Do stories need chapters?

I'm in the middle of writing something at the moment and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not sure if I'll include any chapters at all.

Is it necessary to have them? Seemingly it differs from author-to-author.

pickarooney

I wouldn't read a book with no chapters. It's almost entirely psychological but it seems like more of a chore to read 3% of 500 pages than two chapters of a book.

Do you think?

One of my favourite authors is Terry Pratchett, who I take a lot of inspiration from, and books within his Discworld series rarely have chapters. Would it depend on how each are formatted or do you think it's entirely necessary to have chapters included?

indough

for me chaptersmake it easier to read a story, like you can set a goal to read a certain amount and it makes it easier to keep track of exactly where you left off. i hate to stop reading mid chapter so it would be a turn off for me

Antilles

The Road didn't have any chapters and its one of my favourite books.

tbahh

Depends on what you are writing,

If it's like Mrs Dalloway which takes place over the course of a day, then having no chapters is fine.

If it takes place over a longer period of time, having chapters allows a writer to represent breaks in time.

Personally, I like having chapters in a book. It makes it easier to read because I can choose when to stop. With a book with no chapters, it's hard to determine when to stop.

That does make a lot sense, with knowing where you can finish reading. It's just a habit I suppose I have to get myself into really - I grew up reading Discworld so that's somewhat where I base a lot of my writing on, that sort of format.

Ozzymandius

I don't think books need chapters but you need to at least have breaks for the reader. If I'm reading a 200 page novel with no chapters I'd hate to stop reading right in the middle of the action, I set myself goals when I read and I get to a certain place and I stop. Hope this helps.