Romance Writers & Readers discussion
Writing Romance
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Do you name your chapters?
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I didn't on the first one but did on the second. In that one I took a quick quote from that chapter and put it in quotes and that was the chapter title.
I did on my first book and continue doing it in my second one. Somehow I feel this way closer to the way I am writing and reading as well.
@ Belle - I've done exactly the same.I always used to like looking at books with chapter titles - it gives you something to look forward to. But it's dropped out of fashion.
The one drawback that I see is that when they are indexed, with chapter headings they take up quite a lot of room and with a Kindle you have to scroll through several pages before you get to the start. However, on the other hand, Kindle books take you straight to chapter one.
My chapter are all named with a date, the chapters are then broken up into scenes which are given a time, I've had a few people say that they liked that as it worked well with my genre of romantic suspense but heavy on the suspense because you could follow along with how the police investigation into the crime was progressing. I think you should do whatever feels best for your book, if you want to name the chapters then you definitely should!
I've seen chapter titles used to great advantage. Derrolyn Andersen's book After Last Call, a romance set in the mid-80s, used song titles (all '80s rock and pop) as chapter headings. It was a great touch! I enjoyed it so much that I straight-up stole the idea for one of my works-in-progress. Like others are saying here, there's no "right" way to put your novel together. Do you! :D
I've done it in some books and haven't done it in others. Depends on the book...
Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll go with my gut and give them names. Also, that song title idea is so cool!
I used to, but I don't any more. Most of my books don't follow a traditional chapter structure (they tend to be organised based on day/time), so that makes using them difficult and could confuse things. I do think they're a nice touch in some cases, but I also feel they can look a little juvenile. Out of all the books I've read this year, I can only think of one that's had chapter names, and to be honest, I didn't even read most of them.
I personally like chapter titles and as a reader I read them and try to predict what will happen in the chapter based on them, which is how I think they should be used and how I use them as a writer.In my one published book, I did Shakespeare quotes as the chapter titles because the heroine was a Shakespeare lover, and the book was first person from her perspective. The quotes gave a hint as to the content of the chapter. An example: the chapter titled "Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong" is an event in which the hero and heroine both encounter past lovers and predictably, both have to struggle to control feelings of jealousy.
In my historical novel, I first give date and location because it is a complicated story and I think this helps the reader keep track. This book has multiple perspectives and each of the three main characters has a period novel that is discussed in the book and influences their lives. The quote for each chapter will be taken from the novel of the character whose perspective the chapter is from.
I know some people won't read them, but the ones who do will get an extra layer of experience that I think they will enjoy, like Eric did with the song titles. I use music by giving a playlist by chapter at the end of the book. The songs also have relevance to the chapters.
Jane's example works perfectly for her genre. I think you do what fits the book as others have said and what feels right to you.
I chose not to with mine, but I never mind seeing them in books that I read. Sometimes people put a famous quote instead of a title and I think that's a better tease.
It depends on the book. A couple of books I did put in chapter titles but numbering the chapters works for most of my books. I have one book where each chapter starts with a line or two from a song. Each stanza gives you where the chapter is going. The songs are either free to use or ones I made up for the book. It was something which seemed to fit the book. I find that quotes, or a title is something which is nice but doesn't work in all books. You need to go with what you feel is best for your work. It is one of those things where one size doesn't fit all.
Funnily enough, I'm just discussing this on fb.Yes, I have in my duology.
It's a NA paranormal romance.
But now I'm formatting for paperback I'm considering a table of contents, but think I've decided to include one.
Katia wrote: "Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll go with my gut and give them names. Also, that song title idea is so cool!"
Thanks. In my case I want the story to have a vaguely "Pulp Fiction" feel (as in the Tarantino movie...the story is gritty crime drama/romantic suspense) so I'm choosing my songs accordingly.
For me, it depends on the book. I have included chapter names on some but on others, I don't. In one book I included poetry as the lead into the chapter. Warning on including songs lyrics, titles, etc, unless it was written prior to 1920, you will need to get a release to use it. My one book I was planning on using titles and lyrics, but quickly discovered many of the songs are cost prohibitive. One only wanted me to mention the lyricist name and and group who recorded it.
For me, it depends on the book. I have included chapter names on some but on others, I don't. In one book I included poetry as the lead into the chapter and on another, I was using song lyrics. There is this lovely thing called, doing what you feel is best for that particular work without someone telling you to follow their rules. It's the reason I love self-publishing.Warning on including songs lyrics, titles, etc, unless it was written prior to 1920, you will need to get a release to use it (much like you do for pictures.) or deal with copyright infringement The one book where I was planning on using titles and lyrics, I quickly discovered using many of the songs were cost prohibitive. One only wanted me to mention the lyricist name and and group who recorded it plus a small fee. I ended up getting a company to check into the songs I wanted to use and the potential cost. If it was too much, I changed to another song or made up lyrics for a non-existent song. You will quickly discover the ones who like the free publicity and are flattered that you like the song enough to use it versus those who don't want anyone using their work without a huge fee.
B.A. wrote: "For me, it depends on the book. I have included chapter names on some but on others, I don't. In one book I included poetry as the lead into the chapter and on another, I was using song lyrics. The..."I looked it up...song titles are okay (they're covered under "Fair Use"), song lyrics are copyrighted and require a license - which you are correct, usually involves a stiff fee. The reason behind that ruling; many if not most song titles A: involve an expression in common use and/or B: are one or two words long - and its been repeatedly ruled that a person or entity cannot copyright either (except for specific purposes). So, use of song titles as chapter headings is fine - doubly so if you name the band (I.E. attribute it).
Edited to add: Song lyrics were okay too up until the RIAA became a bunch of greedy mother-havers during the digital music explosion in the 00s. Example; old White Wolf gaming books were strewn with epigrams involving song lyrics. These days their books don't do that anymore.
I'm a bit conflicted on what to do with my own novel. On the one hand, I think chapter names add a bit of uniqueness and give the book that 'little something extra' feel, but on the other I'm worried they may come off as juvenile or amateurish.
Anyone have any input on this?