How Long is too Long?

[The_Darkness]

For story length, you sick little monkeys.

When does it become a courtesy to break it up into different chapters to make it more manageable to read? I've seen stories out here with 5+ Lit pages worth of text in them. I try to hit about 12 pages per chapter if something's getting chapterized, unless I'm going a chapter a scene....then some are shorter and some are longer....but right about 8 to 12 pages in a word processor....that seems to be about 1.5 to 2 Lit pages.

Comments, questions, suggestions?

 

[wishfulthinking]

you sick little monkeys

Better believe it.

Same answer to both questions. It's how you use it.

 

[The_Darkness]

Better believe it.

Same answer to both questions. It's how you use it.

My kind of girl.

And I can understand your answer as being both....but sticking with the topic for at least the first page of posts...

I almost question it as a courtesy to the reader to keep the individual chapters short. I know that Black Shan has some HUGE stories, hell, I tried to edit one and it was almost 100 pages! If he'd have posted that straight out in Lit it would have been 10 or 13 pages on the site!

It just gets cumbersome to keep track of where you are....particularly the really good ones that...well....you know what I mean....

 

[English Lady]

Personally I find it hard to read anything over 4 lit pages long in one go...and thats the maximum really for me, a couple of lit pages seems to sit just right for me...I think if something looks like it should be chapteref, it is probably worth chaptering it...

 

[wishfulthinking]

Fine then, no hi-jacking.

real answer - not sure.

As a writer - I have my stories posted in chapters which average 2 lit pages a piece. I told this is too short. Others have expressed a preference that they want them all be combined once I've finished the story [if ever] to make it easier to read.

As a reader - 3 lit pages.

 

[The_Darkness]

Fine then, no hi-jacking.

real answer - not sure.

As a writer - I have my stories posted in chapters which average 2 lit pages a piece. I told this is too short. Others have expressed a preference that they want them all be combined once I've finished the story [if ever] to make it easier to read.

As a reader - 3 lit pages.

No hi-jacking....yet....wait until about 15 to 20 posts and then you can jack anything you want any which way gets you warm and fuzzy

I've had a few comments along the lines of "could have been longer" but I've also had readers comment that the same story was too long. Obviously, it's highly subjective, but I was just curious if I needed to shoot for longer and fewer chapters when I write or more and shorter chapters to keep pacing and interest flowing.

 

[The_Darkness]

Personally I find it hard to read anything over 4 lit pages long in one go...and thats the maximum really for me, a couple of lit pages seems to sit just right for me...I think if something looks like it should be chapteref, it is probably worth chaptering it...

I tend to agree with this...My limit is 3 for a sitting....usually because of time or other things that come about.