tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post4729147274667659282..comments2023-12-26T18:33:04.681-08:00Comments on Writability: Discussion: Do Short Chapters Make You Read More?Gabe (Ava Jae)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04778524723148508140noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-59670380826789903462015-03-10T17:55:20.303-07:002015-03-10T17:55:20.303-07:00That's interesting! I do find that I'm muc...That's interesting! I do find that I'm much less likely to put down a book in the middle of a chapter if it's a short chapter (because just a couple more pages!). But with longer chapters if I know it'll take too long to finish the chapter, I could hypothetically put it down anywhere.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-79478347150950536432015-03-03T09:17:50.351-08:002015-03-03T09:17:50.351-08:00I'm writing a book right now for only a couple...I'm writing a book right now for only a couple people and I'm making the chapters short because I don't like having any type of cliffhanger in the middle of a chapter. If I make the chapter too long then people would eventually loose what they had that kept them going through the chapter. That happens to me a lot in books with long chapter and it ends up taking me a long time to finish the book that I'm reading. Even as I'm writing if I get too bored with the part that I'm on then I go back and change part of it to make it more interesting. This usually leads to the chapter being shorter since, like I said before, I dont like having any type of cliffhanger in the middle of a chapter,Mikkinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-17933093487685086522014-11-10T04:43:41.355-08:002014-11-10T04:43:41.355-08:00Yeah, I've definitely done that too, with long...Yeah, I've definitely done that too, with longer chapters. I don't like stopping mid-chapter, either (though lately, I've been doing that more if I felt like I had to).Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-85359256821889576872014-11-09T08:23:40.758-08:002014-11-09T08:23:40.758-08:00I much prefer shorter chapters. Im of the "on...I much prefer shorter chapters. Im of the "one more chapter" mindset if they are short. But if they are longer I find myself constantly checking how much I have left at night as I can't stop mid chapter.Natalienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-11564411118659643432014-03-17T18:27:27.485-07:002014-03-17T18:27:27.485-07:00I can understand that. Very interesting how differ...I can understand that. Very interesting how different people's reading habits can be. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-89689595420413847482014-03-17T18:25:17.745-07:002014-03-17T18:25:17.745-07:00Yes, longer chapters do take longer to get through...Yes, longer chapters do take longer to get through, but in my case I tend to get annoyed if I'm really into a book and someone or something (human, feline, or chapter break) disrupts my "flow." But that's me, and I speak for myself and no one else. :-)Debby Hanokanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-79406802840109130462014-03-17T17:51:52.434-07:002014-03-17T17:51:52.434-07:00I completely agree that there isn't a right or...I completely agree that there isn't a right or wrong way to set chapters up—what works for the story works for the story. I was just commenting on how I'd noticed chapter length affected <i>my</i> reading pace. I can still enjoy books with longer chapters just as much as books with shorter chapters, it just tends to take me a little longer to get through them. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-84019169084853072522014-03-17T17:50:19.275-07:002014-03-17T17:50:19.275-07:00It makes no difference to me. If the story is wel...It makes no difference to me. If the story is well written and holds my interest, then I'll read it to the end. The length of chapters is a non-issue.<br /><br />Since every story is uniquely different, so is the way of dividing a story into chapters. There is no right or wrong way to do it as long as the chapter divisions work for the individual story.Debby Hanokanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-13690841778053176662014-03-12T08:32:54.832-07:002014-03-12T08:32:54.832-07:00Scene breaks are another good resting point—oftent...Scene breaks are another good resting point—oftentimes if the chapter is going on too long or if I really need to stop even though I don't want to, I'll read to the next scene break. For me, I find it harder to jump back in mid-scene because I tend to have to re-read a bit to remind myself what I'm jumping back into.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-58170588232350851712014-03-12T06:51:03.606-07:002014-03-12T06:51:03.606-07:00I love books with built-in stopping points, whethe...I love books with built-in stopping points, whether chapter breaks or scene breaks within a chapter. Stephen King's books always follow this style and I can read his stuff quite quickly because of it. I, like you, cannot stand stopping in the middle of a chapter. I have a harder time jumping back in, for some reason. I know it's purely psychological, but there it is.Andi-Roohttp://www.theworld4realz.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-51037078567458149132014-03-11T07:08:35.547-07:002014-03-11T07:08:35.547-07:00I totally get that. You make an interesting point ...I totally get that. You make an interesting point about chapter endings usually having a cliffhanger or mini-turning point—you're completely right, so I suppose in a way, books with shorter chapters would have more of those, thus giving the feeling of a more intense plot. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes sense to me...Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-83534234227806244872014-03-11T07:06:52.311-07:002014-03-11T07:06:52.311-07:00Ha ha while this doesn't happen every time, I&...Ha ha while this doesn't happen <i>every</i> time, I've had that happen. And it figures...but to be honest, I usually don't mind. :DAva Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-21141137641892928552014-03-11T07:06:23.670-07:002014-03-11T07:06:23.670-07:00It's amazing how the "one more chapter&qu...It's amazing how the "one more chapter" mindset can make you fly through a book...Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-46311197114416237952014-03-10T18:40:35.932-07:002014-03-10T18:40:35.932-07:00As far as stopping points go, I'm not picky, b...As far as stopping points go, I'm not picky, but I prefer shorter chapters over longer ones because the plot seems to move faster. Chapters generally end on some sort of cliffhanger or miniature turning point, so to me shorter chapters equal a more intense plot and a more interesting read. Some of my favorite books have lengthy chapters, but they definitely took me longer to read than books like The Maze Runner. If the chapters are long, I tend to create stopping points because I feel like I'm being dragged.Gabryelle K.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-17998423910566654252014-03-10T16:32:14.687-07:002014-03-10T16:32:14.687-07:00Also don't you find that when you do go for ju...Also don't you find that when you do go for just one more it turns out to be the longest chapter in the book? Maybe it's just me.RoweMatthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-20234901458447253722014-03-10T16:31:37.928-07:002014-03-10T16:31:37.928-07:00Definitely. I'm the same. I just read a book t...Definitely. I'm the same. I just read a book that had very short chapters and largely because of that fact I read almost the first half if the book in one setting. That's amazing for me as it normally takes me at least a month to finish reading a book.RoweMatthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-22964798922013232422014-03-10T14:26:55.389-07:002014-03-10T14:26:55.389-07:00Breadcrumbs! I like that analogy. You're total...Breadcrumbs! I like that analogy. You're totally right.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-57561559994364954342014-03-10T14:26:37.193-07:002014-03-10T14:26:37.193-07:00Wow! That's so intense! I tend to be wary of b...Wow! That's so intense! I tend to be wary of books that are THAT long unless I already know I love the author.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-14353818387602546472014-03-10T14:26:02.738-07:002014-03-10T14:26:02.738-07:00Ahhhh that doesn't sound fun. Chapters that lo...Ahhhh that doesn't sound fun. Chapters that long seem to be more like parts to me than actual chapters...yikes. <br /><br /><br />But otherwise, you're definitely right that short chapters help enable the "one more chapter" mentality.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-87276210400765780972014-03-10T12:42:55.707-07:002014-03-10T12:42:55.707-07:00I think short chapters can be a good psychological...I think short chapters can be a good psychological move...they're a fast payoff, but also a trail of breadcrumbs. They lead you along, because you want to know more, and because they AREN'T long, well, you can read just one more right? And another?Jen Donohuehttp://authorizedmusings.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-842557786041621082014-03-10T12:31:23.725-07:002014-03-10T12:31:23.725-07:00LOL :D
Well, it's space opera. And there are t...LOL :D<br />Well, it's space opera. And there are two more books. The whole trilogy is about 2000 pages.<br />You know, I love and envy this author. He is able to publish a 300k-word novel almost every year. And they are all great! But you must like the genre. ;)Carlahttp://www.anakina.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-3375594269286406552014-03-10T12:21:06.487-07:002014-03-10T12:21:06.487-07:0030-page-long scenes? @.@ I suspect that book would...30-page-long scenes? @.@ I suspect that book would lose me. lolAva Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-6423127075007645892014-03-10T10:54:30.371-07:002014-03-10T10:54:30.371-07:00Oh, absolutely! I'm exactly the same with chap...Oh, absolutely! I'm exactly the same with chapters. If the chapters are long, I'll flick ahead to see how many pages and usually decide it's too long and it'll have to wait for another time. If the chapters are short, I may well stay up all night reading because I have the "just one more chapter" mentality. <br /><br /><br />I think one of my least favourite books to read (content/writing aside, though I didn't enjoy those much either) was Saturday by Ian McEwan, which has precisely four chapters. There aren't any convenient stopping points either, and I would have given up if I hadn't been reading it for a class!Lesley Whytehttp://liesandothernonsense.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-59552475941987470932014-03-10T10:38:18.923-07:002014-03-10T10:38:18.923-07:00You don't stop if you want to know what happen...You don't stop if you want to know what happens next. ;) Besides, some scenes are 30 pages long!Carlahttp://www.anakina.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-42921713484254553102014-03-10T08:28:16.715-07:002014-03-10T08:28:16.715-07:00I can't even imagine reading a book without ch...I can't even imagine reading a book without chapters. I'd be hesitant to pick it up at all! But otherwise I totally agree, and I can see how it'd especially be helpful if you're also trying to take care of a kid while reading...Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com