Tip: Vary Your Chapter Lengths

I'm currently working on Book 2 of my YA fantasy trilogy, and I just finished drafting a particularly long chapter. The tip that I wanted to share today is tied to that. When drafting your story, try not to have several long chapters back to back. It's easy for the reader to get bored or frustrated if your chapters are consistently lengthy. It makes it hard to find a good place to stop when the reader looks to finish reading, and it can make the plot drag.

As both a writer and a reader, I find that it's best to structure stories with an interesting mix of long, short, and mid-length chapters. I make an effort not to follow a long chapter with a bunch more long ones if I can avoid it, and I do the same with short chapters. It keeps things more interesting and unpredictable if you provide your reader with chapters of varying lengths. Every story is different of course, so depending on your genre, target audience, etc., you want to go with what works for your particular story. Just always work to keep your readers on their toes.

Happy writing! :)

Laura Sepesi

Author

The Guardian of Kelmar

www.laurasepesi.com