Topic: How many scenes per chapter?

I'm wondering how others decide how many scenes to include in a given chapter. In my first book, I interleaved two related stories, each with a main character (Joseph and Apollo) and alternated back and forth between them on a chapter by chapter basis. For the most part that worked and kept the chapter lengths short enough that someone could review each in one sitting. The main problem with that was one of timing. For example, I had a major battle at the end of act 1 that spanned three chapters (Joseph, Apollo, then Joseph again). There was a lot going on, and it would have been better to have a lot of small scenes back and forth than my chapter-by-chapter telling made possible.

I'm starting to run into the same problem with my new story. There are two main story threads, but it's too early to tell if alternating back and forth at a chapter level is going to cause problems. There may even be other occasional side threads, although I haven't planned far enough out to be sure.

How do other people deal with this? In beginning to think I should include one scene from each of the two stories per chapter. That leaves me the freedom to flip back and forth more often between the two stories at a scene by scene level, rather than at the chapter level. It also allows me to include a third or fourth thread in some chapters, as needed.

Thoughts?

Thanks
Dirk

Quote Post 1

Re: How many scenes per chapter?

I go for 3 scenes per chapter... but I don't stick to that. Often one driving desperate scene. Sometimes scene-after-scene like a water fountain. I think my record is 10.

Totally unhelpful response, I know, but hey, we're not bound to TV episode limitations or Shakespearean plot arcs

Quote Post 2

Re: How many scenes per chapter?

Hi Dirk,

I don't think I've ever once paid attention to how many scenes I've had in a chapter in any if the six novels I've completed. I simply let the chapter write itself until it's done. So, your post /question piqued my interest on that. After a brief scan of several of my novels, I found chapters with one scene that varied in length between 897 words and 2,896 words. And then I had a chapter with five scenes that was just over 2400 words.

I'd never given that any thought before, so it was interesting to go back and take a look. I've been a member here since 2008 and many years ago there was a writer who typically posted chapters with 4000 - 5000 words and had as many as seven or eight scenes. So, I guess it depends on genre, writing style and necessity to say what needs to be said in whatever chapter configuration that requires.

That really doesn't answer your question, I guess, but thought I'd throw in my nickel's worth (two cents won't buy anything these days). Good luck with your writing. Wishing you great success.

Alan

Quote Post 3

Re: How many scenes per chapter?

“How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” 

It depends on the scene.  In some instances, a scene can cross multiple chapters, in other cases, you can have one scene per chapter, and in other cases, multiple scenes.  I suggest you write your story in scenes, then go back and find the appropriate places for your chapter breaks, rather than “planning in chapters.”  Chapters are more arbitrary than scenes.  Ideally, the things driving your chapter break should be: logical pauses, POV shifts (in multiple POV) stories, ends of scenes, overall length of chapter (differs by nature, genre, and others), etc. - then on top of that, you want to make sure the end of the chapter lands on a place that compels the reader to turn the page, not put in a bookmark and go to sleep - IOW, no “pat chapter ends”.   Your objective is not to make it convenient for the reader to finish a Chapter - it’s to make them keep reading....

Quote Post 4

5 Reply by Norm d'Plume (edited by Norm d'Plume 2018-05-22 14:17:44)

Re: How many scenes per chapter?

Thanks for responding, everyone. I'm going to try two scenes per chapter (one per story thread), which gives me the flexibility to further split those scenes as the need arises. The planning is just as much work as if they were chapters, but it allows me greater flexibility. It also forces me to make the end of each scene compelling enough to keep the reader going. The only minor nuisance is that I'll have to post each major scene as its own TNBW chapter to keep the length of the posted material short enough for most reviewers. Seabrass did the same thing with his Maiden story.

Thanks
Dirk

Quote Post 5

6 Reply by j p lundstrom (edited by j p lundstrom 2018-05-22 15:55:35)

Re: How many scenes per chapter?

Dallas Wright wrote:

“How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” 

It depends on the scene.  In some instances, a scene can cross multiple chapters, in other cases, you can have one scene per chapter, and in other cases, multiple scenes.  I suggest you write your story in scenes, then go back and find the appropriate places for your chapter breaks, rather than “planning in chapters.”  Chapters are more arbitrary than scenes.  Ideally, the things driving your chapter break should be: logical pauses, POV shifts (in multiple POV) stories, ends of scenes, overall length of chapter (differs by nature, genre, and others), etc. - then on top of that, you want to make sure the end of the chapter lands on a place that compels the reader to turn the page, not put in a bookmark and go to sleep - IOW, no “pat chapter ends”.   Your objective is not to make it convenient for the reader to finish a Chapter - it’s to make them keep reading....

What a difference a day makes! Who knew I'd be on the same page as Dallas? I must not have taken my meds.

Yes, your objective is to keep those pages turning.

I've also read that the chapter should be like a story within the story. At the beginning, there's a problem, and the MC/MCs works his/her/their way through it to the next problem. Thus the reader knows there's more to come. So, it doesn't matter how many scenes it takes to get there.

Quote Post 6