Alliteration in chapter titles

It's quirky, but if the story is that way, it can work out.

But for something serious like my WIP, it would turn a reader off.

a lot depends on audience and tone of the book...I'd be inclined to find them kitchy and trite (I hate them in queries, because they almost always come off smug and self-aware), but others may well devour them if you do them well, and certain writers would be far more apt to use them (both well and poorly) than others.....

I'd be cautious of them, and very critical, but if you think they work, and a couple betas do as well, you could be that person who pulls them off successfully.

Some of my chapters are quite quirky, but that tends to be because the chapter is light-hearted.

I have a chapter called 'Eighteen's an Eventful Age', since the chapter isn't very dramatic or foreboding.

Whereas, I have named a more exciting chapter 'From Ice and Snow to Fire and Smoke'.

Lidiya said:

S'all good, but aren't alliterated chapter titles too childish, cheesy and overused?

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No.

I think I'd kinda like it.

I like the idea. Do you have an example?

You have to be careful with alliteration. It can come off as silly and childish. If your book is silly and childish, go for it. If you're writing some gritty adult novel, I'd avoid it.

Lidiya said:

Hmm...
Well, for one chapter the MC visits his dad's apartment, which has a lot of objects made out of mahogany (sounds silly but it's actually kinda interesting). He ends up turning the place upside down searching for something. The chapter is called Mahogany Mess.

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I like that idea, the title leaves the chapter as quite ambiguous until you learn about the mahogany. If you're going to keep to this alliteration, don't be afraid of adding extra words to help the titles stand stronger.

I'd opt for something like A Mess of Mahogany, or Mess among the Mahogany.

It still counts as alliteration