too short chapters

Canada
January 20, 2011 10:21am CST
I'm in the middle of writing a novel and in my draft i have chapters that are too short. One chapter is a few paragraphs and that's it. The way this happened is that there's a scene in the book that doesn't fit well in the previous chapter, and it doesn't fit well into the chapter after that. It's just a scene that stands by itself. What do authors do about this? Can i include this scene in one of the other chapters and just put ***** underneath it to separate it from the next scene? Please give me some ideas. Thank you.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@shrijsr (574)
• Bangalore, India
21 Jan 11
Hi, thats a nice thing that you are up with the novel and already have finished half way! In this thing, i will suggest you to have it the way it is. Just in the beginning of the page before the heading that, its just a scene that want to share with you guys! I suggest you not to add it with the previous or the net chapter. It might be elongated and may even divert the user. You just place it between the two chapters, just like the interval while watching movies or a break in between while watching a show! I think that will do!
• Canada
23 Jan 11
Yes, but i'm hoping to get it published traditionally (rather than self published) and i don't know if this kind of short chapter will appeal to the publishing companies.
4 Feb 11
There is no set length for chapters some authors do put in chapters that are only a page or so long. In the book I'm working on I have some short chapters and it does seem to work. It is your story and you should make up your own mind. But what would I do? I'd would either leave it separate or do as you have said and use the *****.
• Canada
6 Feb 11
I think i'm gonna go with the **** because i'm planning to submit my novel to traditional publishing companies, and i'm afraid they'll be turned off by the 'too short' chapters.
@Catana (735)
• United States
20 Jan 11
I tend to think that if it doesn't fit with the chapter before or the chapter afterward, it may not belong in the book. Everything you write in a novel should hang together in some way. But maybe it just needs to be developed into something longer, and also hooked to the other chapters. If it really doesn't work with the other chapters, then using asterisks to separate it isn't going to accomplish anything. There are really no rules about this kind of thing. I've read novels with very short chapters, but that's the way the whole novel is written. A very short one that doesn't lead to or from anything is going to stick out like a sore thumb. Think about what you're trying to accomplish in the novel, then see if you can figure why it doesn't fit.
• Canada
23 Jan 11
i know it may sound crazy, but it's a short scene- a very important scene-and it really doesn't fit in any other chapter. The only thing i could do possibly, is add more to the chapter, but not sure i want to do that.