Questionable: Scene and Chapter Length

CarolC asked:

How long should a scene be? Is there a preferred length? Is it okay to have an occasional scene that is really short? Or long? And what about chapter length? How do you decide where the chapter ends and another begins?”

Short Answer: There is no recommended scene length or chapter length.

Long Answer:

A scene is a unit of conflict, and in a linear story has beats and turning points just like the overall plot. For a longer definition of scene, go here. Scenes are the building blocks of story, and their content and placement in the story determine their optimal lengths.

A chapter is an annoying break in the narrative that has no useful function and must be countered because it screws up the story. Chapter length is usually determined by its placement in the story (in my world anyway). Chapters are a pain in the ass.

CHAPTERS

So let’s get chapters out of the way first. Chapters came about because stories used to be serialized a long time ago. Like Charles Dickens a long time ago. They have stuck around because. (You know when you asked your mom for something and she said no and you said why? and she said “Because”? That’s why we have chapters.)

So the key to chapters is to get rid of them, but publishers and readers like them–GOD KNOWS WHY–so you have to fight against them by ending them at a turning point in mid-scene so the reader has to turn the page and keep reading and does not use the chapter end as a good place to go get a cookie and never come back. The only advice I have on chapter length is to make them increasing shorter because they become part of the rhythm of the book. My beginning chapters are usually around 6000 words and the ending chapters about half that, but it’s not something I obsess over, and I obsess about everything. I don’t even put chapters in until I have a later draft done because there’s no point since my word count moves around like ferrets in a bag.

Chapters suck.

SCENES

Scenes, on the other hand, are delightful. Scenes have shape and meaning and move story, scenes are worth studying and rewriting and talking about. But what you want to know is, how long should they be?

As long as they need to be to establish and resolve the conflict for that scene without running so long that people begin to get tired. The reason a book is not just one long scene is that when something goes on too long, readers wander off. They think about other things. Like “This scene could be shorter.” If they are not distracted by something shiny–“Oooooh, look, a new scene!” they will leave you. So a scene has to be as long as necessary but not one word longer.

That’s not a lot of help, is it?

So go back to basic scene structure. What does your protagonist want? What steps is she taking to get it? Who is blocking her? What steps is that person (the antagonist) taking to get what she needs? How does the scene escalate? Who wins? Then cut everything that’s not in service to that.

The catch comes in defining what’s in service to the conflict. These are people we’re talking about, so you need the stuff that personalizes them, helps the reader to understand why they have the reactions they do. In other words, you’re going to need character cues in there as you move the plot. Then where and when this is scene is taking place has a huge effect on both the action and the characters, so you need setting cues as you move the plot. And then there’s the foreshadowing you have to do to set up future scenes and the details you have to put in to echo previous scenes, but those also have to move the plot.

Then cut everything else. That’s how long a scene should be. Oh, and also scenes should get generally shorter as you move toward the end of the book because that picks up the pacing. That doesn’t mean that all the scenes in the last act have to shorter than all the scenes in the first act, but that in general, things happen more quickly. That usually happens on its own because you got all that set-up out of the way in the first act and all the complications out of the way in the second and third acts, so you can spend the last act speeding toward the climax, but sometimes you get this terrible urge in the last act to sit down and explain everything. Or at least I do. That’s okay, write that scene. And then cut it, put a stake through its heart, bury it in the backyard, and pour salt on it. It must not rise again.

So if you have a scene and you’re not sure how long it should be, identify the protagonist and antagonist and their conflict and break it down into beats. Then pare away everything that isn’t essential to plot, character, and setting for the reader at this point in the story. Go here to read about beats.

Example:

Protagonist: Nita wants to help her brother.

Antagonist: Button wants to keep her in the car and, if possible, get them both the hell out of Dodge.

Before the scene opens: Nita gets Button to drive her to the scene because she’s drunk.

1. At the scene, Nita realizes that she’s not just picking Mort up, it’s a crime scene. If Mort wants her there, she needs to understand it, but she’s drunk.

Meanwhile, Button needs Nita to not get out of the car, not call attention to herself, and–please, god–SOBER UP. So she gives her coffee.

Turning point: Nita opens the door to get out of the car.

2. Button delays her by asking questions, shoving more coffee on her, while Nita fights through the fog to figure out her best course of action.

Turning point: Nita opens the door to get out of the car.

3. Nita’s opening the door draws the attention of Frank, and Button seizes on him as Plan B, he can bring Mort over.

Turning point: Mort opens the door to the car and gets in. Clint follows.

4. Nita finds out Joey’s dead and opens the door and gets out of the car. Button gives up and follows.

Just that outline shows me where there are big problems (see Nita’s passivity in 2 and 3), but it’ll also help me to get rid of a lot of stuff that just doesn’t belong. (Well, that and your critiques.)

Scenes rock.

(Note: As we all know, it’s important to wait 24 hours before responding to critiques. (You can, however, go swimming right after a critique.) So tomorrow I’ll talk about Nita and your comments and my plan for revision along with using the scene to talk about scene length and the things discussed here and in the comments. Assuming there are comments.)

(Hahahahahahaha.)

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