When I write a story, I try to have a certain number of chapters in it. I like even numbers such as 10, 20, etc., but if I had 17 or 19 chapters, it doesn’t seem right to me. If there are 19 chapters, it seems like there should be 20 chapters. Or if the last chapter is on 31, it should end at chapter 32.
But certain numbers like 7 or 11, etc., seem right to me. A lot of associations can be tied to those numbers. Perhaps this is just a feeling I have and it doesn’t really matter how many chapters a book has as long as it’s a great story.
But the one benefit I found to this approach is that I’ll write a new chapter (i.e. if it ends on chapter 19) just to make it fit a certain amount of chapters, and sometimes it ends up being really great.
Fallton Havenstonne 