State of the Fandom
This week I wanted to write about something that BellaMarie and I talk about frequently- chapter and fic length. It also got me wondering about a few other things, but we’ll get to those in a minute.
Now, me personally, I like a nice long chapter or one-shot. 10,000 words of one of my favorites makes me squee like a fangirl on Rpattz. Now, before I make this next statement, I want to make it perfectly clear I am not complaining! When I get an update and it’s a shortie, I’m always disappointed. I want more of my favorite! Granted, I’ll take a shortie over no update, but the shorties never quite satisfy that craving for new fic. Maybe that’s a good thing for the author, if I’m always craving more of their story, but for me, I’d rather be ensconced in that story for longer!
BellaMarie, on the other hand, she likes chapters nice and short. 2,000 words is comfy for her. She doesn’t like to sit at her computer for any longer than that and read. That’s why she still hasn’t read The Summer of Twilight. And that is what got me thinking about the next part of my little bloggie today.
It made me wonder, just how many fics have I written? And how many words of fanfic? So I looked. I’ve posted twenty-five fanfic stories. And I have three more on my hard drive getting ready to be posted. How many words of fanfic did that work out to? Just over 280,000 words. It’s not all Twilight fanfic; I’ve also written some House of Night and some Vampire Academy.
But wondering about word count brought me back to the original conversation with BellaMarie- chapter length. Two of my fics are multi chaptered – The Dark Side of Twilight and The Summer of Twilight. In ‘Darkside’, the chapters started out averaging around 2,500 words. By the time we got to ‘Summer’ the chapters averaged closer to 6,000 words. My one shots vary from 100 word drabbles, to my latest, a 7,000+ monster that was intended to be a ten chapter AH fic.
Those drabbles get practically no reads, and ever fewer reviews. Does that mean that people don’t like drabbles because they’re to short? Or does it just mean that no one is interested in the subject matter? My longer one shots get more reviews, but they’re also smutty and I’ve noticed that my smut (in general) gets more reviews than my PG-13 fics.
Because I have one of those brains where I like to gather useless information, and lists make me happy, I started wondering just how many authors there are in the fandom. Then I wondered how many of them are like me and write lots of one shots? How many give up after just one fic – how many give up mid fic? How many of them would keep writing if they got more reviews, and would they get more reviews if their chapters were longer?
So what do you guys prefer? Do you like chapters that are a novel unto themselves? Or do you like a chapter that you can bust through in five minutes or less? Would you rather read a one shot or a multi chapter fic?
Maybe I’ll start a list ;)
And count the words…
♥SB
I’m all over the place when it comes to chapter length – some of my shorter chapters serve as a transition between two lengthier chapters. My chapter length is generally between 3k & 8k. My opinion is that if you can convey something in less words and still have it add impact and weight to the story, the length really doesn’t matter. If I’m into a story and really enjoy it, I always want more, more, more whether or not I’ve just devoured 2k or 100k words.
I’ve read authors with several different levels of chapter prolificness and it all comes down to personal style.
I like reading drabbles because it proves you can have an effect on people with very little if you choose your words carefully. I might try writing one as a challenge to myself.
Interesting topic SB!
I have to confess to wondering what it means when a review says a chapter is too long. Too long for what?
Chapters in my multichapter fics run from 2k-10k. I try to design a chapter around a specific event or theme. My one-shots tend to be 8k-15k.
While drabbles can be interesting curiosities and are probably good for the author, the length constraint obviously limits the narrative. I think most people are reading twific (the only fandom I feel any qualifications for commenting on) to get a story, and most likely to get a romantic story.
My tendency is to prefer longer updates that take me longer than a few minutes to read (and which advance the story!)
Gleena, I know what you mean! What does a reviewer mean by “This was good, but too long”. Which part of the plot did you want me to cut out? That’s what I always wonder! Oh well, to each his own, right?
On average, my chaps range between 6 & 10k words. For me, it’s difficult to get in some truly good storytelling in less than 3k words, because you have to set up the scene, draw readers in, & leave them wanting more.
Now, if you’re reading a multichaptered fic & you’re actually relieved that it’s 3,000 words or less so you can “get it out of the way,” then IMO, the author isn’t doing a very good job as a storyteller. As a writer, you know you’re doing it right when readers tell you that they squealed in delight when they saw you updated, savored every word, and wanted more.
Think of it this way – when you read a truly engrossing novel, do you just want to “get it out of the way”? Or when you’re through, are you so hungry for more that you wish the novel had been longer?
And so it should be with a multichaptered fic. Hey, I’m not saying I’m the perfect writer, ’cause I know I’m not. I know I don’t please everyone, but when readers actually tell me they wish my 9k+ chapter had been longer, I feel like I’ve done my job. ;)
-Kari