i won't say that 7k is too long because sometimes the longer the better, but yeah sometimes it's too long because i often read a story not in one sitting, and i can't bookmark a story in the middle of a chapter, so i actually prefer about 2k-5k words per chapter.

I don't really consider anything "too long" for a one shot. I've written one that was barely 1k words and I've written one that was about 5.5k words. I think that they were both equally as good, so I don't really think the length of the one-shot matters.

Personally I don't set a maximum for one shots. It's all about preferences. Though I do think it over when it gets really long if I shouldn't just turn it into a short story.^^ So every writer decides on his/her own how long the OS should be. Readers can't set a scale.

Well. If a oneshot of 7.000 words is considered too long, my oneshots at 20.000+ words are, well. Very much too long. Pfffft.

Your question confuses me a little, though. Are you asking about a oneshot or a chaptered fic? The last sentence is obviously a chapterd fic, but the rest leans towards oneshot. A fic with one 'chapter'. So.

1: 'Typical length' for a oneshot isn't easily answered. I guess it ranges between, eh, 3.000 words to 10.000, probably. Some may be tempted to chapter a oneshot if the word count exceeds 10.000 words, or even 5.000. These days, my oneshots are usually above 10.000 words each. I often find length to go hand in hand with quality, though 'often' does not mean always, obviously. There are always exceptions. I love long oneshots, and here we're talking 10.000++++ words, however, I stumble upon good oneshots less than 2.000 words more often than I find good chaptered fics with each chapter being 2.000 words or less.

It also depends on the genres and the plot. Some oneshots require a little more world building and all that shish, which further requires more words. Hence, a long oneshot. Other oneshots, usually fluffy and slice of life, don't necessarily require a lot of world building and setting, so they can be shorter. We have oneshots that are similar to the long ones, but still leave certain things in darkness, because that's the beauty of oneshots. A chaptered fic kind of demands a lot of plotting and , not to say that oneshots don't, but - oneshots still are a different kind of, uh, writing, different way to tell a story. So. You are, eh, 'allowed' to leave behind loose ends, if that makes sense? I can't explain for .

2: Ideal length for a chapter in a chaptered fic. As I hinted at above, I prefer chapters to be, eh, say, more than 5.000 words each. 10.000 words each is super fine, too. Some may prefer short chapters, but eh, can't please everyone. I think chapters above 5.000 words allow for a better story; better character growth, better world building, et cetera. As with everything else, there are of course exceptions; some <2.000 words a chapter fics are wonderful, short as they are, whilst some 5.000+ words a chapter are, well. Not so wonderful.

reddoll123 further below has a good point with the last paragraph. So long as the story feels complete, the length doesn't matter, really. Do what you want! I understand the wish to please readers, but, seriously, write for yourself, first and foremost. If they think a 7.000 words long oneshot (chapter?) is too long, well, they should go somewhere else for something shorter.

... This may be a bit of a mess to read. Hahaha. I tend to ramble when asked questions like these...

ive been in your place and let me tell you, theres no reason to worry~ ive got a 20k oneshot and i used to worry that it was probably too long and i went around with the same questions as yours - missminew was very helpful to me ^^ - but at the end of the day, your story, your choice u.u i dont regret not breaking my one-shot up into shorter chapters because i felt that it didnt have enough to be material to be a chaptered fic c: look at those published stories that are only one chapter long! theyre not worrying about word count~

For me nothing is too long, you're story can be 100+ Chapters..BUT I hate, absolutely hate fillers. So when you're chapters becomes too filler or too repetitive I will stop reading or get very annoyed while skipping paragraphs of the chapters.

Maaan, a oneshot can be of any length in my opinion. Length doesn't mean quality--it's all about the author and how they tell their story.

And, one thing I've noticed in longer oneshot fics though is that sometimes the plot feels like it's dragging on for too long. Again, that depends on what/how the author writes but really it's never good to have a reader skimming through the last part of your story 'cause they're bored wondering when it's gonna end already. And on the flipside, sometimes a fic may feel too darn short like it should've been a drabble instead because barely anything happened and you just kinda sit there wondering, "...That's it? That's...wow."

So, yeah I'd say write what makes you feel like your story is complete. If you find yourself not able to get through your own story because it's too long or you find yourself displeased 'cause you feel like you gotta add more--then take some sentences out or add more to flesh out the plot ^^. And seriously, 7k seems so small compared to this one 78k+ oneshot I finished yesterday haha.

Well, there are "oneshots" on AO3 that are 45k words in one chapter. That's what I would consider too much, but seriously, anything to 15k is definitely fine and 20k can be acceptable too. You're completely fine - and I actually like it if oneshots are longer too, I wouldn't mind at all.

just do what u want dont let readers control ur life!!!!!!!!! ive read 40k oneshots as well as 3k oneshots and was fine with it because it was good. anyone who complains about length doesnt deserve to read ur story anyway.

@KnoW_logic You should just do your thing, honestly. 7k is a reasonable amount of words and it's your decision if you want to wrap things up nicely. If people want to read something shorter then they should go read a drabble lmao

I don't think it's too long either. As long as there is one chapter, I consider story as a one shot even if it's under 1k words ^_^

@Shirakuen Right, I thought that too. Like don't you need a lot of words to explain everything in a one shot. I mean I didn't want to leave things open-ended. I really thought maybe I didn't write enough, but apparently I did. Lol.

@MissMinew Haha. Thanks. I was thinking that too, but then some people were kinda complaining. I just got self-conscious, so I thought I'd ask.

Does something like "too long" even exist for a OS? The ones I write are usually around 10k+ and I actually think that this is a reasonable amount of words judging by the fact that there are not going to be any additional chapters to the story and that you're explaining the whole plot, beginning to end, in this one single chapter.

I mean - that is what I consider "typical length" for a oneshot. No, 7k is not too long imo.

Everything between 2k to 15k in my opinion. (But I have read twoshots on 15k as well so...)