: Re: Where to insert chapter breaks I've recently written something about the length of in-between a short story and a novel. I've had a bunch of friends edit it, and all of them say that I should

@Tiffany377

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Placing chapter breaks is very subjective. There's no real rules, except perhaps to make them all approximately the same length in terms of word count. This is a guideline, however, and should be taken that way. It's mostly there to keep any chapter from feeling like it's rushed, or dragging.

Every scene should push the reader to the next scene, and each chapter to the next. It's often said a writer's goal is to keep the reader up long into the night because they can't find a place to stop reading.

I've also heard it's a good idea to end each scene on a minor cliff hanger, to propel the reader to the next scene, and end each chapter with a larger cliff hanger to keep the reader going into the next chapter, which is where most people will want to stop.

But again, it's largely subjective. Take a look at your story and see if you can find a similar number of the "little sections" you referred to, and if one of them ends on a more powerful cliff hanger. That would be a natural place for a chapter break. Grouping your sections this way should help you figure this out.

I hope that helps some!

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