Hi everyone! I’m yet to publish my first story, but I’m working on it! I’ve finished the first chapter, but I’m having chapter-length issues. About how many lines of code is a chapter of your story? It doesn’t have to be exact, just an estimate. Thank you!
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Without CC, usually around 10k lines. I base my chapters more on the word count than lines because I use advanced directing methods, so what may take 10 lines to code using basic directing can be 300 lines for me.
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Right now, my chapter is about 1.5k lines and I still need to add intro, splashes, outro, etc.
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10k?!
That’s a lot
My goal is 2k lines per episode, but I don’t use much advanced directing, so…
wow. Is that too much for a new author? I’m not new-new, but still new if you know what I mean
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I’m not sure how many lines chapters usually are, but I was thinking something around the 2k mark. I thought that seemed like a lot, though. For me, it takes a long time. About 2 hours to code 200 lines if I’m just sitting there coding.
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I wouldn’t worry too much! That’s exactly why I mentioned I do a lot of advanced directing.
I’m working on a story for the R&R contest right now, and I did this one thing where the location and date come up on the screen like a typewriter. That means an overlay for every single letter of “December 1997, Alberta, Canada”, and then making them appear on the screen one at a time. That alone is probably 100 lines of code for something that literally lasts 5 seconds.
I count the words in the dialogue and not lines in the code, because it’s not really conductive to my story personally. But if it works for you, then keep doing it! We all have our own directing styles 
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Mine are usually anywhere from 1k-5k lines, depending on what all is happening that episode, how advanced the directing is, if there’s branches etc.
A better way to base your chapters length is to set a timer and play through to see how long it takes. 8-15 minutes seems to be the average amount of time people enjoy, so that’s always my goal as opposed to actual line count.
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I aim for around 6k each chapter
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That’s what I was trying to do. I was aiming for 9-10 minutes an episode, but I got to 7 minutes so I was trying to revise and see if I can add any scenes ot change anything.
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I use advanced directing and a lotta overlays so each chapter is around 24k.
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I asked my friend how many lines she codes and she said 6k, but then again, she’s been writing for years, so I can’t really compare to her.
My general thought is that if the chapter is done, it’s done. If you’re just adding extra padding to extend the length, it’s not worth it. If you’re moving plot points around to add something of value to the story, then go for it!
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Wow. Just wow. Impressive. I don’t have much patience so chances are I’m not going to get that many lines.
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So I’m doing the R&R contest, and I was trying to rush it a bit to get to the risk because of contest rules, so I have a lot of scenes I cut out.
I don’t have patience either 
It doesn’t take me long- I watch a fun video and just code so it takes around 10-12 hours in one sitting but I take frequent breaks
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In that case definitely add some back in! My first chapter for the contest is clocking in at around 40-45 minutes, so I wouldn’t worry about it taking too long to get to the risk lol. It just has to happen by the end of the first chapter
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Maybe you can add a bonus scene to make it longer? It’s up to you, but that’s what I’d do to extend an episode’s length; plus it’ll improve your story rank, as long as you only make it five gems
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Ahh. Yes. I know know the feeling. I’ve been known in my house to scroll through forums through zooms.
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Yeah. I cut out morning routines, meetings, funny scenes, I actually think I’m taking more risks than my characters. 
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I was totally thinking of doing that. I could be fun. 
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