Academy · Fundamentals
What is a chapter?
What is a chapter and how is it different from a scene?
Beginner
A chapter is a reader-facing chunk of the book. Chapters can hold one scene or several scenes back to back. The break between chapters is mostly about pacing and giving the reader a place to put the bookmark down. Scenes are the building blocks of story; chapters are the building blocks of pages.
Standard
Chapters control momentum. End on a question or a turn and the reader keeps going. End on a soft landing and the reader puts the book down. Most modern fiction runs 8-25 pages per chapter, with shorter chapters when you want acceleration and longer ones when you want to settle in.
What to try
- Open the manuscript editor
- Add your first chapter
Related questions
- How long should a chapter be?
- When do I start a new chapter?
- Do I need acts?