Given the same amount of words, is it better to have more chapters or less?

Are you, as a reader, put off by stories with more than 20-30 chapters?

Or

Are you put off by chapters with 10,000+ words?

1215238 I care about the story's content, not its word count or chapter count. They do not affect how good or bad a story is.

1215238
I prefer a happy-medium. I'm put off by large chapters, and by a large amount of small chapters. Somewhere in the middle is where I'm happiest.

Edit: Though, depending on the story itself, exceptions can be made.

1215238
I've seen stories longer than that get very popular...

So no. Write until you reached a satisfying conclusion

1215238

I tend to keep my chapters between 4k and 5k words. Though that's pretty arbitrary. Chapters are divisions of thought within the work as a whole. You shouldn't arbitrarily assign chapters. There should be a definite division of events between them. That being said, as long as the chapters make sense, I don't really care how long they are.

Seriously though, 10k chapters are fine with me. Its only once you get into the 15k~20K range, when I have to dedicate the time to read the damned thing that I begin to question why its not been split into shorter parts...

I've seen stories with more than 70 chapters but I can't name them off the top of my head. It didn't bother me. I just like the content.

1215238

I don't really care. If I want to read it, I will. If I enjoy it, I will continue reading.

I've wondered about this as well. My latest "book" here contained chapters that were coming in around 15K very regularly, and I noticed that the number of readers for that story dropped off. Don't know whether they were getting tired of the series, or if they didn't like the longer chapters.

When I was writing them, I had no specific length in mind for the chapters. The length was simply how long they became while I was telling the story.

Still, good question.

1215238 Okay, I always love stories with many chapters. But, each chapter must be over 1,000 words.

A chapter should be as long as it needs to be to keep the flow of the story going.

It's not the easiest thing to read a brobdingnagian chapter of the kind found in, say Background Pony, but if the story and writing is good enough, people will read it.

The number of pages that a book has doesn't deter me, so the word count in a chapter shouldn't either.

1215238 http://www.fimfiction.net/story/45860/diaries-of-a-madman

Probably the only story I'm put-off of reading due to its word count, because I know by the time I get to where it is now, it will have 50 more chapters, and I'll be 10 years older :D

I personally write one-scene chapters, for the most part.
The only time I will go against this rule is for contrast.
Also, I've read a book around about 200 pages long and it had close to 90 chapters. It's one of the best i've ever read, and it's called Mortal chaos. (an actual book, not a fan-fic)
But then OMAM (of mice and men) Didn't have chapters, just 6 scenes.
overall, i think chapter should be as long (or short) as they need to be.
Also, chapter in the abridged version of The Princess Bride by William.G, had chapter 4 as
"In one way or another, 3 years passed." Then chapter 5!!!

I prefer more numerous but shorter chapters, as long as it doesn't interfere with the story. It makes it easier for me to keep track of where I was.

Another consideration is that more chapters can mean more updates, and more time on the front page. Not that I would ever manipulate potential readers like that.

1215238

I don't exactly mind a lot of chapters, as long as the author seems to have some sort of plan for them. I don't like it when the writer just adds chapters for the sake of making the story longer, and it feels like the plot isn't going anywhere. Each chapter has to accomplish something important and move the plot forward, otherwise they're just stalling.

I'll drop even a very good fanfic if the author is spending too much of the narrative messing around with pointless subplots and fluff rather than actually getting down to business.

Are you put off by chapters with 10,000+ words?

Seeing as that is my standard chapter lenght when I'm seriously trying, no, not really.

In my humble opinion, anything over 12,000 words is two chapters.

I try to keep my stories at about 3000-5000 words per chapter.

I primarily read fics on my Kindle, so I don't really notice chapters anyway.

I've always had a preference for shorter chapters over long ones. probably around the three thousand range is good for me.

1215280 A New Point of View by Cyber V is about 65-70 chapters, last I looked at it. It's on hiatus for about 2 years, though...

Well considering I've read "Waking Nightmares" with chapters that are over 20,000 words I'm not really bothered by them, though I usually prefer shorter chapters and stories, usually because they're less of a strain to read and you can read them in a jiffy if you're pressed for time.

1215238 When writing my fic. I really tried to keep each chapter around 10-12k words. Sometimes it was less, most of the time it was more. I had a particular idea on what was going to happen in any given chapter, and as long as that goal was met, the word count didn't matter to me much.

It's all up to the author really. If the chapter gets it's point across in 3k words, good on ya. If it takes 15k words to do it, then do that. As long as the story at hand is enthralling enough to keep my attention, chapter length, or numbers doesn't really matter to me.

1215238

I'm totally ok with long chapters

Three of Me: School Society, Living the dream, and Waking Nightmares are three long ones I enjoyed reading

1215238
From an author standpoint, I would usually aim my lengths like a peak. Start with short chapters, say around 3-5k, then peak upward as the plot and the tension rises. Then lower it once again after the climax.

By luring the reader in with the smaller chapters and bringing them into the story, they would be more likely to read the colossal chapters because they're excited to see what happens next.

I prefer more chapters that are shorter than less chapters that are longer if they can find a good place to end their chapters. It's easier to just have a breather after an intense chapter if they're shorter, and if you don't have a lot of time, shorter chapters, being less of a time investment, are more practical to read.

I prefer smaller chapters over large, long ones. I find a lot of smaller chapters easier to read than one massive one. Chapters break up the story and make it easier for you to know where you are. It also allows you to read a small amount and close the tab without you losing your place in a 20k+ chapter. Chapters over 10k daunt me a little, but if I like the premise I'll give it a shot anyway. The thing that daunts me most is if it is a sequel.

1215616

I don't like it when the writer just adds chapters for the sake of making the story longer, and it feels like the plot isn't going anywhere.

This is the reason why I stopped reading Background Pony. Having most, if not all, of the story moving the plot along is a must.

1215238
If the story appears to be awesome, big chapters and huge chapter counts are both a positive!

Otherwise, yes. If a story only looks middling, or bad, I'm sure as hell not going to commit to something that appears to be enormous.

That being said, in general, large chapters don't scare me. I like to sit there and get immersed for a while.

1215677

I don't think chapters have any maximum lenght. Rather, like I said before, the chapter has to establish a plot point, preferably one that sets up the next chapter. The chapter is finished once you accomplish that, and if that takes more than 12.000 words, then that's what it takes. Of course, a good writer should still be able to get the point across without wasting words, but you shouldn't end your chapter just because your word count has hit a self-imposed arbitrary limit.

Actually, that's another pet peeve of mine: Authors who abruptly end a chapter in the middle of an event, only to continue it in the next chapter, for no particular reason.

Austraeoh, 500+ Chapters. Nuff said. And still, the best story on FimFiction in my opinion.