Titles for chapters?

I think chapter titles are an art unto themselves. The best titles would bring an extra layer of meaning to the chapter while not giving too much information about what happens... so that after the reader's finished the chapter, there's a nice little "oh!" as he or she realizes why the chapter was titled what it was.

I suppose in middle grade you can get away with chapter titles that read literally more so than in YA or adult books. "My Terrible First Day At School" or "The Day I Lost My Bike." They can help the young reader better understand foreshadowing, or if, say, the novel is a mystery, you could plant a hint about one of the major clues in a chapter title.

I have chapter titles in the current draft of my YA WIP, but I'm going to have to get rid of them in the next draft. They don't fit the style of the book. I actually really love my chapter titles and will be sad to see them go. Maybe I can recycle some of them in another book.

I'm writing my second YA novel. The first is on submission to several houses now. I've found, in both, that I began just writing numbers, then, as the book got longer, I started naming the chapters to make it easier to find certain key scenes I needed to reference.

I've heard that the publisher will make the final decision, but I find chapter titles indispensable, they make a kind of mini-outline when you're done.

My first MG novel did not have chapter titles, but my son said it should so he'd have a clue what was going to happen next. Don't know if he's typical, but if he is, then kids find it helpful.

Yep, I title my chapters--ambiguously. I use the titles as bait to add intrigue. A lot of kids I know love reading the contents page to get a feel for the book (after reading the last page... argh!).

I didn't do chapter novels, but I did do little sub headers of "In which . . . " like Winnie the Pooh.

I use chapter titles as an aide memoir for keeping track of what happens when. Consequently, my chapter headings tend to be remarkable unimaginative. When the manuscript is finished*, then I'll take a look at whether to put in 'proper' headings or not - I quite like it as an idea because it does whet the appetite.

MM

* And bearing in mind that I'm starting again from scratch after getting consistent advice that my structure didn't work. Don't you just hate it when people are right?

I agree. My YA RD has three asterisks separating chapters. Then, hopefully by the 2nd or 3rd draft, I will come up with a single word that is significant to the chapter for it's title. Or I could just give it a number or date. I've read books where the chapter was simply a time and date.

I like chapter titles myself for children's books. I think it introduces the chapter.

My favorite chapter titles are in the MG, Watsons Go To Birmingham. I can probably name every single one, but my absolute #1 favorite is Nazi Parachutes Attack America And Are Shot Down Over The Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and his Flamethrower of Death my second favorite would either be Every Chihuahua in America lines up to take a bite out of Byron or The Worlds Greatest Dinosaur War, Ever

That being said, I don't usually do chapter titles, but I like books that do.

Sure, they have titles. Examples: "Chapter 1," "Chapter 8."

For some reason in YA I like to give titles to my chapters (besides the obvious numbering). I don't when I write SF though.

okay, let's take it one step further: titles that give a clue to what happens in the chapter, or titles that only make sense after you've finished?

I was just about to say that I can't think of any books I've read recently with titles, other than Harry Potter. Then I looked next to me and remember that the book I'm reading now (Meyer's Eclipse) has chapter titles. She does her titles in a way where they kind of hint to what happens in a chapter, but not enough that you could actually say anything concrete. I like the way she does it. Titles that blantantly tell what's coming annoy me...unless it's for younger YA or MG. Then it's okay. Like Toothpaste mentioned with her book...I always find those amusing.

It depends on what age I'm writing for. If it's my early chapter books I go for clue-ins. If it's my MG or YA's I tend to go for only makes sense after the chapter is finished. I like to make them goofy and really draw the reader in.

JudScotKev said:

okay, let's take it one step further: titles that give a clue to what happens in the chapter, or titles that only make sense after you've finished?

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My chapter titles are kind that only make sense after you finish the title. But I guess you could say they also give a hint about what will happen next?

I love ridiculous and strange chapter titles. Especially if the book is for a younger audience, like MG.

If you really suck at making titles, I don't think it's a crime not to include them. There's nothing worse than reading a boring chapter title. Okay, there are worse things, but I don't like chapter titles like: "My Dog."

Play with it.

Play with a few chapter titles. Try a half-dozen for each chapter, and find which ones fit. If you have a good ear, you may come up with something wonderful.

I have always used them, and then re-title them all (or at least a number of them) after the book is finished. Sometimes they serve a particular function--such as a title that's contrasted with the sentence that begins the chapter. Sometimes they conjure an image of a certain kind of tension. Tolkien's "Flight to the Ford" comes to mind. And sometimes they're just there to roll of the tongue, to mark a good place to put down the story and pick it up again, or to remind a reader just where they are in this great big adventure.

But then, there are plenty of stories that read well without them.

I use headings for my chapters. It helps when I'm talking to my agent about a chapter. I give them names that will jog my memory as to what happens in them. For instance, I have a chapter titled "Men in Tights" where my MC gets new clothes to fit into his surroundings.

I'm the same way. In my opinion, chapter titles should be interesting and refer obliquely to the plot of the chapter, so that on first read, they're just intriguing, but don't necessarily give anything away - but afterward, explain everything.

I'm the same way. In my opinion, chapter titles should be interesting and refer obliquely to the plot of the chapter, so that on first read, they're just intriguing, but don't necessarily give anything away - but afterward, explain everything.

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and be witty, and clever, and stick in the brain....

why does it all have to be such hard work?

For people still looking for good examples, may I suggest Rick Riordan's The Olympians series? From The Lightning Thief: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher. From Sea of Monsters: We Hail the Taxi of Eternal Torment, and Clarisse Blows Up Everything.