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Q&A Sizing of a chapter and how many should I use?

Chapter length is a stylist choice There is no correct answer to this. The length of the chapters in any given book is entirely dependant on writing style. How you use them can effect the tone of ...

posted 5y ago by linksassin‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-20T00:53:24Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42781
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:54:04Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42781
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T08:54:04Z (almost 5 years ago)
# Chapter length is a stylist choice

There is no correct answer to this. The length of the chapters in any given book is entirely dependant on writing style. How you use them can effect the tone of your writing as well as the readability. However what is 'best' is entirely up to you.

Chapter length can be used to control the pacing of your work. A longer chapter gives a slowly pace while short chapters drive the plot more quickly. Some authors change the length of their chapters throughout the novel to control the pacing of the story.

This article [How long should a chapter be?](https://blog.reedsy.com/how-long-should-a-chapter-be/) analyses the average chapter length of popular works and find the most common length is between 3000 and 5000 words, but _Holes_ averages just 942 words per chapter and _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ averages 7226 words.

Ultimately word count shouldn't be the driving force behind chapter length. Instead let the feel and pacing of the story determine where and how your chapter end.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-03-01T00:04:26Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 0