《Write Better: Tips and tricks》Chapter Length
Advertisement
We're going to take a look at that today.
Wattpad is a little different from regular novels and books, for a couple reasons. One of them is that it's a reading platform with a heavy percentage of mobile readers.
1. Consider your audience. If you're printing a regular book or publishing to Amazon or something that's extremely e-reader friendly, you can get away with longer chapters. On wattpad, you have a lot of younger users who may only have a cellphone or computer as their resource. For them, shorter chapters are usually easier to scroll through and read.
2. Consider your story. If you have the entire thing written, wonderful! You can break your story down into chapters and figure out about how many parts there will be. A lot of writers on wattpad post as they go, so they may have trouble breaking parts into even segments (or make them too small, and wind up with 120 chapters when it should be 45).
3. Consider the scene(s). Chapters consist of a scene or sequence of scenes that work together. They're a cohesive unit of story that is tied together in some way to each other, and to the larger work as a whole. [For example, in baking a cake, you have wet ingredients- egg, milk, melted butter; vs dry [flour, baking powder, salt, etc.]
4. Consider your average chapter length for that story.
That's generally considered enough information to make a reader feel like an update was worth it, it's long enough for most people to read in under ten minutes, it's mobile-device friendly, and it's plenty of time for things to happen in your story.
Rather than force your chapter to meet a certain word count, end it where it naturally ends. It might be a little longer or a little shorter.
Advertisement
Some of you might push chapters to 5000 or 6000 words or more, and that's okay, but if you ever wonder why some people aren't reading your story, remember that on Wattpad that is a lot of text to scroll through in one sitting, no matter how fantastic of a writer you are. There are people on here who will refuse to read a chapter that long. They don't mean to offend you, just like you don't mean to offend them! Just remember where you're posting.
Advertisement
- In Serial11 Chapters
The Exiles return
Humans in the Holy realm are a fallen race, they are discriminated against, enslaved and are over all, looked down upon. And some of their race, mostly the royalty and nobility, are exiled long ago, to the great void, never to be seen again. But when a transmission from across the great void reaches the ears of the Elven queen, because of her curiosity, she decides to respond to it and invites the ones that are transmitting the signals, to the Elven realm. The transmitters are enthusiastic as they’ve been searching for life outside their galaxy, and with the technology capable of travelling between galaxies recently became possible, they accepted the invitation. A first contact made outside the Milkdromeda galaxy, by the Terran republic, and the Elven realm.
8 137 - In Serial8 Chapters
Unlikely Animals (short stories)
A collection of short stories by C. Wendt Each Chapter is a different story and will have its own introduction and content warnings. These stories are not necessarily connected. Most of these fictions will be fairly experimental and may possibly all include animals. I don't know yet. Real comments get +rep, "first" will be deleted. A Chipmunk (674 words; Contemporary, Comedy) The Man Who Lifts Steel (755 words; Sci-fi, Superhero) Red Eclipse (270 words; Sci-fi, Horror) Delivered Unto Giants (298 words; Sci-fi, Horror) The Boy & Rain (173 words; Contemporary, Satire) A Dog Named Peter (4140 words; Historical, Supernatural) Waiting for Inspiration – Act II (172 words; Contemporary, Comedy)
8 78 - In Serial41 Chapters
Orion || RWRB fanfic || Henry's POV
RWRB from Henry's POV.Henry is drowning in the pressures of his family, the media, and his 'prince charming' reputation. The last thing he wants is an international disaster. But with Alex, it's not really a choice...All rights go to Casey McQuiston for writing such an amazing book! If you haven't read it yet, please go check it out it is honestly so good.
8 884 - In Serial13 Chapters
He Never Loved Me (#Wattys2019)
This life is what I made it, I messed up, It's universal couldn't help it. But this broken heart I fell is the worst. It's like having broken ribs, no one can see, but it hurts every time I breath.
8 169 - In Serial192 Chapters
Rewritten Kink & Lemons!!!
since Wattpad deleted my other book, I sadly have to fricken restart this book. I'm crying so hard.This book is for you horny weebs that want to request and read some your naughty fantasies, and also don't be shy. . . ✨Add some more✨
8 186 - In Serial18 Chapters
14 days ✓
── go to sleep.female reader. angst.
8 117

