Is 9k words too much?

[AnkaNix]

This thread feels weird.

Yeah, Ikr. What are you doing here?

I honestly think that if you are not someone famous etc and you want to get more views etc 9k for a first chapter is too much.

I see. I see. Well, I'm certainly not any celebrity.

I personally love longer chapters~ as long as it isn’t 15k or more it should be fine though it admittedly would be safer to split it into 2 or 3 chapters-nyah.

15K sounds way too long-nyah.

But it's not like you will not find readers with 9k words on your first chapter, and breaking it up too much might harm what you were trying to write.

Yes... That's why I made this thread.

Remember, readers on the site had an attention span of a goldfish, include myself. maybe people in this comments as well.

Uh... Is that why I watch TV while reading?

Too long.

so I really don't recommend any chapter being longer than 4-5k words at most.

I see. Well, I have done some culling, and right now, it is at 5K words. Took some extra hours but I think it still holds the core theme and idea.

 

[FRWriter]

I see. Well, I have done some culling, and right now, it is at 5K words. Took some extra hours but I think it still holds the core theme and idea.

Why not just split the chapter into two or three?! Culling is the last thing I'd have done.

Just the infrastructure of these sites is not suited for longer chapters. Scrolling down for 5 minutes is just clunky, and you also get lost, especially if you just have a few minutes of time.

I'd have just split it at several suitable moments and then call it "Chapter 1 part 1, part 2, and part 3 and your issue would have been solved.

 

[AnkaNix]

Why not just split the chapter into two or three?! Culling is the last thing I'd have done.

I think it worked out just fine.

Just the infrastructure of these sites is not suited for longer chapters. Scrolling down for 5 minutes is just clunky, and you also get lost, especially if you just have a few minutes of time.

I see.

I'd have just split it at several suitable moments and then call it "Chapter 1 part 1, part 2, and part 3 and your issue would have been solved.

It only had two scenes and couldn’t be separated like that.

Well, I guess having those two scenes togerther in a single page was important. I think I it worked out fine.

 

[Dawnathon]

There's definitely nothing inherently wrong with it, but you have to look at it from the reader's POV. If there's a 9k word prologue that is anything short of captivating, they might just interpret it as being bad at pacing and click off. They're also going to be a lot more likely to skim through it, since it's their introduction to a story they don't know if they'll like or not. It's asking for a lot of commitment upfront.

You can still do it without changing or splitting anything, just don't be surprised if it's hard to get new readers. Which might not be a concern, depending on your goals. I'm over 90k in with a story nobody reads, but I'm also not trying to hit any big numbers.

 

[Jaymi]

I could break it 6K & 3K. The side characters meet the main character and the main character tells their back story to the reader.

Is two chapters okay like this?

Its definitely better than a 9k chapter for on a site like SH

 

[MFontana]

Is having 9K words for the first chapter too much? Specifically, it is 9190 words.

I think it is immersive enough. But I was wondering if it is overkill or not...

Overall, no. It isn't too much when you're writing for print.
As for uploading though, I'd still recommend splitting it into parts.
For example: Chapter 1 part 1 and Chapter 1 part 2, and so on.

I've had to do the same myself with The Elarian Chronicles, as both Chapters 1 and 2 were well over 6,000 words, so I broke them down for release here.

 

[Time4T]

Is having 9K words for the first chapter too much? Specifically, it is 9190 words.

I think it is immersive enough. But I was wondering if it is overkill or not...

I may be an anomaly but I love long chapters. Especially if I'm current with the releases. Having to wait days inbetween 1500 word mini chapters is annoying, sometimes so much so that I'll drop out. Personaly, I like chapters to be a meal, not a snack. I'll likely take a look at your story just because of it's chapter length (even though I've no idea what it's about).

Edit.... (*AnkaNix hasn't written anything*). When you start posting your long chapters, do let me know.

 

[Ai-chan]

Is having 9K words for the first chapter too much? Specifically, it is 9190 words.

I think it is immersive enough. But I was wondering if it is overkill or not...

Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Still yes.

Remember, the majority of your readers will be reading on the phone or tablet. 9000 words looks horrible on phone and gives readers headaches.

 

[Dec]

9000 words looks horrible on phone and gives readers headaches

Not at all.
Assuming the formatting itself is not crap (as it often happens on SH, sadly), it is quite a pleasant read when you don't need to constantly press the "next" button.
Said Dec, finishing reading a second 600-page novel today on his phone, while not having a headache.

 

[AnkaNix]

Said Dec, finishing reading a second 600-page novel today on his phone, while not having a headache.

One day, I had discovered a peak story and binge read it in a day, covering hundreds of chapters worth over 2.2M words on phone.

My thick glasses is a testament of my addiction of reading.