How long are your chapters? How many do you think you're going to end up with?

My chapters vary from about 1,000 words to 3,000 words, often predicated by when I hit a spot that seems like a good place to end a chapter and leave a hook or by a POV change. I expect to end up in the mid 50s.

36, 37, and 38 are done for now. I've moved onto 39 which should be a short chapter with only a couple of scenes, one of them very short.

After that will come 40. That will be an interesting chapter, it's the only chapter from the POV of perhaps the most interesting character in the story and I'm thinking of starting it with a childhood flashback that wasn't in the rough draft.

When I mentioned the three book solution to my wife, she seemed all for it. Though actually a two book solution would probably make more sense. I'm still pondering it, and trying to figure out a possible ending for book one that would be satisfying.

Revision-wise, I'm pressing onward assuming this is one book. If I absolutely cannot compress it down enough, I might go two book, but I have a feeling having to squeeze it into my word count will make it tighter and better than giving myself a lot of extra words to work with.

You're so good, Gud. I haven't thought about writing more than a Christmas card in weeks, except in passing.

I want to get it done, and read the way I'd like. Which, alas, it won't yet after this revision.

Hey Gud, I agree with the compression over 2 book idea. I get a lot of manuscripts that are too long and could do with that attitude, even if it doesn't work (in that it doesn't make it short enough but does make it tighter) and you end up with two books. You might consider figuring out where you'd cut it into two books, send it out as one on your agent/publication search, and then explain (either then or after a nibble... I'm not sure which is best; personally prefer after a nibble when I'm receiving the submission) that it can be cut into two books; but that the first book will stand alone. That way if someone's looking for a doorstop, they've got it; but if they're looking for something with more longevity, repeat readers, more sales, they've got that.

It sounds like your chapters are pretty short. Have you considered doing a scene break between POV shifts rather than a chapter break? I don't know the story, so I don't know if that would work in any instance, but it's something you might think about.

it's the only chapter from the POV of perhaps the most interesting character in the story

This concerns me. If I were reading it, I might cry foul here, because chapter 40 seems a long way in to be getting to know a character from his or her POV. Hearing about it, it sounds like a solution to letting the reader know something you don't want someone in the book to know, which implies to me that the author/mechanics will intrude on the story.

I hope that makes sense, and of course if it doesn't work for you or doesn't apply, that's cool. Just thought of it and figured it wouldn't hurt to mention it.

This concerns me. If I were reading it, I might cry foul here, because chapter 40 seems a long way in to be getting to know a character from his or her POV. Hearing about it, it sounds like a solution to letting the reader know something you don't want someone in the book to know, which implies to me that the author/mechanics will intrude on the story.

Well, the characters separated in chapter 29 and 40 is the story of what happened to the other character and how she managed to show up seemingly out of nowhere in 41. Something about the character gets revealed in 40 (which I hint at, but I don't know how well), but it's revealed to the other character in 41, so I don't know how much that applies. The main purpose of the POV chapter is the story of the journey the character took to get from the end of 34 to the beginning of 41.

That sounds so complicated, it's just that loads of stuff happens in story from 29 through 41.

Thanks for the one vs. two advice.

Chapter length maybe something to ask betas about. I sort of like the smaller chapters, but that's just me. Things are still pretty malleable, though.

Your explanation makes sense.

Well, the characters separated in chapter 29 and 40

It's good that there's foreshadowing for her.

I think it's probably a personal taste thing. I prefer one or two POV characters per book. There are some very popular series, though, that have a sort of ensemble cast (Jim Butcher's Codex Alera springs to mind) with multiple PsOV, and they seem to be doing quite well.

I have no real opinion on chapter length (especially not having read the book), it was just something I wondered about.