Simple question and a sneak peek. · 8:53am Dec 16th, 2013
Do you fellas overall prefer more frequent updates? Or bigger ones that complete story arcs? I was at one time considering going back to the 5-7k model. Maybe even the 4-5k of Thunder Struck. Buuut I never did, I just feel guilty about skimping like that, but it might be easier...
At the moment the atl chapter is 9k and not finished. So, which would you prefer? I'm just curious.
Also, here's a sneak peek, because you definitely deserve it after being so patient and understanding that... I'm a lazy lazy wizard. 
“Twilight!” Mary shouted, and stomped. Somehow, she was standing right in front of Twilight and waving one arm furiously in front of her face.
Twilight took in a sharp breath and stepped backward on instinct, surprised. “Ah! What? What’s wrong?”
Mary deadpanned a moment, then rolled her eyes. “You were in your own little world, present situation notwithstanding. Anyway, how about we figure out how to get out of here, first? Then we can talk about your shiny rocks and the… the other stuff. Like making me human again.”
Twilight blinked, thinking over the suggestion, then nodded. “Right, right! Priorities are important in a situation like this… and…” She looked at the ground, realizing immediately what she wanted to say already and not let linger. “That means I probably owe you an apology then, Mary. A better one, that is, as well as a full explanation.”
I don't *think* there's any spoilers in there, but I could be wrong.
I'd personally prefer longer chapters without it ending on a cliffhanger
1614293
Sorry, cliff hangers are non-negotiable.
Merlos...Give me my Mary update, you bearded pony-playing tease!!
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*rage quit*
I prefer longer chapters. I like getting the full experience all at once, rather than getting the arc all broken up.
Plus one big cliffhanger is a lot better than a bunch of small ones.
Which ever are more comfortable for you to write! ^^ If you aren't happy writing then its not worth it...Though updates are awesome!
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media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdinf8SpzB1qksov3.gif
1614305 Okay...that made me laugh harder than it should have. Well played, sir. Well played.
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw4269_medium.jpg
I'm not sure; I like your larger updates since they usually tend to move the story and plot along better than your shorter chapters, but then again I also like to see more chapters out for the story that I like... Maybe take down the word count only by a thousand or so? It's really your call in the end.
4k-5k long chaptersm, pls.
Ah, this is awesome. Personally, I feel smaller chapters would be easier on you Merlos. And the longer ones make it difficult for me to... you know. But I doubt you'll change just because of that so I won't push it. And reading over the snippet you gave out. I can say that from what I know, there are a couple of clear spoilers if you know what to look for.
Now I imagine a few of your readers are gonna analyze the heck out of the segment. I don't feel bad for that.
long chapters are great but also have a continue flow of updates. but is your story so you should know what is the best rythm for it :)
I don't know which I prefer honestly. While I could easily say thw positives of either choice, I can also see the negatives.
So I guess go with witch ever one is more comfortable to you.
I wouldn't mind quicker, shorter updates, unless it impacts quality. Since I know that won't be an issue with you, it really is your call.
middle of the road id say 6k because it a even number(at least I still think it is dam fancy maths
) but given how many story's you are working on plus real life it boils down to what you have time for though it is nice to be ask
(side note: your profile pic always make me smile just the idea of some old wizard playing with pony toys)
Pretty much a repeat of what I said to you a while ago, it hold up on its own as a chapter and has a set goal so you just have to fill in the blanks and it will be ready good to go.
For how long chapters are, I'd also say you should shorten them a bit. Shorter chapters that come out sooner would give you more feedback per update, and that should help along with your writing as well.
I would prefer shorter 5k-7k chapters as well. It makes it easier to read them in one session and the reader doesn't get tired as fast. I read another story in which the chapters were always ~12k and I couldn't read them in one go, I just hadn't enough time or grew tired (The writing style wasn't easy as well, but good nonetheless). And when I wanted to continue, I had to search for the paragraph where I left off...
So, shorter variant please
I have to say, it depends on the style of story.
Massive Epic like ATL or Abhorsen? Bigger chapters, please.
Adorable, warm-and-fluffy-feeling stories like Thunderstruck or So Many Wonders? Medium is fine.
Quick comedy, if you ever make one? Short is good.
Quality over quantity? Why not both!
More frequent updates are what I like, so 5-7k words are perfect.
I read about 12 000-13 000 words per hour, so that's why I like of the shorter ones. Some authors have the odd style of writing every motherfucking chapter to be 10 000+ words. In some cases it's understandable and sometimes even bearable, but not in most.
But yes, 5k to 7k sounds nice, some chapters can be closer to the 10k mark.
I prefer long chapters, but wouldn't complain if you do switch to shorter ones.
I wouldn't concern myself with chapter length as that might distract you from the real issue of writing: Quality over quantity. In the end, it's all about the story. Nothing else. Some stories need short chapters, some do not. Just make sure the story is worth reading and the other concerns will sort themselves out. That's always been my experience, anyway.
Worry less about what your readers want and more about what feels right to you as a writer.
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*table flip*
Personally, I prefer longer chapters.They let me get 'into it' more than the shorter chapters. If the author (you) puts out a bunch of smaller chapters, I'll wait until there are 4 or 5 of em so I can read em all. I will be fine with whichever you decide to do.
Personally, I’d prefer if you stick to 6,000–12,000 words with 8,000 being the median; anything smaller and odds are you’ll either be skimping on detail or skimping on progression, anything larger and you’re likely to take an inordinate amount of time to write as you’re continually tempted to go back and rewrite parts of a chapter over and over.
Well it is confusing as to what exactly happened here. You kind of did spoil that Mary is still a pony and was not transformed by the crystal or whatever. It remains to be seen where they are exactly.
I don't mind either way a shorter update or a longer update. Cliffhangers do kind of annoy me though, but they are exciting!
So I do kind of like when the arc is complete in chapter, but I don't mind.
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Mmm, I've been doing that a lot lately.
Is there anything that says all your chapters need to be similar length? They aren't in most books. Just publish when what you got is good to go.
Well, I won't be reading on in Landing until I made my way through Mary... it's just... weird, when they're converging, to miss half of it.
Personally I prefer "complete chapters" for updates. The length to me is inconsequential. As long as the chapter is clean, edited, and you're not missing important elements I don't mind having short chapters.
Though there's nothing wrong with long ones either.
All I care about is that they're finished.
I personally like shorter more frequent updates, but I'm fairly flexible in that I'm happy with long updates more spaced out too.
Ah... I think I'm sorta/kinda following the situation that entailed the shockwave. Something tells me that Twilight's either coming back as a unicorn if they disappeared from the porch or they were mentally connected in some manner...
The 5-9k range is comfortable with your style, but do feel free to break the mould if the situation calls for it.
I prefer you write what you have in your head when you have it. I also prefer that chapters are short and sweet. And while a 20k word chaper sounds like a good chunk of story on the surface, chapters that big are quite often full of fluff, and therefore unpleasant to read.
Just let the words flow, don't bother yourself with word counts and such.
9-12 sounds good to me. Anything above that up to 16 is a bit too much but manageable, and past 16 would too large a stride in pacing IMO.
On second thought an average of 8-9k would work and I'd prefer chapters shorter than now, but it's all up to the pacing in the end. If you think it's better as a long chapter then so be it. A wizard knows his craft best.