3000 is still a little short for me and I would probably only read it if there are already more than 5 chapters. I prefer longer, but 5000 is usually my minimum if the story isn't already long.

 

For Writing, his goal is the same as mine.


For reading, I perfer around 5,000 word chapters or more.

 

It really, really, really doesn't. It just means they're too retarded to break up the chapter. To be honest, if a chapter all fits under one chapter title comfortably, it means it's of the right length. That's the usual test.

 

It depends on the authors but usualy long chapters do fit into one title. It's rare to see stories with 15+k words chapters and them not fitting, simply because of the excercise needed to do it- numerous reread, numerous beta and so on.

 

When I hit the 6000 word mark on a chapter, I start looking to see if I have covered everything I wanted to in that chapter. If I have I look to start tying up loose ends and either set up a cliffhanger or do the closing scene. I am most comfortable with the 8-9000 word range. I think beyond 12000 you start losing people and under 3000 just isn't enough.

The exception to this is the initial chapters. In both my stories. I write the first few chapters short to see how well they are received before I invest too much time into them.

Jim

 

For fics I have no minimum threshold. Especially considering one-shots and such. But for a WIP, usually it's less a pure length and more a cheat to the end and see where the fic is at. If it's ten chapters and the latest still has him whining and moaning in the first week of summer... then I often won't bother. Simply because it's a sign you're years away from the fic's end.

No real strong rules either way. Though one of my peeves are when authors start with shorter chapters and then they just keep getting progressively longer. I'd rather ten 2000 word chapters, if your first half dozen are two thousand words, then longer chapters. The ones that start short and keep ballooning into 20 and 30 thousand word chapters, I find annoying. Just looks unplanned, disrespectful, unprofessional, etc... For me, it's a sign they're making it up as they go, and/or they're catering the story towards the widest audience possible. Which while not a terrible thing, doesn't interest me as much.

I mean there is flexibility, but for example Jeconais' This Means War. The first two chapters are around 5000 words each, but the most recent one, chapter 9, is ten times that size. That seems excessive. And this seeming impression that your next chapter should be as long or longer than the one before. These are issues only with and for the people following a WIP as its written. They simply want more update. But authors seem to let their finished final product be swayed by the wishes and opinions at a fixed moment in time.

Erg... not sure where this frustration and rant came from. I'll shut up now.