As someone who writes fanfiction, what would you consider an appropriate word count per chapter to be? (Btw I love your blog and you’re super cool and keysmash keysmash)
This is going to sound like a noncommittal response, but: there isn’t a wrong or right answer. Writing style, amount of dialogue, events within the chapter - so many things can dictate how long a chapter ends up.
On average, I think we hit approximately 4k per chapter in The Shining Beacon, with some as short as 2k and others reaching 8k. It’s a fic that relies heavily on dialogue, and so actions move a little more slowly than in some of my other fics, which average under 2k per chapter. (I personally commend writers who are consistent with their word counts chapter by chapter, but then again, stylistically it’s not required and can be an active narrative choice.)
Longer chapters of course mean more can happen, characters can have extended conversations that are (hopefully) relevant to the story, and specific events can take place uninterrupted (our longest chapters were Big Events that could not easily be broken up into more parts).
However…not all readers have the patience for 8k chapters, even when scenes are broken up within it. Not all stories need 8k chapters when editing and parring down would be a better narrative. For the most part, I don’t actually pay attention to word count while I’m writing; I work with chapter outlines and when it’s done, it’s done. But once the draft is done, I can look at the length and determine whether I need to split it up for the sake of my reader’s patience and the pacing of the story. (I try to stay around or under 4k for TSB and 2k for my shorter AUs, and if I stray beyond that, I make sure there’s a good reason.)
The TL;DR of my response is to check a few boxes when you’re working on a chapter:
- Does the chapter add to the story (via events occurring or character development)?
- Can it be edited and tightened up?
- If it feels long and cannot be edited down, can it be split into multiple chapters?
IMO, there are no chapters that are “too short” so long as the actions within are actively moving the story along, but you can combine shorter scenes into one chapter if you’re trying for consistent word counts.
I hope this helps! Writing can be a very personal thing, so what works for me may not be right for you. Experimentation is your friend!
(And thank you so much!! I love your blog too! 💚)
