Oh, to title a chapter or just go ahead and call it Chapter 72. One of the perennial questions facing any writer.
Do you notice chapter titles when you’re reading? Do you like them? Dislike them? Not even realize they’re there?
Where do you stand?
If you’re reading in an RSS reader or via e-mail, please click through for the poll:
You know… I've been wondering about the necessity of chapters at all. Where did that structure come from? Granted if you're switching story lines from one character to another an asterisk break or simply a gap would work, but then you might as well do a chapter break. Still, I think the idea of chapters causes too many writers/authors to fall into the trap of preconceived structural norms. They become afraid of a chapter getting too long or being too short, which really it should just be about what best serves the story. Out with chapters, I say! Unless they serve a distinct function that makes the story better.
I love chapter titles to death! I feel like the chapter titles tell me something about the book and, in turn, the author. The chapter title sets the mood for the chapter, and kind of tells me what to expect.
As an author, I use chapter titles for various reasons. When I intended on using my novel, I'M SORRY, as a series, I used one word chapter titles for it, then used two word chapter titles for the sequel. When the sequel fell through, I used Japanese words and their translations for the chapter titles. For my current work, I find an interesting line of 3 or 4 words from the chapter and use that as the title.
I feel like it adds an intriguing, fun feel to a novel when the author takes the time to properly name each chapter.
I either love chapter titles or they irritate me and pull me out of the flow of the story.
One the whole, I like them … now I'm wondering why I don't use them in my own writing more.
Love chapter titles. A teaser clue to the mystery, romance, adventure. Thrill me with Trivia. Go Liaden all the way. They do short stories as teasers. But love the worldbuilding trivia.
Seems to depend on the book itself. To do so in an 80-chapter crime thriller seems a bit… gratuitous, perhaps? But for a 25 chapter novel whose focus is a bit more on using metaphor, investigating character, etc. it could well be magnificent device to enrich the overall experience.
I love the way chapter titles can add a whole new dimension to a work. Sometimes they clue us into the upcoming plot points. Other times they add another layer of meaning or create a subversive twist.While a book title is important for drawing people in, chapter titles can be intricate and valuable tools to add to plot. After completing a chapter and after completing a book, I often enjoy flipping back and reading the chapter title again.
One book I've read recently where I enjoyed the chapter titles was "Fat Vampire" by Adam Rex.
I love chapter titles…as long as someone else writes them. They're clever and when I tell myself that I'm going to stop at the next chapter, they usually convince me that I really need to read just one more so that I can figure out what the title means.
However, I can't, for the life of me, write them for my own WIPs.
I find numbers impersonal. Anyone can write Chapter 1, Chapter 2. That said, in a 200,000 word book with 80 chapters, I can see why the author would not bother with titles.
I think personal titles have a function beyond breaking up the prose. They can make the reader curious about what's going to happen in the chapter. I also think chapter titles can structure the work. I'm not sure how traditional it is, but one of my chapter titles is "Three Days Later," the last chapter is "The End." It's a bit meta, but it does give the chapter titles a function.
I like titles. I like reading them, and I like writing them. For some books. Where appropriate.
Does I really don't mind count?
As long as they are good, subtle titles, they work. One can always sense when the writer has not thought them through. So… fine.
To me, it depends on the book a lot. It has to fit… A quote at the beginning of a chapter, for example, can be much more powerful than chapter titles.
Harry Potter, on the other hand, gains from the chapter titles, I think.
One of the factors it depends on for me is the length of the book, or rather, the number of chapters. By the time you get to chapter 72, you'll have run out of clever titles. I prefer if people just number them then.
Unless the chapter titles really have something to do with the chapter's content, or they are really witty, I'll probably forget them by the time I reach the bottom of the second page. They are useful for remembering where you were when you loose your page marker though… "Mrs Magdalene's Big Mistake" is easier to remember than "was it 19 or 18 now, or 29 already?"
A catchy chapter title can hook you just as well as a good first line.
I use song titles as chapter titles of my WIP. The titles help me remember what's in each chapter, so I can find a scene if I'm looking for it. The titles also add a sense of fun. I'm leaning toward keeping them if (when!) the novel is published. But chapter titles should never be a distraction, and they should never give too much away. For instance, you wouldn't want to title a chapter "Dodging a Bullet" when the protagonist literally dodges a bullet in the chapter. Like any other element, the title should keep the reader engaged in the story.
I don't like them in works of fiction, it makes the book feel very "young adult." But they're usually funny or interesting for autobiographies. I think they provide some continuity between chapters that the genre often lacks.
I like chapter titles in my work; first they help me to identify the chapter, second they can be whimsical, or best of all the reader will be halfway through, or even at the end of the chapter before he realizes that the title fits. I've used some awful titles too. I hate titles which are a person's name, although I am guilty; hey, writing is a learning experience. I think that just using numbers is boring.