If Size Matters...

[ErosArtist]

...at what point does a short story become a chapter?

I've got four drafts in the works; two are at the 7,000-8,000 word mark and one is at about 14,000. A couple are now going in the direction of becoming a series, perhaps a 'novella,' while the others will likely remain single tales.

Curious about opinions...

 

[sr71plt]

Traditionally, a short story stopped at 20,000 words and a novella didn't pick up until 35,000 words (with nothing much being written in between).

Here in the current short-attention-span world, a short story pretty much cuts off at 3,500 words--because most contests and short story magazines don't want anything longer.

The determination of a chapter, though, is really based on the arc of the story and natural breaks in that rather than world length.

 

[ErosArtist]

Traditionally, a short story stopped at 20,000 words and a novella didn't pick up until 35,000 words (with nothing much being written in between).

Here in the current short-attention-span world, a short story pretty much cuts off at 3,500 words--because most contests and short story magazines don't want anything longer.

The determination of a chapter, though, is really based on the arc of the story and natural breaks in that rather than world length.

Thanks for your input - again!

BTW, thanks again for your editing help. I'm just now getting things going again; my laptop and portable HD's (where my drafts were located) were stolen a while back. They've been returned, but not in good working order.

Nothing like a fresh start!