Delete or Edit, And, Split or nah?

[OscarTlau]

After weeks of thinking about it... I have come to the conclusion that I am unsatisfied with the chapters I have released , and want to add or change some (or more) stuff.

Should i Delete the chapters and Re-release them, Or just edit the chapters?

Another thing is, most of my chapters are 3-5k words/chapter. I feel like that could bore some people and also since I plan on chaning/add some new stuff, it would be too much words per chapter. However, I myself like reading long chapters...

Should I split chapters? And do you guys finish a chapter after certain words OR after certain event has finished/begun/or build up?

*Update: I know i just posted this on the forum but i have come to a conclusion, I was dumb to post this before giving more thought. Tips and replies are still welcome, I will give thoughts on every replies. :D

 

[PancakesWitch]

first of all, chapter lenght is never a problem as long as a lot is happening in each chapter... I assume that you make them long because you want to cram a lot of events and things within them and its not just filler, right?
as for editing, it really depends how big the editing work is, if you're doing a complete rewrite or not... if its just editing for grammar and other things, then I dont think its necessary to republish or something
if you're reworking the entire novel then maybe go for republishing, perhaps with a new novel title

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I wound up having to split some chapters for upload to PocketFM, so kind of know your quandary. I suspect I'll just confuse my five (IIRC) readers and skip a few - currently looks like it will be 3 but not 100% sure yet - numbers, as it did not change the content, just the structure.
May eventually delete what is here and post a definitive version eventually, but that is a long ways off.

 

[soupsabaw]

Like the other reply said, it really depends. If you're editing things like grammar mistakes or some poor wording choices then deleting and reuploading might be overkill. However, if you're changing a lot of parts of the chapter and adding things in, you're probably better off doing a complete refresh. Someone reading it from the beginning is going to be gaslit by it lol. "Wait, this wasn't said in the first chapter?" They go back and see it and suddenly think they're crazy.

I've never seen an issue about chapter length. My personal preference for my own stories is something 3-8k depending on the type of story I'm writing. Like one that I average 3-5k is a day to day walk through of the plot but one that I average closer to 8k covers a week a chapter, so it has quite a bit more. Just keep some things in mind: 1. Consistency. If you're doing 3-5k per chapter, stick to 3-5k per chapter. If it can't be helped then maybe double upload. If I was looking forward to an uploading novel and I got a good 5k for one upload and a tiny 1.5k the next, I'd be a bit upset. 2. Don't cut off at weird points. Find a good stopping point for the chapter. Either wrap something up or leave an interesting cliffhanger. Either or.

 

[Fairemont]

Just end your chapters in comfortable places. Mine range from 1.5-6k words, and will end whenever the content resolves or reaches a fairly natural conclusion, such as a cliff hanger.

Unless something is requiring specific chapter lengths, there is no need to split them up.

 

[OscarTlau]

Like the other reply said, it really depends. If you're editing things like grammar mistakes or some poor wording choices then deleting and reuploading might be overkill. However, if you're changing a lot of parts of the chapter and adding things in, you're probably better off doing a complete refresh. Someone reading it from the beginning is going to be gaslit by it lol. "Wait, this wasn't said in the first chapter?" They go back and see it and suddenly think they're crazy.

I've never seen an issue about chapter length. My personal preference for my own stories is something 3-8k depending on the type of story I'm writing. Like one that I average 3-5k is a day to day walk through of the plot but one that I average closer to 8k covers a week a chapter, so it has quite a bit more. Just keep some things in mind: 1. Consistency. If you're doing 3-5k per chapter, stick to 3-5k per chapter. If it can't be helped then maybe double upload. If I was looking forward to an uploading novel and I got a good 5k for one upload and a tiny 1.5k the next, I'd be a bit upset. 2. Don't cut off at weird points. Find a good stopping point for the chapter. Either wrap something up or leave an interesting cliffhanger. Either or.

That is great advice. But also what I am (currently) stuck in is that I want to add stuff to the chapters but The additions are not going to be like THAT much, just a few extra scenes, some extend the plot.. But still, it is not THAT much that the whole chapter or how the story goes will change completely. Think of it like game updates, things get changed but the playstyle is still the same.

Idk if i should completely delete it and rerelease it OR put like Chapter 1 (updated/reworked version) in the title, or maybe publish the reworked version next to the original version (so maybe the readers will be able to compare between the two or smth).

 

[soupsabaw]

That is great advice. But also what I am (currently) stuck in is that I want to add stuff to the chapters but The additions are not going to be like THAT much, just a few extra scenes, some extend the plot.. But still, it is not THAT much that the whole chapter or how the story goes will change completely. Think of it like game updates, things get changed but the playstyle is still the same.

Idk if i should completely delete it and rerelease it OR put like Chapter 1 (updated/reworked version) in the title, or maybe publish the reworked version next to the original version (so maybe the readers will be able to compare between the two or smth).

From what it sounds like, it's still probably a good idea to redo the whole thing. Little things or not, you're still adding in additional information that any readers who have already read the first chapter most likely won't jump back to check out. 100% not meaning to seem harsh but you seem to be downplaying the importance of the scenes you plan on adding. If you're not thinking that it's important enough to delete and repost for, is it really that important to the storyline? Does it really need to be added then if you don't think your readers should read it? If you have to do it, you might as well do a full-out edit. My suggestion is really cleaning and polishing up the chapter.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I have backed into this situation myself, with Between Worlds. Had to chop some chapters up (and thus had to add a little bit of content and shuffle some material around) to get it ready for PocketFM (As Between Earth and Pyrroth).
So far, 90% of the changes are cosmetic, so all I've done is note that there will be gaps between chapter numbers so that I can keep up with where I am - I'm not skipping chapters, just had to renumber. And book one is still on track to be about 120-150 chapters long itself (currently nearing 70 written), with Chapter one of book two already written as well...

 

[OscarTlau]

From what it sounds like, it's still probably a good idea to redo the whole thing. Little things or not, you're still adding in additional information that any readers who have already read the first chapter most likely won't jump back to check out. 100% not meaning to seem harsh but you seem to be downplaying the importance of the scenes you plan on adding. If you're not thinking that it's important enough to delete and repost for, is it really that important to the storyline? Does it really need to be added then if you don't think your readers should read it? If you have to do it, you might as well do a full-out edit. My suggestion is really cleaning and polishing up the chapter.

Good point. Then it is much better to re-release it. Since my exam finishes tmr, I shall focus of reworking each chapters. Thanks for the advices again.

Much love <3