Mar
7th
2021
THICC or STICC? I'm talking about chapter lengths, ya goofs... · 4:44pm Mar 7th, 2021
As I've been writing All These Midnight Days, I... kinda realized I'mma bout to finish the penultimate chapters. And I can either post it as a 20,000 word SUPER CHAPTER, or in smaller bits. But, that made me think of something more general I thought I should ask people around these parts.
How long is an ideal chapter update for you, as a reader?
I know sometimes when an author I'm following updates, I can feel cheated by a particularly short update, and intimidated by longer ones.
So where do y'all fall in that spectrum? Comment below! or don't, that's fine too, I guess...
I can read 10k words but it would take me a while, 20k is way too much for me though I’m not sure if others feel the same.
My chapters go anywhere from 5k to 14k words, though those are the extreme ends; they average between 6k & 10k.
As a reader? Heck, as long as you have my attention, length doesn't matter; I'll devour it all the same.
Personally, I generally prefer chapters to be under 8k if possible, and as long as the chapter feels complete (even if there's a cliffhanger), I wouldn't mind 10k+ ones. Especially if the updates aren't common (I.e. once a month or longer)
Totally depends on the story, the content of a chapter, and the pacing of chapter releases.
Some chapters read faster than others. A 12K word chapter that is very fast paced will seem to be over faster than a 4K expository chapter. I've seen authors break a chapter in two because it didn't match the word count of earlier chapters, but some of the emotion was lost in the break.
I've seen stories where a 750 word chapter was not unusual (ex. Austerouh - a years long daily).
I've also seen stories a where a "monster" 13K chapter was dropped into a story with an average chapter word count of around 2k, but it was THE ultimate fight scene, so it was consumed quickly.
However, my personal favorites are long form stories with large (20+K) chapters that are updated on a regular basis (ex. SAPR).
But that's just because I always want MORE - not because the story NEEDS it.
Speaking of MORE... FIMfic needs more Anarchy.
I prefer short chapters that are around 2,000 to 4,000 words long but it really depends on how the chapters are written.
I enjoy a nice 25-30K chapter, gives you time to really get invested.
I've been enjoying the story but these long chapters I'd often have to split reading into 2-3 nights, depending on how long they are. But overall I still have been enjoying this story
I like big chapters but it can take me a while tk finish them.