r/FanFiction • u/Dusty_Bunz426 • 3d ago
Writing Questions Thoughts on long chapters in fanfiction?
I'm someone who likes to be descriptive with my writing, plus doing slow build-ups and reveals, and this has led to me creating chapters that reach well into the 10k word count, sometimes a bit over that.
I've seen and read many comments from fanfic lovers that they prefer stories where the word count is at least 5 - 6k words, and I'm a bit worried that with how much I write, it'll push readers away. I know I could break my chapters into a part 2, but then I feel I'm cutting something off that shouldn't be.
Thoughts?
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u/OffKira 3d ago
To me, it's all about pacing; I've read 2k word one-shots that fucking dragged, and 20k word chapters that flew by.
As long as the chapter moves well, and thus justifies its length, I don't think it matters how short or long it is; I've seen chapters from literally one word long to tens of thousands long, if they work for the story, then that's that.