I find chapter titles, even ones including the day and time of the story events, to be quite valuable to me for working with the manuscript. When it is done, you need to decide if the titles add anything for the reader, and drop them if not. My critique group advised me to simplify my titles, especially by dropping the day/time info, but seemed ok with keeping something more than the chapter number.
Not necessary to have chapter titles. Some writers do it to show a switch in POV, others about subject matter, but they're not a requirement.
I just use chapter numbers now. I think titles, as you say, come across as cheesy. They may even give away what happens later in the book, if they're too informative. Having just numbers removes any risk of that happening.
Maybe you should get some opinions on the specific chapter titles you have chosen. What if everyone else likes them except for you?
Hi, I don't use them (save in my first book where I used quotes). And the only reason I would go for them would be if I thought they added something to the book. Cheers, Greg.
I'm keeping them in my first book, which is structured as a series of interconnected short stories. My current work won't have them, but I'm using them during the writing to help with reference.
It depends I guess. In my particular collection I have a whole range of adult books with chapter titles. From Everything is Illuminated to The Beach, Naked Lunch, and American Psycho
It depends on the tone of your book. If you said yourself they sound cheesy, you are obviously forcing them and you would probably be better off without them. On the other hand, they can be useful for clarity and orientation purposes for both writer and reader. For now, you should probably just proceed without them, and then see if they come in handy at a later stage.
I would say not, some books don't even have definite chapters. But I would say pre production chapter titles can help when writing. You find your place and keep tabs on your scenes and locate events. So when returning to the manuscript you can go straight to the correct place without going hmmmm...now what page was that scene.
I've never really like chapter subtitles. I see them as mini spoilers in some cases. Some writers completely abuse them although, got to admit, sometimes they can be a neat little hook that makes me want to continue.
I believe it can work both ways for your story but if your not careful then it could possibly end up ruining it. Naturally I am talking about if you try to name a chapter that has no business being named in your book then you could throw the entire feel of the book off. However, I have to say that if you are going to name your chapters besure to write out the chapter first and read it figure out what the plot of that chapter is then try to name it so it flows with the chapter but you also must be sure to make sure it flows with the rest of your book and chapters as well. Of course this is probably me just over thinking the issue. I personally would rather read a book with numbers for the chapters than titles.
I don't really have a definite time to title my story. If I have a great title in mind, I would give my book a title immediately but sometimes, I try to finish my story first in order to have an inspiration on the title that I should give my story. I'm not rushing in giving my story a title since the title is important to capture the attention of my readers.
I have no idea what to call my fantasy story. Any ideas? https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=58856
Like naming characters or places in your story, titles must come from within. Usually when reading through it, something will jump out at you - a word, a phrase or a name of a character.
So ... I agree with EdFromNY that titles should sort of well up from inside but I read your partial and I will just throw out the feeling that I got. "One Under the Mountain" just sort of popped into my head. I'm sure you'll get better options, or hopefully, find the one that speaks to you. Good luck!
You don't need to title the story until you have finished it, polished it, and are ready to submit to publishers. No one knows the story as you do; it is your task, and your privilege, to apply that final touch. Of course, the publisher has the final say on the title, as it is the branding for marketing purposes.
No one can make the decision for you at this stage. When you find the perfect one, you'll know. Just refer to it as something ambiguous until then (my untitled fantasy stories are categorized by the world name for instance).
