Novel Titles

Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by Charisma, Sep 10, 2007.

  1. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    6x6x6.jpg :superidea:
     
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  2. Vaiva

    Vaiva New Member

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    "With only about 7 hours left, will they figure out the truth? "
    Cram all the action into 6 hours and you'll have the third 6
     
  3. deadrats

    deadrats Contributor Contributor

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    Are chapter titles stupid or amateur looking? I know some books have them, but I think most don't. As I'm writing it helps me to title a chapter. Kind of keeps me focused. But maybe the only reason they are there is because it's a tool that helps me and I should take them out before I'm ready to submit. Though chapter titles can be fun for the creator at least. I used my novel title to generate a list of things that fall under it and those are my chapter titles and tentative chapter titles. And as much as I feel these chapter titles are relevant to the title and the novel and the story, they probably aren't needed in the final draft. Readers probably don't want to or don't need to be hit over the head with too many titles. This is one story so I probably only need one title, right? I'm going to use them during the writing process, but I feel like I probably need to ditch them for the final product. Oh, killing my darlings... Do you use chapter titles? Did you at one point ant decide to get rid of them or keep them and why? As a reader, how do you like your chapters best broken up? Titles? Numbers? Letters? Little swirly lines?
     
  4. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    Toying with a similar idea myself, but I don't think it makes much of a difference one way or another. Any reader that will disregard a book based on the presence or absence of chapter titles probably has a long list of turn offs that you'd be likely to check off anyway, so I wouldn't worry about that. That's kind of like refusing to date somebody because they're wearing red sneakers. I suppose if the titles were super annoying or pretentious it might weigh into a tie-breaker, but if the book is good I'm usually not overly concerned with it structural presentation.
     
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  5. Dracon

    Dracon Contributor Contributor

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    As a reader, I really like chapter titles, though I agree that these books seem to be more in the minority. Whether by demand or author preference, I don't know.

    The only time chapter titles become a big turn-off is if they are spoiler chapter titles. Nobody wants that. Though I can see how it is easy to forget these things as the author, but yet there are often times where I really wish I didn't know the chapter titles before reading the chapter (JK Rowling did this to me a few times I think? Can't remember a specific example)
     
  6. John Calligan

    John Calligan Contributor Contributor

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    Do them like they did in Dragon Lance

    Chapter 8 “a fort, betrayal, three friends find new relationships.”

    ;) some books, the chapter titles are like little summaries
     
  7. Iain Sparrow

    Iain Sparrow Banned Contributor

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    I'm in the, really, really enjoy proper chapter titles camp.

    They can set the mood for the reader, even help escalate the tension... sort of tease them to what's around the corner without giving anything away. I appreciate it when a writer uses chapter titles in interesting, and useful ways. One thing titles can do is link certain sections of a story together.

    Go ahead and jot down the first five chapter titles of your WIP, see how they tell a little story on their own.:)

    Ch1_ The Fourth Wall
    Ch2_ The Fitting Room
    Ch3_ A Stirring of Ashes
    Ch4_ A Rattling of Bones
    Ch5_ On With the Show!
     
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  8. 8Bit Bob

    8Bit Bob Here ;) Contributor

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    I feel the same way, as long as they don't spoil the chapter, I love them! :)
     
  9. John Calligan

    John Calligan Contributor Contributor

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    In the book I'm writing now, I have three different POV characters. I'm about halfway through and have managed to rotate between them each chapter. Been naming the chapters after the POV characters: Pallas, Chloe, Ada, Pallas, Chloe, Ada...
     
  10. KaTrian

    KaTrian A foolish little beast. Contributor

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    I use chapter titles, at least while I'm drafting because they help me remember what happens where. :p But I like them in published books, too. I guess they can come across a little YA-ish, but personally I do like them.
     
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  11. KevinMcCormack

    KevinMcCormack Senior Member

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    Depending on the narrative structure, titles may be instrumental in giving the reader context.

    For example, the Expanse novels have a suite of locations and POV characters, so the chapter titles tend to be "Earth," or "Naomi," to give the reader a general idea about the location before diving into dialogue.
     
  12. mashers

    mashers Contributor Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Personally I like abstract chapter titles which only properly make sense after reading the chapter. It gives you something to wonder about at the start of each chapter which falls in to place having read it. Unfortunately, my use of language is a bit too concrete to come make these work properly in my own writing.
     
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  13. Fiender_

    Fiender_ Active Member

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    I'd put chapter titles in the same category as prologues as things that are verrrrry easy to get wrong, and tricky to get right. If your book has lots of chapters, you might have a tough time coming up with interesting/intriguing titles for each chapter. If you find yourself naming a chapter "interlude" or "lull" then you've probably hit that limit. ;)

    I was reading a book (or maybe beta reading, can't recall) a book with a chapter titled "betrayal". In that chapter, a father-figure disagrees with the main character at a private meeting. That's the "betrayal". So, the title both spoiled the chapter for me, while setting expectations that the chapter failed to meet. So... another thing to be careful of. :p
     
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  14. mashers

    mashers Contributor Contributor Community Volunteer

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    The potential for troll chapter titles is immense.

    Chapter 11: The dog dies
    Chapter 19: The box was empty all along
    Chapter 25: The foreshadowed plot twist does not occur
    Chapter 37: It's all ok in the end
     
  15. Fiender_

    Fiender_ Active Member

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    It's not exclusive to books! Portal 2 fans might recall chapter 9.
     
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  16. CoyoteKing

    CoyoteKing Good Boi Contributor

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    I like to reread books... especially my favorite chapters. So I like chapter titles. They make finding my favorite bits easier.

    I usually pick a theme and stick to it. “Christopher and Dieter Pretend to Date.” “Christopher and Dieter Crash a Wedding.” “Christopher and Dieter Break Into the Post Office.”

    Yas! Love it.
     
  17. KevinMcCormack

    KevinMcCormack Senior Member

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    Chapter titles can also be creative humour. It would have to be a book that already had that sort of tone.

    I just read a generally dark nonfiction book (The Ghost with Trembling Wings - topic is the current Anthropocene Extinction Event) whose author tries to lighten up the depressing theme with some sparks of humour.

    His last chapter is titled: "Sweat Bees Ate My Earwax" (within such, he described, spoiler alert, how sweat bees ate his earwax)
     
  18. KevinMcCormack

    KevinMcCormack Senior Member

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    Oh, another humourous example is gotchas.

    Last line in Chapter 9: "Well, at least we have the satisfaction of never seeing Bob again."

    Reader turns page.

    "Chapter 10: In Which We See Bob Again"

    C'mon, that's pretty funny, and I think titles naming makes it work.
     
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  19. MachineGryphon

    MachineGryphon Member

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    I used chapter titles in my first real attempt at an unfinished novel when I was around 14. Back then it seemed to be something I needed to do, (as well as illustrate it horrendously, but we won't go into that) but in the novel I'm working on at the moment, it hasn't really come up. Neither has the idea of actual chapters. Got to sort through giant blocks of text once I'm finished.

    One problem I found when I was younger with doing this was that I wrote in around 20 chapters, and named them all before I even began them. This caused a great deal of rewriting and renaming. I think these days I would most likely settle on numbers, but it might be wise to finish your chapter before you think about applying a name to it, and consider the relevance of that name to the rest of the content.

    As stated above, the Expanse novels name chapters by character, and I've found this to be a very easy format to get to grips with. If something has been building in the previous chapter for the character whose chapter is up next, it creates some real suspense. I imagine if you're writing in multiple perspectives, it helps a lot to avoid any confusion.
     
  20. Jak of Hearts

    Jak of Hearts Active Member

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    I do thinknow naming chapter titles is a more new trend. But I think it's relativity common place that there is no harm to it either way. I personally use a lot of Hero's Journey when structuring my book so my chapters are often named like "the calling", the "the mentor", "the burden".
     
  21. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    I can think back to books I read 40 years ago and recall some that used chapter titles and others that didn't. Same thing today. The project I'm currently finalizing has no chapter titles. The next book in the series, which I'm writing now in Scrivener, has working chapter titles that help me see at a glance which chapters are which and how the story is unfolding. I may or may not use them later.

    I see this as a matter of personal preference. I don't think it affects your chances of publication either way, and I would say that unless you feel a compelling need to use them, don't bother.
     
  22. Skibbs

    Skibbs Member

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    Personally, I've never used chapter titles. I've always found that they limit the reader to a specific point in the novel - then again, I'e always enjoyed my Stephen Kings - and that's always a tangent!
     
  23. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

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    Most books I read don't have chapter titles, and I'm not really sure that having them would improve my experience as a reader much.

    As I writer I can't picture myself ever using them - it's hard enough for me to come up with the title of the whole book let alone every single chapter. I'd never get any actual writing done for being stuck on the chapter title.
     
  24. InsaneXade

    InsaneXade Active Member

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    I use chapter names as a preview
    Ch 1 The Winter Fig
    Ch 2 Pains of Becoming a Wizard
    ch3 Acceptance
    Ch4 The King
    Ch5 Flora Fight

    But in previous, unpublished, works I got tired of naming and dropped the idea. I dont know why, 20 years later I decided to name the chapters again. Maybe I just like the idea. I write the titles once my chapter is done then I pick an early scene to refer to or whatever tends to suggest the theme without spoiling.
     
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  25. crappycabbage

    crappycabbage Member

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    I like chapter titles. Makes for easy navigation, as CoyoteKing said. I don't like them to be spoilers or a summary, but a title can make me curious in a good way before starting the chapter. As long as the chapter title is not followed by a quote by a classic author before the chapter starts, I'm good. :)
     

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