Chapter Revelation

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After completing Chapter 2 and hearing back the good and the bad, I came to the conclusion that I have an affinity to bloat chapters to a ten thousand word giants. I initially wanted to talk about the process behind creation of a novel physically: paper vs. screen vs. mind process and such, but I do am quite the fleeting the bird.

From the books I have read chapters span from might long [twenty pages] to mighty short [less than one page, even a paragraph] and it varies from writer to writer. But chapter breaks are as elusive as everything else [hence, the sudden burst of individuality, when talking about them]. It all depends on the story and the eyes with which the writer looks at the story. In 'Spellwright' by Blake Charlton, I have seen some interesting chapter breaks, which jarred the reading process at times as they came mid-mid-scene [if such a term exists]. In a different novel, though I do not quite recall the title, the author had a sentence long sentences.

I, myself, have an affinity for the longer chapters, though I think I view the story as a whole and while I work, I neglect to add natural pauses for the reader. The skill to sever the story into new standing segments to give the reader a chance to rest and still hook him/her to continue reading is quite vital. In this regard I decided to cut up the chapters I have and from two produce five, but it took some time to see through the bigger scenes to find the best spots to operate upon.

When writing a novel, do you always nail the chapter break or do you mince the text later on?