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length of chapters

Tribe Writers 2.0 Closed › Forums › Writing Critiques › length of chapters

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This topic contains 4 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by  Chandi 7 months, 1 week ago.

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  • September 4, 2024 at 4:38 PM #6814

    Kathy Burrus
    Participant

    Hi there! Not sure where this question fit, but it felt like this might be as good as any. I’m in the process of writing my first book. It’s my journey and I have discovered is just as my life began to grow in fullness, so do my chapters. Early chapters are 1500plus words. Later chapters pick up at 2500 and the last section they are about 4000.

    My question how important is it to have the chapters similar in length? Some of the topics seem to need to stay together.

    suggestions?
    kathy

  • September 9, 2024 at 5:42 PM #6890

    Abby Flynn
    Participant

    Hi Kathy!

    That’s a great question. I would definitely say as much as possible it’s important to try and keep chapters at semi-equal lengths. Especial as it comes toward the end of the book, to have your longest chapters there could be a bit laborious for the reader.

    I really like the book writing tips Jeff has in this article on word counts for books http://goinswriter.com/tips-writing-book/.

    Definitely understand it can be hard breaking up a section, but there are definitely creative ways of doing that give readers a chance to catch their breath. Hope this helps a bit! :)

    Abby
    Goins Writer Team

    • September 10, 2024 at 11:06 AM #6911

      Kathy Burrus
      Participant

      Thank you Abby! I had come to that conclusion ales also, but I was sure he had addressed it. Appreciate the link.

  • November 14, 2024 at 9:23 PM #8408

    Jeff Pickett
    Participant

    Kathy:
    Shawn Coyne, author of the Story Grid, recommends chapters be around 2000 words or less. He chooses this length because its the right amount of words to squeeze in a read before bedtime, etc.

    I suspect Shawn and Jeff are “related” in some way. Shawn’s website appears to use the Tribe theme.

    Jeff

    Patience is a virtue, right?

    http://www.jeffreypickett.com

  • December 11, 2024 at 10:34 PM #10382

    Chandi
    Participant

    Honestly, I would examine other books in your same genre. I am currently working on a travel memoir and when I look at what successful authors in that genre have done regarding chapter length, they are all over the map. Sometimes they have very short chapter, followed by a much longer one, etc. So my conclusion at least in that genre, is that there’s no hard and fast rule.

    Paradise of Exiles:
    Italy Retreats, Travel Writing & Expat Life
    http://paradiseofexiles.com

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