Planning a novel is laborious work. You have to craft your characters, develop the theme, the plots and subplots, choose the right settings for the story… But, in addition to the creative aspects, there are other considerations that come into play when structuring your novel. How many words should the novel have? How many chapters should there be? What should be the word count for each chapter?
While the average number of words in a novel chapter is between 3000 and 4000, this is only a rough estimate. The actual count will vary greatly depending on the genre, story, author’s style, and any other divisions within the book. If you pick up random books at a bookstore, you will find there is no standard, not even within the same genre. There may be trends, especially influenced by publishers, but among the most successful books, you will find some with short chapters, others with long chapters, and some without chapters at all.
So, how do you determine the appropriate word count for each chapter of your novel? And how many chapters should you have? In this post, I will provide some guidance on how to effectively structure your story and divide it in a manner that keeps your readers engaged. But first, let’s clarify the basics: What is a chapter? What purpose does it serve?
When we write a novel, we create two structures: The internal and the external.
The internal structure of a novel corresponds to the scenes we choose to show from each plot. A scene is a dramatic unit, meaning each part of the plot with a continuity —due to a single situation, a single setting, or specific characters.
The external structure of a novel is how we actually divide the novel, and the most common are chapters, parts, and line breaks. Some authors use one or two of these above divisions in their novels, but others use all or none of them. It can also vary from one book to another. There is no fixed rule, but the important thing is to understand well what each one is for and what it can contribute to the work we are writing at any given time.
What is a Chapter?
Chapters are divisions of the structure that do not affect the content. Sometimes, a chapter can coincide with a scene; other times, it contains many scenes and may even split scenes in half. It’s the most frequent division in any novel.
Separating a novel into chapters helps create an evident structure. Chapter breaks provide the reader with a natural pause. Think about how many times, reading a book, you have thought: “I will finish this chapter and stop.” Chapters are also a tool for building suspense and incorporating plot twists, as we will explore further.
Are there other divisions besides chapters?
Yes, there are. In addition to chapters, a novel can be divided into parts or contain line breaks that mark a separation. Let’s look at it in more detail:
How Do Parts Work in a Novel?
Parts are divisions that do affect the content since they mark a break in the plot, a separation more relevant than a chapter. They may indicate a change in the story period, the character’s point of view, or even the character arc or the theme. They are a less frequent type of division than chapters. Many stories divided into parts may also contain chapters within each part.
How Do Line Breaks Work in a Novel?
There is another fairly common type of division that is to separate scenes or fragments of the text with some blank line breaks that indicate the change. These are subdivisions that can be part of a chapter or a part and are useful, especially when we have very long chapters in which we change the scene or topic to be discussed. Thus, the reader knows at a glance that there is a switch in the plot.
How Many Chapters Should a Novel Have?
The number of chapters in a novel varies greatly. Some novels have hundreds of chapters, while others have none at all. Ultimately, the decision of how many chapters to include is up to the author and depends on the needs of the story. A writer’s instinct is a good guide, but when in doubt, there is an easy way to choose where to start and end a chapter: Where you can place a cliffhanger.
Ending a chapter on a plot point, leaving an important question unanswered, is a surefire way to keep readers engaged: Will he accept the bribe? Will she discover that his husband is unfaithful? Will the bomb explode?
These unanswered questions do not necessarily need to be explicitly mentioned in the text; the scene itself should naturally lead readers to wonder about what is next. For example, if a pair of detectives who previously captured a notorious serial killer find the killer’s signature at a new crime scene, this narrative turn creates the perfect opportunity to end the chapter while leaving readers wondering if they caught the wrong person.
So, if you plan your novels ahead, you can easily identify where there will be a turning point or unanswered question, as well as the need for a break in the structure. Use the outline as a reference to determine how many chapters your novel requires.
🎯 Pro Tip: If your story has a well-defined character plot arc, perhaps you can use the different phases of this arc to mark the changes of chapter—or part, if applicable. For example, in the hero’s archetypal character arc, we can use the different phases to mark changes in the chapter structure of the novel.
How Many Words Are in a Chapter?
As I mentioned before, to know the length of the chapters of your novels it is important that you know well your writing style, the length of your scenes, and where to introduce structural breaks. But it is also important knowing how many words your novel will have. Although there is no exact answer for this either, there are general rules, and more or less, published novels move within certain margins.
For example, epic fantasy novels usually have between 180,000 and 200,000 words, while mysteries and crime range between 80,000 and 90,000. If you are clear about the number of chapters your novel needs, you only need to do your math now!
🎓 Learn more: How Many Words In A Novel? A Guide by Genres With Examples
However, when you do this calculation, you may discover that the number of words each of your chapters should have does not correspond to the type of writer you are. There are more concise authors whose scenes last just a few paragraphs, while others need pages. What type of writer are you? How many words do you usually leave between one cliffhanger and another? How long do you like your scenes to be? Look at your style and analyze it. Use your strengths and polish your weaknesses.
By planning your novel considering the overall number of words and the number of words per chapter, you will be able to see if your outline is realistic or, on the contrary, you have to work a little more on it.
You may discover that your outline will lead you to write a novel much longer than the average for that genre. In this case, could you analyze if it is possible to divide it and make a trilogy?
Or you may discover that your outline is for a much shorter novel, taking into account the number of chapters and your writing style. Don’t worry. It is better to know now than when you have finished your manuscript. You still have time to think about a subplot or parallel plot that can contribute to the story while giving it the length it needs.
Conclusions
You must have a favorite type of book that you enjoy reading. While reading novels, pay attention to the techniques used by other writers. Take note of the parts, chapters, titles, and scene separations. Make sure to learn from experienced writers and jot down the novel divisions that you like the most, as well as why you think they work. You can use any of these resources when incorporating them into your own novel.