Chapter Titles?

This is not a yes or no question.

It depends on the book. They add flavor or clarification or a clever twist to some books. (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, eg.)

In others they're possible unnecessary spoilers, or just pointless.

Personal taste... I don't like them.

johnro said:

In the draft of my first thriller/suspense novel, I used titles. One agent said, "No titles."

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For a thriller, I would never use chapter titles. It interrupts the flow of what should be a rather fast-paced story.

However, I personally enjoy chapter titles, especially in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. It gives a little hint of what's to come, and makes me more excited to read on. This is partly because, at least to me, SFF chapters are kind of like little adventures in themselves usually.

Plus, I just really like coming up with clever titles.

It's a matter of if you like them or if you don't! I think they can be clever so I use them. Ultimately though when it comes to publication, if an agent or publisher doesn't like them, chapter titles are easy to lop off so I wouldn't think there's a huge reason to worry!

It doesn't make much difference, I think. I've read books which had chapter titles and others that just had numbers. A reader's choice won't be much influenced by whether the chapters have titles or numbers. It probably depends on your taste, though. If you want to add titles, add them, but use titles that don't give much away, that just drop a hint or two to arouse the reader's interest. Personally I think they create a kind of suspense for the reader.

Can I have a button for "sometimes"? Or does that default to an answer of yes?

I think GuitarShank has hit the nail on the head. For some books and some genres maybe. For some others, maybe not.

I sometimes get annoyed with chapter titles when they act as spoilers, letting me know what is going to happen later on in that chapter. And surely the author ought to be one of the last people giving spoilers out so freely.

So authors resort to the tricksy title. The one that hints at something that is going to happen, only it doesn't quite work out the way that you expect. And that can come across at too smart-arsey for its own good.

So, um, sometimes, maybe.

I don't like to stop reading in order to read a chapter title. I want to continue with the story!

That said, I will use chapter titles in my WIPs, but only to remind myself of each chapter's events, so I can skim through and find the chapter I'm looking for during revisions. Once I'm done with the novel, the titles get deleted.

I'm using them for the first time in my WIP, and having a blast. They didn't seem right for my other books, but they do for this one.

Myrealana said:

This is not a yes or no question.

It depends on the book. They add flavor or clarification or a clever twist to some books. (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, eg.)

In others they're possible unnecessary spoilers, or just pointless.

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QFT. It really depends on the tone of the book. They fit in some books, but not others. I've personally never used them, nor do I care to read them, but I think they fit really well in books like the ones Myrealana mentioned.

I really like chapter titles in any sort of book, to be honest. Of course, this is also coming from a fan of those old timey ' In Which...' sort of chapter summary titles, so maybe it is best to take my taste with a grain of salt.

Orianna2000 said:

I don't like to stop reading in order to read a chapter title. I want to continue with the story!

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This. I tend to skip/skim chapter titles the first time I read, because I don't like mah stories getting interrupted. I'll appreciate them when I reread, but the first time is a swing and a miss with me. I also don't use them because

a.) titling the book is bad enough
b.) lazy.

I'm using chapter titles in my MG work, 'cause I think kids like to be nudged along (could be wrong about that!) but, they don't work for me in adult fiction - unless the title is a simple name, place name, date - something "grounding".

I think they work best in humorous novels, personally.

Naming stuff is fun. I called one chapter III. Another was Chapter Niney. Editors will probably cite what they want when the time comes.

Clearly the titles vs. no titles debate is as old and divided as writing itself, going by the poll XD

I agree. It is like the age-old debate: socks or no socks.

I voted no, but it really depends on the nature of the book. I could see chapter titles working in some stories, but I would think the default would be just numbering chapters, and only doing otherwise if you thought it enhanced the work somehow.

My answer is Don't care, and you didn't include that in your poll choices, so I didn't vote. This is one of the most Don't care questions I've ever seen posted here.

And it may often be dependent on the individual work, rather than a dichotomous attitude on the part of the writer. Not everything is a razor-edge dichotomy.

caw

johnro said:

In the draft of my first thriller/suspense novel, I used titles. One agent said, "No titles."

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I don't get that. What's wrong with chapter titles?

Just don't put spoilers in them.

ETA: I didn't vote because neither of the options made sense. It's not a yes or no issue.

BethS said:

It's not a yes or no issue.

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Yeah, it's like "What's your favorite ice cream, chocolate or vanilla?" but your favorite is strawberry.

Honestly, I'm going to vote no in the poll because I've never found a place where they are necessary. I'm not saying they should never be used, but chapter titles are kind of like a nice garnish. Cool if it's there, distracting if not done well, but if you skip it you probably won't be missing much.

That said, I do tend to skim over chapter titles, even in books I really like. They are helpful to me as a writer to remember what happens there, but I won't keep them in my final manuscript.

It depends on the book, and on how well the chapter titles are done. Truthfully, I seldom see them in adult novels, though I have come across a few. Children's books and MG use them more often, I think.

If I have a problem with chapter titles it's that they're either spoilers, or they're usually unnecessary and add nothing to the book.

But done well enough, they work.

I prefer a short quote, or a short, relevant poem, I love the way the TV show Grimm does it, but it's your book, and I doubt anyone will stop reading because you have chapter titles, unless each one is a spoiler.

Once upon a time I liked chapter titles. Back before I realized most of them were spoilers. Kind of hard to get into a chapter when you are given expectations about it from the start. These days, I prefer numbers. Oh, I also like page numbers on each page, too

In general, chapter titles are superfluous. The only place I ever like them is in humor books. (Chick lit, humorous memoirs, etc.) Clever titles can add to the overall humor of the book, as well as set a tone for the upcoming chapter.