What is the best length for a chapter?
It depends. Although chapters of a standard length (4,000 words, say) may be easier to outline, plan, count, and edit, there are no rules on chapter length. It is easy to find huge novels divided into 20 or fewer chapters and very slim novels with 45 or more divisions. When to end a chapter and begin another one is one of the factors of story-telling. Sometimes a chapter closes where a story would end: following a brief cooldown after a crisis resolution. This gives a feeling of accomplishment for the reader and a sense of intermission. Sometimes the chapters close before the resolution of a crisis, or after the introduction of the next crisis. These chapter breaks give a sense of suspense–that events are crowding in on the reader. Sometimes chapters are kept consistent in length to establish a rhythm. Sometimes chapters vary greatly in length, giving the reader a sense of a kaleidoscopic world. Other times, chapters end and begin with a change in Point Of View, the scene’s setting in
