tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post3920778982520606908..comments2024-01-03T02:24:32.515-08:00Comments on Where Ladybugs Roar ~ Wendy's Writing Blog: Pop quiz--ChaptersWendy Sparrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-39219052576367133082010-01-11T09:50:18.302-08:002010-01-11T09:50:18.302-08:00Jaime and Nisa both tied at 244. I know. What ar...Jaime and Nisa both tied at 244. I know. What are the odds? It was definitely one of those moments where everything goes in slow motion and you can't believe your eyes.Wendy Sparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-27333647370820993242010-01-11T09:26:41.233-08:002010-01-11T09:26:41.233-08:0042! lol! Honestly, I don't mind long chapters ...42! lol! Honestly, I don't mind long chapters as long as they keep a good pace. Short chapters are fine too. I'm easy. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08616276555920544920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-45281662112782985732010-01-11T09:09:16.051-08:002010-01-11T09:09:16.051-08:00As long as it feels right I'm usually okay wit...As long as it feels right I'm usually okay with any length, but I feel like 10-12 pages is the right amount. I do get annoyed with short chapters. <br /><br />I.E. The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks. He has these long chapters 20+ pages long then goes to a chapter with a few paragraphs...Make up your mind man! And it just so happened that the chapters that were long were the characters I was bored with and the chapters that were freakin' short were the characters I wanted to hear more about. So every short chapter bugged me. <br /> <br />Also when I give myself the "okay one more chapter," excuse I want to get bang for my buck. If it was only a page I'd be mad.<br /><br />Yes I am illogical, but when we are discussing Honor's books I feel like I'm in good company. Logic is overrated.Jaimenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-53928448470088938002010-01-11T09:07:33.754-08:002010-01-11T09:07:33.754-08:00Amber, only seven chapters at that length??? Whoa...Amber, only seven chapters at that length??? Whoa! That's nuts. At that point, you might as well just ditch the chapters entirely and go with the "parts with roman numerals" approach. Somehow, you ended up with a million points, so I'll have to rescore yours later.<br /><br />Julie, good answer (we all clap) You just made it within the cushion to eat food within the next 24 hours. Congratulations. Woo woo.Wendy Sparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-89094722924844766862010-01-11T08:32:48.085-08:002010-01-11T08:32:48.085-08:00My answer is C. As long as the story breaks up int...My answer is C. As long as the story breaks up into digestible parts and ends at logical places, the chapter lengths don't make a huge difference for me personally. (I hope I get to eat food within the next 24 hours .. although a balloon would be pretty nice.)Julie Daohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13814052162359300933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-91207532684494670562010-01-11T05:12:42.531-08:002010-01-11T05:12:42.531-08:00I just finished Donna Tartt's THE LITTLE FRIEN...I just finished Donna Tartt's THE LITTLE FRIEND: 555 whopping pages divided into one short prologue and only 7 chapters.<br /><br />Seven!<br /><br />Granted, I was able to find "stopping points" as the POV shifted between one character and another, but I was still wildly aggravated by the lack of more chapters. <br /><br />So, I guess I'm going with A) shorter chapters.<br /><br />However, I am not a huge fan of seriously short chapters, either. <br /><br />(I know, picky-picky.)Leigh Hutchens Burchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974935740527936303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-63974945113526104732010-01-10T23:24:42.406-08:002010-01-10T23:24:42.406-08:00BTW, this question was inspired because I was on a...BTW, this question was inspired because I was on an agent's blog and she/he said something like, "I was immediately turned off by the book's short chapters. You know how much I hate short chapters."<br /><br />It just made me wonder if I was odd for preferring the opposite.Wendy Sparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-57053317222198300092010-01-10T23:22:18.895-08:002010-01-10T23:22:18.895-08:00Wow, you got four thousand points for using the su...Wow, you got four thousand points for using the super secret mystery word for today's blog. It was "whipping." Shhh. I feel the same way, though. I think it actually enhances pacing if you get the chapters "right" for your book.Wendy Sparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-23649230998833135262010-01-10T22:13:17.226-08:002010-01-10T22:13:17.226-08:00Shorter chapters. Makes me feel like I'm whip...Shorter chapters. Makes me feel like I'm whipping through the book.Catherine Dentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13771249741266703689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-51017586762916512362010-01-10T21:33:29.662-08:002010-01-10T21:33:29.662-08:00You did get extra credit, Diana. I'll give yo...You did get extra credit, Diana. I'll give you all of the adverbs I cut today--all of them! No, really, you deserve them. Seriously.<br /><br />I should have answered my own question. I like shorter chapters--as long as they vary in length when they need to. If all the chapters were one page--my eyes would bleed. In kids' books, I think chapters should be shorter. The husband reads a chapter a night...and Artemis is killing him. The kids are getting an hour long "read" every night. Poor husband.Wendy Sparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06240583852940769313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-37597378220863209652010-01-10T21:03:01.182-08:002010-01-10T21:03:01.182-08:00My answer is mostly C. I say mostly because like y...My answer is mostly C. I say mostly because like you I've read books with twenty page chapters and others *cough* James Patterson *cough* with one page chapters. And if the book is good, who cares?<br /><br />Here's a reference for you, from http://www.writing4success.com/tipsheet33.htm <br /><br />"Unless you are working to a set of guidelines issued by the publisher, stop fretting about chapter length and start thinking in terms of scenes. You plan each scene to move the story forward (like scenes in a movie). You don't finish a scene until you have achieved what you set out to do.<br /><br />== Should Chapters All Be The Same Length? ==<br /><br />No. Chapters can vary enormously in length. It can be very effective to have a 20-page chapter followed by one of just two pages, if you need to establish a quick bit of background or briefly show what another character is up to.<br /><br />Chapter length is not really important. What *does* count is how well you keep the reader's attention in the current scene. Again, tap into your own reading experience. If the story has you totally absorbed, you'll keep reading no matter what length the chapters are."<br /><br />That's more than you probably wanted to know, but I hope it helped. Did I get extra credit?Diana Pazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04368186068872293410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589253886068784629.post-69834844329915864452010-01-10T16:13:21.771-08:002010-01-10T16:13:21.771-08:00I like long chapters to have scene breaks so I can...I like long chapters to have scene breaks so I can take a break. Otherwise, I have to stop in the middle of a scene. The short chapters (a few pages) are deadly 'cause it's too easy to say, "just one more." The next thing you know, you've read ten more chapters. :DStinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.com