Good length?

[HedgeCat]

What is a good length for a fic? I use Microsoft word, so fellow MS Word users can just tell me how any pages I should have. I don't want too much in one chapter because I might make future chapters short compared to the other chapters.

Thanks in advance.

[Andrew]

I say at least 3 word pages. Anything less is too short IMO.

Didn't I say this in the 101?

[Mewfour]

I always aim for 2.5 at least, but whenever I want to emphasise the passing of time between chapters, I use shorter, 2-so page chapters. Taking a page out of Shakespeare's playbook, you know. Surprisingly effective.

[mistysakura]

Anywhere from 3-10, I guess. Any more and people start losing interest, any less and you can't fit stuff into it. Obviously, it also depends what happens in that chapter. I advise not to worry about having a uniform chapter length -- I don't see a problem weith it, really. It's only when one chapter's twice as long as the one before (or after ) that people really notice.

[Chris 2.1]

I think 3 was my first length, but it depends. As you develop writing you'll slowly build bigger chapters as you can express a little in a big way. In Monica's Army, I made sure each chapter was an 8-Page Minimum, that seemed to work in SOME cases.

But i'd say 3...yea, 3

[The Decapitated Mole]

First of all--please ignore my advice, because it's probably useless and I'm lazy...

Any chapter length is good, as far as I'm concerned. It's your fic, so if you want to have the chapters half a page, make 'em half a page. As long as you've got a decent writing style and plot, your story will be good no matter how long the chapters are. I guess longer chapters may be better in the long run, just because it will give the readers more to keep themselves occupied with until you can get the next chapter up, but really I think it's up to you to make the chapters as long as you feel is right. There may be one chapter where not a lot happens, and it turns out to be 3 or 4 paragraphs, and another one has 15 pages, who cares! You're the only one who knows just how you want the chapter to be, including length.

o_0
jimm

[Powarun]

I think that 10 pages may be a stretch. I would recomend you to make a fic about 7 pages long, anything over, I personally would skim over, and then start reading a few hours later, just so I can understand what is happening in the fic. Oh, and if you have a bad computer, only make a maxium of 3 pages in case the chapter is destroyed you can easily remake it.

[mistysakura]

Or else, you can save it onto a disk and put it in a safe place. 10 pages... I've just got a really short attention span, so I get distracted in the middle, but no one else (except for Powarun) seems to mind. Just go with whatever.

[Jamesology101]

How long's the piece of string I'm holding?

There's no such thing as a good length for a fic. It should be as long as it takes for you to tell the story. That's it. Of course, some people will be put off by a really long fic, just like some people won't think it's worth while reading a one-page wonder. It depends on the story, there is no 'proper' length. The same goes for chapter length - it depends what's happening in them, and what point you want to leave off the story at, whether you want a cliffhanger at a certain point or whatever.

[Powarun]

Mistysakura, sometimes floppy discs do fail. And ChicRocketJames, you missed the point, what the person is asking is what is a good length in general. Of course there is no real limit, it is just a guide line.

[Jamesology101]

I didn't miss the point. A good length for a trainer fic might be completely different from the length for a short fic about a romantic encounter between Ash and Misty. My point was that it depends on the story, and you shouldn't let other people set artificial guidelines for you.

[Whisper in the Wind]

Well, all my chapters are 6 pages+ (so far) in font size 10 [Varies with the Pokedex, Title & the lyrics)

[DannyBoy]

6 pages is perfect. As long as it is over say, 1 1/2 pages, it is a pretty decent chapter but anything under can be short. But average chapters are about 4 to 8 I would say. Anything above its great to.