So now you have a genre and prolly a rough idea of the kind of story you want to write. Another question that gets thrown around a lot on and off Wattpad is about story length, which I don't really like to answer because beginner writers tend to focus on how soon they can finish a book.

Well, I hate to break it to you, guys, but as Lao Tzu said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Similarly, a book of a 60K word count begins with a single word. It would do more harm than good if you thought of how much time it would take for you to reach the end.

There are no shortcuts in writing. There are no cheats or hiring ghost-writers (not to give you any ideas). In this regard, writing is prolly one of the most sincere and authentic professions. There's only you, the reader, and a blank MSWord page.

But just for the sake of comparison, here's a handy guide from the site Owlcation:

Flash Fiction: 53 - 1,000 words

Short Stories: 3,500 - 7,500

Novellettes: 7,500 - 17,000

Novellas: 17,000 - 40,000

Novels: 40,000 + words

On the other hand, if we're talking Wattpad, it doesn't really follow (publishing) industry standards. Or does it? The reading experience has to be delivered on a chapter-by-chapter basis, not all at once.

This leads us to another annoying question: How long should one chapter be?

This question is annoying mainly because the answer is also annoying. Like the Goldilocks Principle would tell you:

Not too long and not too short.

The website Reedsy analyzed famous published novels from a wide variety of genres and eras, including but not limited to The Great Gatsby, The Martian, Twilight, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Kite Runner, A Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Ready Player One, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Fault in Our Stars, Gone Girl, Handmaid's Tale, The Giver, Maze Runner and Holes. It turns out that the average word count of a chapter ranges between 1, 500 and 5, 000 words. And if you want to be even more precise than that, the average would be 3, 000 to 4, 000 words.

Of course it varies depending on the genre. For instance, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, tends to write very, very long chapters. On the other hand, Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code, writes very short ones.

I myself write an average of 2, 300 words per chapter. But as Captain Barbossa from the Pirates of the Carribean would tell you:

The code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.

Indeed, writers are like pirates in that they tend to follow a code but, at the first opportunity of a good change of pace or a good chapter break (cliffhanger, anyone?), they're quick to throw the whole book of rules away.

So, I don't know how much more precisely I can tell you but: Just follow your nose.

People say Wattpadders tend to go for quick, short reads so going over 2, 000 words per chapter starts to take its toll on the Millenial or Gen-Z readers' attention span. However, some people who post shorter chapters - say, 600 to 1,000 - do so out of practical reasons that have more to do with them than the story they're writing. It's either because of their busy personal schedule or they can't stick to one title or book project long enough before jumping on to the next.

I prefer to side with the traditional-publication word range of 3, 000 to 4, 000 because people, whether writers or readers, can be trained to aim for and love whatever chapter length. First, writers should be able to get a feel of their own pacing and a 600-word chapter feels too short to pack a completely satisfying reading experience and story progression. Second, readers shouldn't get used to quick rewards that would make them lazy or easily bored with any other book they come across. Last, I believe Wattpad is basically a springboard for other writing opportunities like publication. So, once you get scouted by a talent scout, which industry standard do you think you'd be asked to comply with?

Traditional publishing, which means print book size and length.

Up Next: The Dreaded Invisible Book Syndrome

Stay Phenomenal!

****

Hi guys, 

In case you're tuning in late, my book The Boyfriend App has already been published. Yay!

If you're familiar with the version uploaded here on Wattpad, I added 6 never-before-read chapters and 1 bonus fan service about our beloved leading guy (bot?) Ecto. Not to mention there's the gorgeous new cover designed by the publisher. 

If you wish to have a copy shipped to your place and sitting on your bookshelf, just visit my site www.phenomenalpen.com for details. 

Thanks!