naming your chapters?

barnhijl · Jun 14, 2012

How many of you title your chapters? Is this silly? Is there a genre that does it more than another? Just curious to see what everyone else does.

I name mine, but I can't always think of a good title. Or I have a title, but think it's lame and just use it as a place holder until I think of something better.

DanielaTorre · Jun 14, 2012

It really is a matter of taste, although most adult fiction tends to stray away from it. It's not silly at all. If it's comfortable, then do it.

The good thing about chapter names is that you can give the reader a hint of what the chapter involves. I personally like them, but I write MG so it's very common.

Kalea · Jun 14, 2012

It's uncommon enough that I notice it when it's there.

I'm so bad at titling, I wouldn't even attempt it.

TheHungryFreelancer · Jun 14, 2012

I only title my non-fiction chapters. With fiction, I'm always worried that a chapter title will give away too much information on what's about to happen

barnhijl · Jun 14, 2012

TheHungryFreelancer said:
I only title my non-fiction chapters. With fiction, I'm always worried that a chapter title will give away too much information on what's about to happen

I worry about that too..

I'm just in the process of procrasti- i mean going through my novel and I'm not sure why I gave them titles. lol. I was thinking about deleting them but right now it's helping me keep track of my editing.

Kerosene · Jun 14, 2012

Chapter 1

I might name them for my own benefit, but not for any reader to see.
I've always thought that chapter names gave off the chapter's mystery and dulled the suspense.

Fallen · Jun 14, 2012

I've read some with, some without. I honestly don't mind them, to be honest. Sometimes it's obvious why authors do (if they're using first pov and they're alternating povs, they'll use names etc).

CaroGirl · Jun 14, 2012

Do whatever you think works best for your book. There are no rules on this one.

I had enough trouble naming my kids. I don't want to have to name every chapter too, thankyouverymuch.

ETA -- Idea: Name each chapter with the most appropriate title from the chapter that came BEFORE it. And then for the first chapter use the title for the last chapter. Really mess with their heads. Yeah.

Lhipenwhe · Jun 14, 2012

I'm trying to do that with my current WIP. Since the MC has electrical powers, I'm giving each one an appropriate electricity-related name.

I'm probably going to have to switch to chapter numbers when I can't think of anything clever.

shaldna · Jun 14, 2012

Sometimes I name chapters, sometimes I don't. It depends on what I'm working on at the time and if I think the chapters need name.

Either way, I don't really care when it comes to reading.

Sunflowerrei · Jun 14, 2012

I named chapters with a few stories I wrote when I was younger. I think the books we read in elementary school often had chapter titles.

Tepelus · Jun 14, 2012

I use the date for my chapter titles, mostly to my benefit in keeping track of the time of year and years since it spans several (and eventually centuries). And I suppose it will be helpful for future readers too. I keep each chapter in its own file in one folder with my novel's name and have come to not only naming the files by chapter number and date, but also a short description of what said chapter is about. In the manuscript though, only the date is given for each new chapter.

dangerousbill · Jun 14, 2012

barnhijl said:
I name mine, but I can't always think of a good title. Or I have a title, but think it's lame and just use it as a place holder until I think of something better.

It works best if you can come up with clever and memorable titles. A friend of mine is very good at it. I'm not, so I don't try.

One chapter title still sticks in my brain after more than 40 years. It was in one of the early James Bond books, Dr. No, I think. The chapter title was, 'No Sensayuma'. Near the end of the chapter, the bad guy's henchman (Oddjob?) was breaking Bond's fingers, one by one, and when Bond screams, Oddjob quips, "This guy's got no sensayuma."

ErstwhileA · Jun 14, 2012

I associate named titles both with children's literature and an older (Victorian) storytelling sensibility. If you're specifically and deliberately alluding to that narrative style by naming your chapters (you frequently see authors doing this by using the "In Which X Happens" formula) I think it can be an effective choice.

lorna_w · Jun 14, 2012

^ yup, I love that "in which" titling convention; makes me pleasantly nostalgic.

I love good titles. I title poorly. this time, because of multiple POVs, I'm doing a "dateline"

Dancre · Jun 14, 2012

It's your decision, whatever you want to do. Some title, some don't. I suck at titles so I just go with chapter 1 etc.

barnhijl said:
How many of you title your chapters? Is this silly? Is there a genre that does it more than another? Just curious to see what everyone else does.

I name mine, but I can't always think of a good title. Or I have a title, but think it's lame and just use it as a place holder until I think of something better.

savagelilies · Jun 14, 2012

Not my thing, personally. I don't like them because they tend to give away what the chapter is about/what happens in said chapter. Then again, I have enough trouble with dividing my stories into chapters 1, 2, 3, and so on (as a pantser, I don't bother with chapters until the second draft), so I don't take the time to name them. It suffices just to number them, IMO. But, YMMV on this one.

Nonuw · Jun 14, 2012

I like reading books with Chapter titles, but now don't bother to name my own. I've tried to in the past, but discovered it was too much hassle, because mid-draft I'd be shuffling scenes or entire chapters, and the title wouldn't make sense anymore. So no more naming chapters. If you can pull it off - great!

sadbeautifultragic · Jun 14, 2012

I title my chapters like:

Chapter 1
DECEMBER (or whatever month it is)

because the month is what's important to the story.

I don't mind reading books with chapter titles, I just suck at them so I don't use them.

-t.

bickazer · Jun 14, 2012

I used to title all my chapters, but lately I've gotten pretty terrible at coming up with titles, and the YA stories I write now don't really lend themselves well to chapter titles. I don't know why, but I associate chapter titles with MG fantasy.

I do like them a lot, though. And I'm kind of surprised by the number of people who say they gave away the mystery, because for me, I always like to read the chapter title (or even table of contents) and try to guess what's in each chapter, and it's a thrill to find out whether my guess is anywhere close. Usually it isn't. XD

blacbird · Jun 14, 2012

Not a problem, either naming or just numbering.

caw

CheshireGrin · Jun 14, 2012

For me, it depends on the book I am writing if I name the chapters or not. I like to only because I feel it may draw the reader in. However, it doesn't always work out for every book. My way of thinking is...do what I want and if I ever get picked up by an agent then I will go with what they think as well. My advice is to always go with your gut. Hope it works out for you.

blacbird · Jun 14, 2012

bickazer said:
I'm kind of surprised by the number of people who say they gave away the mystery,

If your chapter titles "give away the mystery", all that says is you have bad chapter titles.

caw

Ellielle · Jun 15, 2012

bickazer said:
I do like them a lot, though. And I'm kind of surprised by the number of people who say they gave away the mystery, because for me, I always like to read the chapter title (or even table of contents) and try to guess what's in each chapter, and it's a thrill to find out whether my guess is anywhere close. Usually it isn't. XD

Me too. I love the "so that's what that meant" moment that I get when reading a chapter that's been titled something cryptic.

But I suck terribly at coming up with titles, so I don't title my chapters.

IndigoBanshee · Jun 15, 2012

Do you all think chapter titles are more necessary in the age of digital books?

I find, when reading on my Kindle, that I use the chapter titles to find a place in a book, though I admit it happens more often for non-fiction. Sometimes the Kindle loses my place in fiction books (especially when it updates software), and so I have used chapter titles to find my place on occasion for fiction books.

I'd just as soon number them, but this occurred to me last week.

naming your chapters?

...

volcanoes melt you down

Your Pixie Queen

Stood at the coalface

Living the dream

Moving with my soul, step by step

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

And so...

Retired Illuminatus

Confused Alien

Just have fun.

'til the end of time

taking time to smell the flowers

someday we'll shine together

needs something clever to put here