How long should a chapter be?

Question

by paragraphs or by pages i have no clue how long should a chapter be.
plz no stupid awnser or i will report you

Answer 1

There is no standard length for chapters. It's up to you to decide where a good break in your story is.

Answer 2

Depends on your style. I've seen chapters that are a paragraph long, a page long, two pages, all the way up to forty or fifty pages! Most books, however, have an average of somewhere between 12 and 20 pages per chapter, at least that's my guess. Really, it's up to the writer. Go with your gut. Don't add pointless information to make it longer or cut out important parts to make it shorter. Also, always make sure your chapter introductions and endings are great. And you'll have a winner.

Answer 3

As long as it needs to be. Seriously, not trying to be stupid. A chapter should go on long enough to convey an even or series of event that fit together in the plot. A good place to break off a chapter is when the author needs to check in with other characters, when there's a major change in setting, or the day changes. Of course, it's entirely up to the author, there are no set limits. So, to summarize, a chapter is as long as it needs to be.

Answer 4

Chapters are more determined by a shift in the plot, or right after shocking news is dropped--- i can't really say how many pages--- if you're writing a book, write the entire story first, and then go back and make chapters--- it makes it easier because you know what will happen next and what will keep the readers in suspense.

Answer 5

Dean Koontz makes his chapters 10 or 12 pages long, so his books are 80 to 100 chapters.

Answer 6

Of course, authors may choose to make their chapters as long (or as short) as they like. But, no matter how the book is written, the reader will actually control the pace of reading and decide when to take breaks.

The study of actual readers shows that most of us sustain silent reading for ten or fifteen minutes, perhaps as many as thirty in some rare cases. We may think we read continuously for a longer time than that, but when we do, we actually stop and daydream for a few minutes, gaze out the window, reflect on what we've just read, drink some coffee and relax for a few minutes . . . . You get the idea. We make our own personal breaks and then return to the printed page.

So a writer who wants to accommodate our reading habits (and I persoanally appreciate those who do) will provide breaks after about ten to fifteen or twenty pages.

Young readers (adolescents and children) tend to prefer books with many shorter chapters. Finishing a chapter gives them a sense of success as readers and, actually, keeps them actively involved in the process.

Many successful writers provide internal breaks within chapters, esp. long ones--sometimes marked by * * * * * or some other graphic design; sometimes by white space; and the like.

Answer 7

I've even seen chapters that were only one page long. The chapter changed the setting or character, then it went to something new in a new chapter.

Answer 8

Hows this for stupidity: May Jesus bless our noble warriors abroad so that they may bring peace and democracy to the oppressed arabs in the middle east.

Seriously though, a chapter needs to be as long as the content requires. You probably need to divide ALL the material of the book into logical groupings of some kind so that you know how the chapters will flow throughout the book. If you are writing fiction you have great deal of leeway here. I would recommend looking into 'aphorism style' organization if chapters aren't doing it for you.

Answer 9

Chapter length is really determined by plot points--when it's time for a break or a shift in time or in thought, then it's time for a new chapter. But I would say no fewer than 6 pages and no more than 20.

Answer 10

A set number of paragraphs or pages may not tell that certain section of the story. The lenght of a chapter should be long enough to tell that part of the story.

Answer 11

Depends on the book....depending on the content and format, a chapter can be many pages or just a few. Depends on how often you want to switch settings/times during the course of the book.