Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Serendipity is useful. I’d just been pondering a chapter’s length yesterday. At thirty-six hundred words, I felt it lengthy. No, the reader within thought it lengthy, and was suggesting breaking it up into three chapters.
“Why three?” I asked the reader.
“That chapter has a lot going on in it. Breaking it up let your readers breath.”
“But three?”
“The way I see it, you have three natural breaks in the action.”
The reader, having read a lot, typically offers some good insights, so I considered what he said. As I did, a Reedsy article about chapter length was discovered in my inbox.
The article, “Chapter Length Matters. Here’s Why,” and its comments, gave me more substance for my thinking, so I thought I’d pass it on to other writers.
What of you, writers? Is there an ideal chapter length, or do you have specific guidelines, rules, or suggestions to share?
Have you even been perusing the news, and come across an article with a title like, “21 great pizzas in 21 San Francisco neighborhoods,” and think, “Oh, my god, I could eat a pizza RIGHT NOW,” and then your stomach rumbles in agreement?
Yeah, me, neither.
Panda-cat (catfinition): Black and white feline that doesn’t pull off the traditionally stylish tuxedo look, but has more of a panda bear ensemble.
Warm with dreams and cozy under blankets, I cracked my mind open to a cat’s demands. “No,” my body said. “I want to stay in bed.”
The sentiment tempted me. Rain was falling and daylight had slipped down the spectrum into a ghostly gray. The cat persisted, as cats will do. My brain transitioned to song lyrics.
“I spent the day in bed. You can please yourself. But, I spent the day in bed.”
I’d only heard the Morrissey song a few times since its release. Not much of the words stuck to me, but I remembered, “Stop watching the news, because the news contrives to frighten you, to make you feel small and alone, to make you feel that your mind isn’t your own.”
That’s how I felt as I rose and hastened to serve my feline masters. If I couldn’t stay in bed, I wanted to go to a pub and sip a pint, but no, I must write.
Here’s the rest of “Spent the Day in Bed” for your enjoyment. How’s your day? Want to stay in bed?
Do you ever hear someone refer to plastic silverware? Do you ever ask them, “Why is the plastic silverware white?”
Yeah, me, neither.
Meowstrom (catfinition): Powerful feline activity, often accompanied by meowing (and sometimes by hissing and growling), that sucks others into its quantum vortex.
Michael Seidel, writer 