding and character buildup into 4000 words, let alone 300 for something.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

A whole helluva lot can be achieved in 2000 words, and it's a decent guideline, but I tend to think of that as more for a scene than a chapter. BUT, many people try to break their chapters by scenes. My earlier books I've had averages around 2-3k, my new book averages about 3300. My longest chapter was 10000ish words in Whispers of Ghosts, but it was about 6 scenes with breaks building into a single-themed element. That's my favorite chapter I ever wrote, and beta readers would email me comments like... "Sheeeeit. Nice." Rule of thumb, I'd recommend shorter chapters up front to keep the psychological pacing.

 

[pmmg]

I see. Let me add on to this. How would I write to an inciting incident in the first chapter? The books I am reading now don't have those until the 20th-50th page but have a series of short chapters establishing the world and characters.

I wanted to do that originally, but I was advised against it here and to start the story with the inciting incident. Sometimes I struggle with fitting all the worldbuilding and character buildup into 4000 words, let alone 300 for something.

I advise starting the story at the moment everything changes. 40 pages of establishing the normal is yawn.

It dont have to be action, it just has to get the reader to want to know what happens next.


Mary got the text.

It said 'I filed for divorce, the house is on fire, and I called the cops. Good luck, Mary!'

She looked up from her desk. Saw her boss glaring at her. Heard police sirens in the distance...

What happens next? I dont know, but something...

 

[Archon of Cringe]

But how do I get the audience to care about the moment everything changes if they don't know who the main character is, what this world is about, and why this change means something to the main character?

I advise starting the story at the moment everything changes. 40 pages of establishing the normal is yawn.

It dont have to be action, it just has to get the reader to want to know what happens next.


Mary got the text.

It said 'I filed for divorce, the house is on fire, and I called the cops. Good luck, Mary!'

She looked up from her desk. Saw her boss glaring at her. Heard police sirens in the distance...

What happens next? I dont know, but something...

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Establishing the world doesn't need to be boring. Oddly enough, I love the intro to LoTR while understanding other people's issues with it, but I digress. If the character's ordinary life isn't boring, then there's no issue. At the same time, I don't recommend the inciting incident on page 1 unless it works. In my new book I'd be challenged to call any one incident the inciting incident. It could be several. It could be page 1. It might've happened before page 1. It might be 10 chapters in. It all depends on how you think of it.

Begin with a hook. And do your best to hit a hook on every chapter. If you're writing and the first chapters aren't engaging, move the opening deeper into the book or make them engaging. If setting ordinary life, foreshadow the inciting incident. Anything can work if you do it right.

I see. Let me add on to this. How would I write to an inciting incident in the first chapter? The books I am reading now don't have those until the 20th-50th page but have a series of short chapters establishing the world and characters.

I wanted to do that originally, but I was advised against it here and to start the story with the inciting incident. Sometimes I struggle with fitting all the worldbuilding and character buildup into 4000 words, let alone 300 for something.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I don't even open Eve of Snows with the main character, but the MC's first chapter is about her ordinary life, but it is not an ordinary day. Without story details it's impossible to say, but there are three secrets to everything in writing...

Tension. Micro-Tension. Change. Every scene should change the POV character's trajectory, and if it doesn't, that scene is likely a failure.

Handle those three things, and people will read.

But how do I get the audience to care about the moment everything changes if they don't know who the main character is, what this world is about, and why this change means something to the main character?

 

[pmmg]

But how do I get the audience to care about the moment everything changes if they don't know who the main character is, what this world is about, and why this change means something to the main character?

Your asking for a science where it is an art. You also have to give the reader credit, they did not start reading expecting to care on the first word. They will spend some time becoming invested. Write the stuff that is interesting to you, and go.

 

[skip.knox]

>I heard that readers can't pay attention for more than 15 pages
Where did you hear that? What about the source led you to take it seriously?

 

[Mad Swede]

The right length for a chapter is whatever it needs to be. My chapters vary quite a lot in length, depending on what is happening.

Your story needs to start with something which draws the reader in and then keeps them there. That can be an incident or it can simply be a start which piques the readers curiosity. As an example, Finn Family Moomintroll (Trollkarlens hatt in the original Swedish) starts with the Moomin family going into hibernation when the first snow comes...

 

[Rhondazvous]

I agree that a chapter should be as long as it needs to be to achieve its purpose. Some writers may have been able to get away with a very long chapter because the purpose they had in mind called for one. My writing tens to be fast paced because I don’t spend a lot of time describing the scenery. The sky is blue because its blueness has an important effect on the character. That means my chapters can achieve their purpose without being more than 2500 words. If a chapter is less than 3 pages, I look to see if it has done what its supposed to do or whether I can get rid of it or put it in with another chapter.



I agree, too, that a chapter should end where the reader wonders what’s going to happen next. I use chapter breaks to change the POV character. That will be the character who has the most at stake in a given scene. Leaving that character in a precarious situation keeps the reader wondering.



Probably the best guide is to be an avid reader—not so you can write like someone else, but to strengthen your instinct for what works and what doesn’t work. You’ll get an instinct for the questions your readers will be asking and get to the point where you just know when it’s time to end a chapter.

 

[Ankari]

I heard that readers can't pay attention for more than 15 pages. Google tells me 5000 words is the max. What is a good length to strive for?

These kind of questions shift the focus away from what is good writing to the technical aspects of a book. Good writing is king. All other questions only serve to misplace the focus of good writing to easily controllable technical considerations.

Write well. That is pretty much the only answer to all questions. Write well, and everything else will fit into it's place.

 

[pmmg]

Write well. That is pretty much the only answer to all questions. Write well, and everything else will fit into it's place.

I thought the answer to all questions was 'It depends..."

 

[Ankari]

I thought the answer to all questions was 'It depends..."

LOL. It depends.