Vignettes
My first draft chapters usually run at about 1,800 - 2,000 words. Once I've completed the entire first draft I'll go back and edit, usually bringing them up to around 2,500 words with added detail and missed logic from the first draft.
This chapter length isn't something I deliberately set out to achieve, it's just a natural break point in my story telling methods. When I'm reading I tend to prefer shorter rather than longer chapters and so I think my writing naturally follows a similar path.
So last night I came upon a minor problem: while drafting a bar scene in which the protagonist and a some support characters do a bit of bonding and foreshadowing, I'd reached my natural cut-off point but still had a large chunk of work to do. Valentine, the hero of 'Mirror Man' is about to reminisce with a little vignette which is intended to both solidify his love for his lost Father and raise questions about his real age.
Now, if I was writing a screenplay this would be easy; we'd either fade to a black and white sequence or have a 'Scooby Doo' moment where the screen goes all wobbly. But, in a novel, I'm not sure if a separate chapter for the flashback scene would be too clumsy?
Without a separate chapter however, I'm going to have one chapter in the book that's almost twice as long as the others and I don't know if that's equally jarring for the reader?
I think I will initially separate the flashback into its own chapter and see how it flows when complete. Any ideas? Have you ever been disturbed by a chapter that significantly differed in length from the main body of the story? Let me know...
7 comments:
I don't tend to redraft : I tend to overthink and overplan each chapter before I get that far, so the act of actual writing is merely 'filling in the blanks' : I know where everything is going to go and how it's going to work before I build it.
I reckon you should go with the flow and break the flow where it feels natural. I think the only time I've ever been disturbed by the length of a chapter is when I've been falling asleep into a book and said I'd make it to the next chapter before giving up.... and when you do that, I always find that I have to re-read the whole chapter again anyway!
Don't force it. An unnatural break is weirder than a long chapter that flows.
ST
I agree with swiss. Any chapter that flows right wont disturb the reader in the slightest if it's longer than the others. When a writer is really doing their stuff for me, I dont even notice that I'm actually reading, let alone notice how many pages there are per chapter. Do what feels natural, and dont be overly critical of yourself.
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Thanks for the suggestions!
Mark - I used to write like that but for one thing, I still didn't know where everything was going! Now I almost do a brain dump - get the framework out and then build up around it. My current work will actually start at Chapter 5 in the next edit!
ST - I'm with you on the annoyance of a long chapter while falling asleep. I hate that, when you flick ahead to see there are still six pages before you can close your eyes!
Thank you Swansea girl - I'll write the whole thing as a solitary chapter and then see how it feels.
I think if you are 'falling asleep into a book' there is sometning amiss with the book. I agree basically with swisstoni and aew etc to do what comes naturally. Words , lines, chapters - the story's the thing.
Here from Michele's.
I don't think falling asleep into a book is always a sign it's a bad book. With me it's more often a sign that it's long gone midnight and I should have been asleep ages ago.
Or of too much wine.
Or both.
ST
As long as the story is enticing enough to hold my attention, it doesn't matter to me whether one chapter is a little longer than the others.
Work at it and do whatever feels right.
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