Sometimes, it can depend on the story, or it can just depend on you as a writer. I know writers that specifically like to keep to short chapters that are only a few pages long, I know writers that like long chapters, and I know writers that don't care and just go-with-the-flow.
I personally prefer short chapters because when I read at night, I like to stop at a chapter-break before going to bed. I hate stopping in the middle of a chapter, even if there's a break in the story. I like having the option of whether or not I will read the 4-13 page chapter before I fall asleep.
Because of this strange need to finish a chapter before I go to sleep, I write short chapters. I guess it might be because I'm hoping that there is another "I have to finish this chapter before I go to bed" booknerd out there and that they will appreciate my short chapters. I know, I'm weird.
Why use short chapters? Why use long chapters? It doesn't really matter because your book is going to be as long as it's going to be. There isn't really a difference between the two, it's more of a personal preference, and someone who has picked up your book isn't going to stop reading it and never pick it up again because your chapters are too long.
And this probably isn't something to decide before starting your book, there are more important things to decide, so it's probably something you can decide after writing your first few chapters. Is your story more of a long chapters kind of book, or is it a short chapters kind of book? You decide.
Comment below, do you write short or long chapters?
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Personally I think short chapters can sometimes feel like a sudden cut in the story, but that also depends on the writing style... And I'm saying this as a reader, not a writer :-)
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