YA (with multiple POVs) chapter length

[Agent]

Hi everyone,
I'm struggling with this one chapter in my new YA project. I thought it was flowing really well, but it turns out that this specific chapter is 26 pages long! Most of my chapters are pretty short--I tend to keep them under fifteen pages. The problem is, I also tell this story through multiple points of view. So if I were to break up these chapters, I would have to re-write one or two chapters through different points of view. I feel that this chapter is told better through the perspective of my main character, though, so I'm pretty stuck. Any advice?
Thanks,
Sarah

[[deleted user]]

Write it how you feel it should be written! I usually don't worry too much about chapter length. When the story for that chapter is told, it's told. Readers will enjoy the book either way. :)

[Jayne]

Hi Sarah

I would add a caveat to the above comment. Alexandra is absolutely right when she says, just write the damned book BUT

If you're hoping to get a publisher, there is one thing they loathe above everything else, and that is swapping POV's in the same chapter. In fact, your post has got me thinking, and instead of answering this now I'm going to write it on my blog! If you're interested in what I have to say, here's the link. I'm writing it right now!

http://www.jaynelockwood.com/diary/

[Rosen]

A friend of mine was put forwards a year at school. The final decision came after she'd written a story. One of the chapters only had one sentence and when asked why, she said, "Because that's all it needs."

You should keep your chapter breaks where they naturally fall and have the confidence to break convention if that's what's needed.

[Agent]

Thanks everyone--really great advice!

Jayne--I really enjoyed your post. I've never switched POV within the same chapter because I thought it might get confusing, and whenever I do switch POV I make it clear (ex: Chapter 5/Through Ellen's perspective).

I'm tempted to keep it this way until I get some reader feedback--if most people agree that the story is told best this way, I'll keep it, but if I get more comments saying otherwise I'll change it. Either way it's a problem for rewriting! (Psst, speaking of reader feedback--I'd be more than happy to exchange books for beta reading once this is finished if anyone is interested in doing something like that.)

Thanks again! Back to writing the damned book. ;)