A Handy-dandy Guide to Writing Real Person Fiction

When it comes to the length of a story, there are two things to consider: story length and chapter length.

I. Chapter length

1- The narrative will often dictate how long a chapter needs to be, especially if you are writing in alternating perspectives. However, it is wise to avoid being both too short, and too long.

2- Very short chapters (let's say under 400 words) will often seem like a small effort on the part of the author to the reader. This is especially the case if you do not update frequently, your readers may be unsatisfied.

3- Excessively long chapters present a technical problem. For the modern fanfic reader, most do not set aside hours in a day to sit and read, and yet they generally hope to be able to finish a single chapter in one sitting. Younger readers generally have very little patience for longer chapters (3,000+ words) and may lose interest in your story quickly.

4- Ultimately, a word count somewhere between 500-2,500 might be a reasonable goal, but more important is the type of read your current chapter provides. If your chapter is very dense and packed with technical information, it might be better to break it into smaller chapters for your readers. Conversely, if your chapter is riveting, there's no need to break it into pieces if the division feel unnatural.

(a)- there is nothing wrong with writing chapters in advance! -a

5- Because it is so difficult to have very short stories be visible and gain popularity, you may wish to collect very short stories (say, under ~6 chapters) into a collection of your shorter works. I have one of these collections (SP); the drawback there is that I will never be able to check the 'completed' box as long as I still have more to add or am under 200 chapters total. (see below -a.)

II. Story length

1- Generally speaking, your average story's length is dictated by when the author abandons the story (for reasons previously mentioned). However, if you hope to complete yours, you have some factors to consider.

2- Short stories (including oneshots) are easily digestible to readers and require little time investment by them. Many readers are intimidated by stories over 20 chapters long and will avoid starting them. However, due to their short length, they will, perforce, receive less views, and be less likely to become significantly popular, especially after they have been completed.

3- Lengthy tomes have the benefit of the chance for additional exposure for the entire time they are being worked on, as well as an increased number of views whenever anyone reads the entire thing through. However, especially younger readers have a tendency to avoid very lengthy stories. This drawback can be seen as counterbalanced by long stories' much greater tendency to have longevity when it comes to popularity.

(a)- if you view the stories that are consistently the most popular, they are often very lengthy. they are not necessarily the most well-written. i know because i wrote one that has been consistently popular following completion, despite it having the most grammatical and structural errors of anything i've written thus far (LOJ- a good/long story that's going to get a big edit overhaul, heh!). -a

(b) the maximum number of chapters that this platform will link directly to from your story's main page is 200. anything else your readers will have to access by going to chapter 200 and pressing 'next.' it's highly recommended you just write a sequel instead. -a

Notes

While the overall length of your story is generally dictated by your plot, the chapter length is something you can strategically manipulate in an attempt to gain more views/popularity.

(a) be advised that it can take a very long time for some stories to catch on. one of mine was not very popular for the entire first year i was working on it. if you are passionate, your hard work will eventually pay off. -a

Thus far there is one final chapter planned for this guide still coming. If you have an issue that either of us has failed to address, please feel free to let us know in the comments below. Of course, it goes without saying that we're just individuals with our own opinions, and that it's perfectly alright to disagree. We do all the time.

*all the time! haha! -a