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OK, so my book is already written, and the average length of my chapters is much higher than 1200. The shortest is 1800, most fall somewhere between 2k and 4k, and the longest is just under 6k. Now the issue I have with this is that I've created the chapters to help structure the story. It's quite complicated, with different settings/timelines and character narratives, so grouping scenes together in chapters and parts helps with reader comprehension. If I were to break down chapters into separate scenes, then I would risk losing the reader. What do you think?

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Jul 2, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones

Thank you, this is so helpful! I've already completed my novel but am finding the querying process soul sucking and love the idea of instead building community around the experience of reading and interacting with the story. Based on my current chapter lengths, I'd been imagining longer installments, but I think you've persuaded me to reformat things and go with shorter bits that readers can enjoy over coffee, without needing to carve out extra time in their schedule.

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Dec 28, 2021·edited Dec 28, 2021Liked by Simon K Jones

I let the scene/episode/chapter decide its own length. I did decide on a 600 word minimum for my live serial. But that seems to be the minimum that I naturally write per session for my serial episodes. I just checked and every episode is between 663 and 1156 words. So I am under your minimum.

But I have always been a concise writer. Maybe that is why I don't have a huge following. 🤣 If I wrote longer episodes, they would probably feel forced and padding to me. So I do what feels natural for the serial and me.

I think you can get away with short chapters by posting more frequently. For me, once per week is the absolute longest I can remember what is going on in a story when I read a serial. Usually, reading the first paragraph is just trying to refresh my memory. I personally would prefer higher frequency for serials, but I know that is hard for the writer. My serial is once per week because that is all I can realistically manage, and write the other stuff I write, and still have a life. 🤣

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So excellent! I am learning so much from this series. Thank you!! jeanine

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