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Do you enjoy decypherying chapter names?
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My own preference is chapter numbers. I don't mind if an author uses chapter names but I don't take any notice of them. To me it's too much of a break in the flow of the story and pulls me out of the narrative.Having said that, I do want chapter breaks in just the same way as I want paragraph breaks. I don't like books that have no chapters, something I seem to notice in more and more books of late.
David wrote: "I don't like books that have no chapters, something I seem to notice in more and more books of late. "This is a thing? Please don't let it be a thing D:
I liked the way Jack Vance sometimes quoted books written in his future as part of the chapter headings. I found the first time I read the book I didn't take them in but on subsequent readings I enjoy them
For the most part, I think chapter headings are white noise, but some authors seem to use them well, though none come immediately to mind.
Clare wrote: "Andrew wrote: "I enjoy it when authors spend time to name their chapters, something that either sets the mood/scene or hints at what's to come. I honestly feel a bit of disappointment when the cha..."I agree, although I like the artistic aspect of chapter names, good ones probably give away too much, so I'd rather just have the numbers.
Depends on the book for me. For most books I like just numbers. Some books are enhanced with a good chapter title though, such as War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. Can't imagine that book without the titles...
Greg wrote: "For the most part, I think chapter headings are white noise, but some authors seem to use them well, though none come immediately to mind."Tolkien. I liked his. Most of the time it doesn't seem to help and most authors don't use them and that's fine. Numbers are simple and unobtrusive.
I've seen a few novels that just use the character name from whose point of view the chapter is written. I'm fine with that but find it unnecessary because I can pick up on who't POV is dominant easily enough. Some readers appear to have difficulty with that, though, especially if there are a lot of different POVs used. **shrug**
I think some authors leave it a little late in the chapter to signpost the POV so in those cases it is handy, but I agree that most of the time it is easy to figure out.
David wrote: "I think some authors leave it a little late in the chapter to signpost the POV so..."So that's bad writing, I'm thinking ;P
Micah said, "I've seen a few novels that just use the character name from whose point of view the chapter is written." That is a big pet peeve of mine. I don't mind numbers, quotes, art...whatever but pov chapter headers annoy me. If I can't tell who it from the writing then perhaps they need a bit of work.
Jennifer wrote: " Micah said, "I've seen a few novels that just use the character name from whose point of view the chapter is written." That is a big pet peeve of mine. I don't mind numbers, quotes, art...whate..."
I was reading something recently where the chapter headers were the location. I felt that worked pretty well, what do you think of it?
I was enamored with location tags for chapters, but ultimately decided that I prefer not to have them. It should be clear from the first paragraph where the story is taking place and whose viewpoint it is from.
Yes I wrote one book where you constantly swapped between two parties, and sometimes during a chapter. I either made the chapters unreasonably short or I learned to cope.You have to lead into the new section with enough detail so the reader knows you have changed scene but without mugging them by saying "And now over to....." :-)
I don't usually like named chapters. I don't pay attention to them often enough to appreciate the time the author put into them and if they're named and I have to go back to a chapter to find some bit of information, I'm less likely to recall where it was because the chapter was named instead of remaining simple.
If a chapter is named, it should be some meta-concept that ties the chapter to the story as a whole. A word or phrase that serves as a theme for the reader to have echoing behind the text, connecting dots and connecting concepts. That allows the title to serve a purpose in expanding the story as well as tying chapters together. Numbers are boring, and I'm not a fan of locations or character POVs as chapter headings.
Ehh, I hadn't read anything new since 2004 (rather, bought anything full price heh), so I didn't know naming chapters was still a thing. I prefer naming parts of a book. (eg Part One: Awesomesauce, Part Two: More Awesome, etc) <-- not that lame, but you get the drift.I hate stories with chapters named after the character's pov but the writing is still the same. I get no sense of stylistic changes, no difference in dilaect and speech patterns. It always stinks of author's voice.
I still enjoy the meta-concept named chapters, or even small tags after the numbered chapters (like quotes from that universe's books or snippet of an important character's dialogue or whatever). It all depends on how well the writer puts it together.
I enjoy chapter names when it seems relevant to the story. In other cases it might not fit. In a series I'm writing called SIMPOC, I actually use a computer time clock, because the main character is a computer, so that seemed natural as it marks time through the story.
William wrote:I was reading something recently where the chapter headers were the location. I felt that worked pretty well, what do you think of it?
Yeah, locations and/or times, I've seen both used and they worked well. Times are especially great for a reminder that there's a sense of emergency in the story. Along the same idea 24 did with their in-episode countdown clock. :)
Clare wrote: "I think it's something that has largely fallen out of fashion. I actually prefer just numbers, because chapter names give away what's going to happen. "You think so? I don't often read recently written books, so maybe I'm just inadvertently old-fashioned in this regard. You might think I go overboard in my own writing because, not only do I name the chapters, but I also add a bit of 'flavor text' of relevant mythos at the start of each chapter.
I like to think that a chapter's beginning will be the pick-up point for some readers after they put aside the book for bed the previous night, so I like to have something to rev up the setting before diving back into the plot.
Kenneth wrote: "If a chapter is named, it should be some meta-concept that ties the chapter to the story as a whole. A word or phrase that serves as a theme for the reader to have echoing behind the text, connecti..."Exactly! I like to have something a little abstract that only makes sense once you've gotten to the meat of the chapter. Something that makes you go "Oh, that's what that meant!" to reward an attentive reader without detracting from one that glosses over the chapter names.
Andrew wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "If a chapter is named, it should be some meta-concept that ties the chapter to the story as a whole. A word or phrase that serves as a theme for the reader to have echoing behind th..."Hehe, I can't wait to read it then XD I enjoy books like that. Those seem to be a rarity these days...
It is good that we all like something different. It would be a boring world otherwise.
I certainly prefer a chapter name to a number anymore. A little artwork is nice from time to time as well on that chapter title page. I like a little wordplay with my chapter names as well.
There's a little authorly trap with chapter names. If the name is too descriptive it can foreshadow the action and become a spoiler. So when we get to a chapter called "Smaug" we are left in little doubt that we are about to meet the dragon.And that can be a little annoying for the reader who would quite like to be surprised, thank you very much. Real life doesn't come with headings so you know what's going to happen to you around the next corner.
Because of this, some authors react by using enigmatic headings. They might call the chapter "Smaug" but we don't get to meet the dragon - we only see him over the horizon or hear about him or meet a minor character who just happens to have a mini dragon tattooed on his left buttock.
But when authors start playing with us like that it can break the fourth wall. If we become too aware of the author it can be hard to suspend disbelief that this is a real story and not the product of someone bashing away at a wordprocessor.
This can mean that chapter headings can be a little tricky to get right.
They can also be genre specific - I am happier with headings in a fantasy setting or comedy than I am in, say, a fast moving thriller.
Will wrote: "There's a little authorly trap with chapter names. If the name is too descriptive it can foreshadow the action and become a spoiler. So when we get to a chapter called "Smaug" we are left in little..."That's an interesting perspective. I'm a bit sensitive to spoilers and will avoid even subtle ones like knowing what characters are still alive halfway through a book. However, I always enjoy looking at the table of contents and trying to guess what happens based off the chapter names. It's a fun writing exercise and I like seeing where the plot diverges from my imagined one and where it runs in parallel.
^^^ agreed
Will wrote: "So when we get to a chapter called "Smaug" we are left in little doubt that we are about to meet the dragon..."But Tolkien, I think, gets it right. Because the chapter you first actually meet Smaug in isn't called "Smaug" it's called "Inside Information."
As for spoilers...first off I'm actually a little sick of people being so sensitive to them. I've never read a story or seen a movie that would be utterly ruined by knowing what happens beforehand (exceptions apply, see * below), as it's HOW the story gets to the end that really carries my interest.
And if you're sensitive to spoilers, then do what I do and never ever read the table of contents beforehand. When I pick up a new book, I go directly to the start of the book (with a brief glance a the dedication). If the book has chapter names, you'll discover them as you go. And if you're reading the book straight through then by the time you get to the "Smaug" chapter, you're very likely to know it's coming anyway.
(* There is a class of story where the whole plot hinges upon a single solitary big reveal. In these cases a spoiler really will spoil. The movie Angel Heart comes to mind.)
Oh...and I've been thinking about starting a whole thread for people to post unashamed spoilers. If you don't like them...don't read the freaking thread!];P
Micah wrote: "As for spoilers...first off I'm actually a little sick of people being so sensitive to them. I've never read a story or seen a movie that would be utterly ruined by knowing what happens beforehand "The two key kinds of spoilers that annoy me are character-life-expectancy and, for movies/shows, reveals.
For books like Game of Thrones just knowing that a certain character is still alive later on muddies the sense of peril when the character gets into a life threatening situation (I don't read the table of contents here, because of the character name convention).
I was annoyed to see the new imagining of Godzilla for the first time during a a Kia commercial on some cruddy T.V. in a store. Same goes for the reveal of a certain bad-ass looking ship in the latest Star Trek movie. Neither movie was worth phoning home about, but I would've rather seen these two reveals for the first time on the big screen. There's a sense of wonder I enjoy when I see crafted bits of imagination for the first time across the bit screen.
This is one I struggle with as an author.I went back through some of my favorite books to see if the chapters were named or numbered. It was an even split.
I did not particularly care either way while reading, but while writing I actually put names on my chapters so I can look at the TOC and quickly go back to an earlier scene.
As a reader, I don't really do that - but some people might...
I struggle with it. First book, just numbers. Second book in the same series might have names. Will that be too strange?
Timothy wrote: "First book, just numbers. Second book in the same series might have names. Will that be too strange?"Depends on if the new story in the series is actually contiguous to the previous ones or if there is a major POV, voice, or other change that would warrant a different book structure.
However, if the protagonist is the same, you're just continuing a chronological plot, and basically are picking up where you left off, then yes it would look weird. In this case, you want the books to all look the same, feel the same, read the same. They have to feel part of a unified whole and be, if you will, self-referential.
Micah wrote: "They have to feel part of a unified whole and be, if you will, self-referential."Yeah, that's kind of what I thought :)
I also do the table of contents prediction/projection exercise. It's interesting how different things tend to turn out.
I can't say I always read chapter titles, but I miss them when they're not present--if I have to put down the book for any reason, it's nice to have a chapter title to savor and wonder about, not just a bland number. And the titles can be a whole new aspect of the story, which is always fun :)I do like the narration character titles, though, even if they are a bit bland. In multi-POV books, there's always that one character I just can't wait to hear from, and skimming through the titles of the chapters ahead can quell my curiosity about when they'll show up next :)
I like to name chapters, to make the names relevant to what is about to occur. I also add quotes (as did Heinlein), either as a segue, or to sum up what has happened, or is about to happen. It's a lot of work. But if it's done right, I believe it adds value.
I dig chapter names. Love when they have a "double-meaning" or some other deeper meaning other than the obvious description. Something that surprises you or makes you say "ah ha!"
That's especially good on the second reading of a book. When the author has spent enough time and effort to really get into the chapter names (or beginning quotes), so the first read is good, but the second produces a whole bunch of "ah ha's!" If you can do a second read of a book by just reading the chapter headings and quotes, well, IMO, now you've got something.
What do you think?