As I return to writing, I’m rereading the projects I was working on before I took a break, and one major difference between the two projects I’m reading is that one of them is averaging around four pages a chapter, whereas the other one is eight to ten pages a chapter. That got me thinking about the pros and cons to both, and I thought I would share them with you from a writer’s perspective.
First, we’ll start with the short chapters. I can’t deny that they are quicker to write, especially when I’m really in the zone. It’s two or three big scenes, and then the chapter is over. I think they’re easier to grind out when I’m short on time, and I think they’re easier to walk away from and come back to, which is something I have to do quite frequently. Not only are they quicker to write, they’re also quicker to edit, which as a person who hates editing my own work, I appreciate. That being said, I actually haven’t really edited the short chapters, but I can only imagine that they’re going to go a lot quicker than the ones that are twelve pages.
Although there are definitely benefits to the short chapters, they do mean I have to be very quick to the point of the scenes, and it’s hard for me to add extra scenes spontaneously, which I love doing. It’s similar to being limited to word count for a project, and I don’t like that. I like being able to go off on tangents and add scenes, since I think it keeps the project as fun as possible for me to write, because there’s a degree of mystery as to what I’m actually writing that day. And even though there’s less scenes in each chapter, there’s still the same amount of scenes in the novel, and that means that the project with short chapters that I mentioned earlier has fifty seven chapters. I’m not currently writing that project with deadlines, but I have in the past, and if you’re trying to finish a novel by a certain date and have chapters due every day or two, it’s quite intimidating.
Second, we can talk about long chapters. I’m a sucker for writing long chapters, since I feel like it gives me the most creative freedom to follow wherever my heart takes me. In contrast to the short chapters, my longer ones average about five scenes per chapter, and I feel like I’m able to accomplish so much in those ten pages. To me, writing long chapters takes the pressure off of having to censor myself just for the sake of keeping the chapter short. I also prefer them in the sense that it feels like the story is moving forward faster, just because there’s more scenes per chapter.
However, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of editing my own work, so editing these long chapters is not something I love doing. It’s more time consuming, and when you’re editing between three and five chapters at a time, it’s a lot for my little brain. Again, not that I’m currently writing with deadlines, but they are harder to get done with a short turnaround (looking at you, June of 2022, where I had chapters due every three days for one project, and every four for another…we’ll get into that another time). Longer chapters aren’t bad to take a break from writing if necessary, but it is harder to keep track of everything that has happened in each chapter.
I know there’s quite the debate in the reading community (BookTok, especially) about whether short chapters or long chapters are preferred, and honestly, I’m in the middle. I think if long chapters are written well, and have a lot of action in them, then they’re superior. But if there isn’t enough action in the chapters, I think short chapters are better, since it breaks up the slower momentum of the story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, so feel free to leave a comment.
That's all for now, folks!
-C
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