Question how long is a ideal novel should be?

Hi fellas.
I am a novel enthusiast, but lately i feel tired and bored with just searching, waiting, and reading a novel.
And one day I got an inspiration. rather than only searching, waiting, and reading, Why not create one??
I already got the idea about plot and character. but I got problem at how to divide each chapter.

so my question after such a long prologue is.
How long an ideal novel should be?

 

About 90% as long as it needs to be to tell the story well.

Always leave them wanting more.

 

Chapters:
Less than 1k: Meh, depends on the plot, short story.
1k: Normal novel (recommended)
2k: We can expect a lot of fillers here, but it depends on the plot, it's still readable.
3k and above: Insane, endless novel with huge amounts of filler and random plot.

Word Count: 1,5k or more for each chapter should be okay.

 

For me? Under 500 relative shortshort cha is enough to tell an story.

 

novel length <= 200 chapters
However, I suggest you concentrate on the plot and what you want to write and not on how long it should be, lest you start cutting scenes off, or worse - stretching scenes and adding fillers...

 

It’d really depend on the type of novel you’re writing and what your style is.

I’d say KR novels typically have an ideal length (despite their infamously rushed endings) which is usually like 200-300ish chapters. I also like the way arcs are broken up which can be something like every 25 chapters is a complete arc with it broken into 5 chaptered themed parts.

If you’re going for a detailed, high quality novel, I’d go with longer chapters (my favorites typically have >3.5k words per chapter). Don’t worry too much about keeping the word count consistent if you’re starting and just stick to a broad range like 3.5k~8.5k per chapter. For more light and less detailed and less serious novel projects, just think 1k more or less. Short stories depends as it can be 5~25 chapters or even 60~70. More lax and medium maybe 100ish while long running reach either the 600s or 1200ish.

I also recommend deciding on how your story and chapter titles will work. For example, will you do a unique title for each chapter, name entire arcs and do something like Fallen Kingdom(23), or something less and only every arc section so Discovery of the Fallen(2).

Also know that NU’s Community Creations and RoyalRoad are well known places to share your work as well as making your own site or working with an existing novel group.

 

depends on the target audience and the genre.

the typical published YA Fantasy novel contains about 75K~ words.

 

A minimum of 1.5k words per chapter, anything below that and you won't fit much. But other than that, I wouldn't worry too much about it. My chapters all ranged from 1.5k words to some having 6k words. It's all a matter of picking a point that you feel is a good time to cut the story. Don't be too stricken by the word count.

 

I don't care for chapter length as long as it isn't >50% filler or rinse and repeat thing.

60% plot 20-30% info dump 10-20% filler is ideal or so I think

Well, novel with less than 200 chapters is nice if it is something in QI because it means free to read?

 

500 pages is good.

 

depends on if you have a roadmap before starting. Know where you want to end mapped out. Biggest problem it seems the webnovelist have is they reach a "natural end" to a story but they force another arc after another which ends up destroying all the ground work they layed out. [Take BLEACH and that bankai was hard/rare......before the end seemed like everyone had a bankai]

 

Life long novel would be fantastic as there are some novels I wish didn't end but lol that's pretty impossible

 

Well what is your "ideal" novel?

I personally think a novel should span the length of a characters internal and external goals.

Take however long you need to complete that story. Length really isn't an issue, so long as you put emphasis on the important parts.

Also, are you making a standalone novel or a novel series? Because then, the length of your story will be determined by that too.

 

wow.. many good suggestions
but I think i will do the 1.5k option after all its just a break time project.

but still Thanks for all of your reponds
I will start working on it now

 

For a "novel" novel 500-600 pages should be more than enough to tell a story well
For a web novel it's more how long do you want one the story for
1k chapters would do you with a long good plot without too much fillers/repeat of the same cycle (if it's actually written well)
500-600 chapters would be your faster pace version of the 1k one
200-300 chapters being one you want to complete a story without having to spend possibly weeks on one story (depending on your reading speed)
and then there are oneshots for the short enjoyment on limited time
So it all depends and there is no absolute ideal (at least for me)

 

I know that feeling too -.-

 

There were a lot of novels that got really boring after 500 chapters. And I hear some of them got wrapped up at the end with 100-200 good chapters. So I asume these authors had a story under 600 chapters and they decided to trail off into sidestories and fillers. When their popularity started to die down they wrapped up by going back on track.
Keep it under a 1000. If you have a bigger story to tell, maybe, devide it into different novels?

 

As long as it needs to be:
Sh*t should die immediately.
Masterpieces should only end on the day I die.

But I think 100k words is fine if we're not aiming for perfection.

 

100-300 could go longer depending on the flow of the story