5d • BookNova.ai stuff
Feature preview - Sail Mode: variable chapter lengths, adjustable for every chapter
One of the features coming with Sail Mode (our chapter-by-chapter writing flow, currently in development) is per-chapter length control. Here's what it does and how it works.
The idea
In published fiction, chapters aren't all the same length. Length is used to control pace: tense or fast-moving scenes tend to run short, while setup, immersion, and emotional depth run longer — and the climax is often the tightest section of the book. A fixed word count per chapter (total ÷ chapters) hits a target length but produces an even, mechanical rhythm that real novels don't have.
Sail Mode varies chapter length instead — automatically, with a manual override.
The automatic part
For each new chapter, Sail sets a target length from three inputs:
- Pace — the pace you pick for the chapter (linger / natural / push) shifts the length. Lingering runs longer; pushing the plot forward runs tighter.
- Story position — where the chapter sits in the arc. Opening/setup chapters get more room; chapters in the climax zone run shorter and faster.
- Length budget — your book's overall target. If earlier chapters ran long or short, later targets adjust to keep the whole book on the length you planned.
The result is a natural variation from chapter to chapter, with the total still landing on your intended book length. No setup required — it works by default.
The manual part
Every chapter shows its suggested length in the writing panel, labelled punchy, standard, or immersive. If you want a specific chapter shorter or longer, type in your own word count — that number is used for that chapter. A reset option returns it to the automatic suggestion.
So the length is decided for you when you don't care, and editable per chapter when you do.
Status
Sail Mode is still in development; this feature will ship with it. More previews to follow.
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Feature preview - Sail Mode: variable chapter lengths, adjustable for every chapter
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