Do you prefer shorter or longer chapters/episodes?

[lavatuna]

I personally like shorter episodes because I like things to be compact, but it feels like more people prefer them to be longer.
Which do you prefer and why? Also, feel free to promote your novel.

[Penni]

I have inquired to my readers as to what they prefer and they all said longer episodes.

I used to go for the 15K character max but I felt that was too long so I have dropped it to around 900-1200 words. I personally prefer this too because it's more satisfying. Any less and I'm left wanting more.

[dawgofdawgness]

Usually I like short chapters. Since chapters usually divide the story into different arcs, I think if an arc lingers on for too long I tend to get bored.

edit: waaaaaaaaaaait a minute. This is for novels, sorry I just realized. Oh well!

[YaoiParadise]

I've always loved long chapters. On wattpad I regularly fell at the 3k mark, often more. As a reader I prefer long chapters too- probably because I'm a speed demon who devours a lot of content quickly, and short chapters give me the worst cliffhanger sort of rage quit feeling.

But moving to Tapas has forced me to adapt due to the 'bite-sized' emphasis of the site. My actual chapters are still long, but I write them now so they can be easily split into shorter 'episodes' that are easily read in a couple minutes like Tapas suggests.

[lavatuna]

You see, that's one of the reasons I like short chapters, the cliffhangers. The want for more, it's almost like a drug.

[lavatuna]

No problemo muchacho

[nascentechuva]

It just depends on how well you can keep someone's attention.

It doesn't really matter to me whether it's short or long, if the author can't drag me into their world, I don't read on. It's arguably harder to keep someone's interest with longer chapters, but longer chapters tend to be more fulfilling and engaging, with more feedback opportunities, if written well.

[Penni]

That's also a good point!

I also feel shorter chapters prevent me from being able to properly write descriptions and emotions the way I want

[punkarsenic]

im divided

in terms of reading - a lot of the time, i prefer shorter episodes bc im often very tired and busy and depressed and anything longer than three pages is gonna exhaust me.

however, shorter episodes do cause me to lose interest in a story over time, or at least lose the plot a bit. and ofc, if its a story i really love, i want the episodes to be bigger.

i think 2-5 pages is a nice setup - not too long, not too short. frequency is key as well.

as a creator tho, im... also divided. making two page updates means i can stay on top of my buffer, which is nice, and keeps me on top of pageturn hooks. buuuut, the thing is made to be read scene by scene - i wish i could bring it out scene by scene. i think as my comic draws to a close ill start posting it on a secondary srs in chapter by chapter chunks, and when i eventually mirror on webtoons ill do it w scene by scene chunks

[ISNEKO]

I've become increasingly impatient as I grow older so I enjoy reading smaller episodes. Even if I really enjoy the book, I find myself growing fatigued if I feel like the episode is too long.

Pull me in, hit me, toss me out.

I'm sure there's a better analogy than that.

[Wumbl]

I like to keep the chapters at a fairly even length - at least, in regards to how much happens in each chapter. Sometimes I end up with longer chapters but that's fine depending on how much action is going on. You just need more panels for some scenes.

Updates themselves I find are better off being shorter but more frequent. Eg. 1-2 pages or 5-9 panels uploaded once a week will always be more favourable than 10 pages or 45 panels uploaded every two months. It's just the best way for both the creator and the reader in my experience.

[A-weird-girler]

LMAO sis I was about to make the same mistake as you did

[amortelito]

I honestly prefer short chapters because I'm paranoid that the artist will abandon the story If we have small chapters at least I feel that there is some closure to short therm mysteries. But I don't like small chapters that are "meaningless" like the whole point of the chapter is to describe how the dude put his shoes on.

[PleasantPheasant]

I've been getting feedback on other websites that readers actually prefer longer chapters? Like 3k-5k words being preferred. Idk, maybe its because its a different platform but I feel like longer chapters help keep readers in the story. Also, it's more natural to have longer narratives before a break is needed.

I suppose story type also affects this as well?

[Maps]

I tend to write longer chapters and I do prefer to read longer chapters too. Sometimes my chapters are shorter than others (I try not to give myself a limit or it may affect the writing).
But I’ve always loved reading longer chapters of both novels and comics because I sometimes lose the flow of the story when it is cut up into small pieces (especially when the story isn’t completed and comes out weekly). I like chapters to feel fulfilled than cut-off. If that makes any sense...
But if it’s a completed story I probably wouldn’t mind the chapter size so long as I don’t lose the flow and can finish reading everything!