Chapters

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

How on earth do you decide on chapter divisions. Do you write them in as you go along or decide when the book is fnished?  At preesnt  I can't find any point where I feel a break should occur. What is a suitable number of chapters in a book of say 80,000 words?

Carol

Initially it probably doesn't matter. Go for where you feel the chapter breaks. Lately the books I've read have had chapters that can vary in length by two to five pages between different chapters.

sal

You might find it easier if you think of each chapter as having three 'scenes' beginning, middle and, ideally a 'cliff-hanger' ending e.g. a sentence that makes the reader want to go on. The usual length of chapters in novels are 5,000 words, but this does vary, of course.

milhouse

Have you thought about throwing in some short sharp chapters? Often, following a series of lengthy chapters I will place a short chapter (perhaps a thousand words or so). This helps with pace and gives the reader a break.

Milhouse.

Deb

Personally I don't think it matters where you put chapter divisions, or how long or short your chapters are as long as it all fits smoothly into the story you're telling. Certainly don't worry about where they should be. I don't know if it will help, but I always end my chapters right in the middle of something major. You've got to make the reader want to carry on, rather than ever letting them feel as though they've reached the end - until they really do reach the end of course. LOL.

James Barrington

Hi there.
I think the other comments in this thread are absolutely right. I don't think the length of a chapter is overly important, but what is vital is ending it on a high point. You have to make the reader want to move on, to find out what happens next.
The technique I use in my books (which are global techno-thrillers) is to break each chapter up into individual sections, set in different parts of the world and involving different people, and ending each one with a question or a problem or something like that. ANYTHING, frankly, to make the reader turn the page to find out what happens next.
There's also a valid argument that as the book reaches its climax you should make the chapters shorter as a subtle way of increasing the pace.
One other entirely subjective comment is that I don't personally like books with over-long chapters.
I suggest you read your manuscript again and simply mark the point where each scene ends. Try using that as a chapter break, unless the length is ridiculously short or long.
Good luck.

milhouse

My next story can only have 12 chapters. That's going to be fun as I usually write over 120000 words. some will have to be small, and some larger than I would like. That all said, its going to be interesting breaking with convention.