Chapter Lengths

rajillustration 2020-07-24 19:13:12 UTC #7

I was worried about the limit as well, but once I started breaking down my chapters into itty pieces (I just name them 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and so on) it wasn't so bad, since I had natural break points within the chapters. It also helps me update more regularly, which is an added plus.

Plus I came from doing comics where it's like...here's one page that is 4 lines of dialogue--see you next week! So I feel like I give way more in an novel update than a comic update.

Prisim 2020-07-24 19:31:50 UTC #8

I struggle with it because my novels aren't written to be bite sized. So trying to find places to break them into parts that fit within the character limit has been a struggle and is a big reason I haven't yet committed to moving to Tapas full time. One chapter suddenly becomes 2 or 3 parts with each part just randomly ending because I've been shooting to keep each part the same length. I'm sure the more I do it, the easier it'll become, just a matter of motivating myself to want to do it for my other books LOL And motivation has been a huge issue for me.

alexlcuri07 2020-07-24 19:44:45 UTC #9

At first, I couldn't stand the limit, but that's because my writing style is already broken up. While I write longer chapters, most of them are segmented because its written in multiple POVs. So I've just adjusted the story to use the POV changes as a separate episode.

As time has gone on, I actually don't mind it, and vaguely considered breaking down the chapters in future editions of the novel. Who knows.

Jen-Jen 2020-07-24 19:55:57 UTC #10

Yeah, it's definitely better for Tapas to have shorter chapters. I just wrote my first chapter without knowing the limit, and didn't have a natural break. Oh well, maybe the next chapters will be easier.

VApowers 2020-07-24 19:56:22 UTC #11

I typically don't have problems with the word length. I think it is a fun challenge to tell the story in bite size segments

Jen-Jen 2020-07-24 19:57:39 UTC #12

Interesting range. So, your original manuscripts are about 2,800-4,000 words long? Do you find it easier to write that way, or is that just how it turns out for you?

foxnflames 2020-07-24 19:58:51 UTC #13

I did at first but now I can extend my buffer by breaking down my chapters more

Jen-Jen 2020-07-24 19:58:57 UTC #14

Yeah, actually, I have the same problem. Editing my chapter was easier than I'd thought. Some bits were really unnecessary. I cut out a whole NPC lol.

Jen-Jen 2020-07-24 20:00:54 UTC #15

Yeah, it's better for Tapas to have shorter chapters, and the audience is expecting it, too. In the end, it's better for creators, too. I guess I'm just disappointed because it's the complete opposite of my writing style. Oh well, it'll probably get easier as time goes on.

Jen-Jen 2020-07-24 20:01:50 UTC #16

Did you find it difficult to identify natural breaks?

joannekwan 2020-07-24 20:06:15 UTC #17

Eh, I don't pay too much attention to the actual lengths of my chapters. So long as they accomplish what I want them to accomplish, meaning that they have a collection of linked scenes that drive the plot forward, then it doesn't matter how long they are. Like in one book, my shortest chapter is 5 pages while the longest is 16 pages.

amberberry 2020-07-24 20:10:24 UTC #18

I basically always end up pushing the max character limit with my updates. My chapters are basically always over the limit so I have to cut them into smaller updates. I usually prefer 6k-8k characters per update but it depends where a good spot for the break is.
I've had people say that they like how my updates are on the longer side which I'm happy about. I don't personally like cutting the story into really short bits since I don't really like reading stories like that myself.

Prisim 2020-07-24 20:11:37 UTC #19

You sound a lot like me in terms of how your write. The chapter will be as long as it needs to be to finish what it needs to convey. I've had chapters as short as 500 words and other chapters as long as 10k. However, the 10k was back when I didn't have any real experience with editing myself LOL Now that I'm a bit better at targeting my redundancies and over describing certain things, I've been able to keep my chapters in average of 4-6K words.

BlunderingAlbatross 2020-07-24 20:17:00 UTC #20

I thought I would but the flow of things just seems to work, though I'm not sure how others' experiences compare. Admittedly, some bits were harder than others but I try not to be too precious about it

Fuzed 2020-07-24 20:30:20 UTC #21

I actually have an editor that helps me with this since I'm terrible at shortening stuff. I always think that everything is necessary. (It isn't)

Aykay 2020-07-24 20:35:06 UTC #22

The breaks for my novels were made the way they were since they're Oeln (Orginal English light novels) I was already writing them before I even knew about Tapas. The site just gave me a place to post them. It's been kinda of slow going which is too be expected but I've making some traction.

Did you start writing novel after finding Tapas? Or were you already working on it.

kmlangleyauthor 2020-07-24 21:50:07 UTC #23

I tend to write in scenes vs chapters, so some of my uploads are as low as 450 words and some have multiple parts and are over 1k words each.

I’ve seen a lot of people complain about the character limit, but I think it can be advantageous. When I do have a really long scene that needs to be broken up, I try not to end each episode on a calm note to keep interests up (I don’t always do this! I’m not a complete monster! Lol). So, little cliffhangers here and there can be a really fun way to pique readers interests in what happens next I mean, I try to keep the story flow as intact as possible, but there’s always an ebb and flow to any scene.

WolfUnderTheMoon89 2020-07-24 22:17:09 UTC #24

I ran into the issue at chapter 30. From that part on I had to split all my chapters up.
Meaning: 2 parts per chapter and 4 parts published each week, instead of two.

For future reference, I'll be doing this always. So I'm sure I won't cross the character limit.

I agree with a lot of people, people like small bits, so they have more easy breaks and well for you it means more views.

RyzaCobalion 2020-07-24 22:46:40 UTC #25

Only if i slightly go over the limit. My chapter lengths usually go for 1k-2k words and the only time I have to split them is if something important happens in it. Like a fight scene.

ivanskilling 2020-07-25 01:05:22 UTC #26

I haven't had the character limit problem since my chapters are broken up naturally into 3-4 parts. Since each part belongs to a different character POV and focuses on a single scene, it tends to fall below 2k words.

For some of the short stories in Dark Bytes, I did have to break the original scene into two parts but luckily, it was easy to find that break point! I just had to do a bit more editing to make sure it flowed between parts.

(Shackles didn't have a problem either)

People like to read shorter episodes, especially on app. And I guess if the limit really bothers you, one way is to split the chapter up and then post those episodes at the same time. That way, people get the full scene anyway.