a :  a main division of a book

b :  something resembling a chapter in being a significant specified unit <a new chapter in my life>

a :  a regular meeting of the canons of a cathedral or collegiate church or of the members of a religious house

b :  the body of canons of a cathedral or collegiate church

Wonderful… well that’s helpful… So how do we gauge how long a chapter should be? Well for starters, I’d honestly say if your chapter is less than a page long, it’s too short.

Chapters seem to be relative to the overall length of the book; longer books, longer chapters. So a book that has only 80k-90k words could understandably have chapters that are 2-3 pages long. Whereas books that are over 200k could feasibly have 10-20 pages between chapters.

So with that established, when then do we start a new chapter or just use a marker to show that we’re switching locations or passing time?

Honestly… there is no set rule, but I try to stick to my self-imposed criteria:

Minor passage of time (hours): Time Marker

Change of perspective (moving to different characters): Time Marker

Significant time passage (1 or more days), but remaining in the same place or situation: Time marker.

Major Event: Chapter

Significant Time Passage, Change of Perspective: Chapter

Any passage of time/Change of Perspective following a change of location or circumstance: Chapter

Again, remember, these are my own self-imposed rules, so don’t worry if this isn’t how you do it. I post this simply as a guide to help anyone stuck on whether or not they should start a new chapter. Hope this helps!

Thanks Friends,

Catch you on the flip side,

Jim