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Chapters
https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2929		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Lady Eruwaedhiel [ April 20th, 2011, 4:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Chapters
What kind of chapters do you use in your book or prefer in others? There are the options of including title, number, verse, and quote, plus all the combinations of these. I believe title and number are the most widely used. I'm considering using Title and Verse, which includes a chapter title and appropriate Bible verse. (It's been so much fun looking for verses to fit.) My second preference would be Title and Number. The other, although very unlikely, is Title and Quote, where the author quotes from another work or implied works of their world (like legends, songs etc.) What do you think?
Author:  Leandra Falconwing [ April 20th, 2011, 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
In other people's works, I don't much care. I've seen a lot of different things and they've usually worked well. For myself, I usually just have numbers because I can't think of chapter titles. :P Number and title is what I used for my most recent NaNo, and probably what I'm most likely to use if I can think of names for the chapters.
Author:  Aemi [ April 20th, 2011, 4:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I like quotes and verses, as long as they are short and interesting. It gives it an old fashioned touch that I really enjoy. And I appreciate it when the chapter number is marked on each page, so I can find it easily.
Author:  Lady Vilisse Mimetes [ April 20th, 2011, 4:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
Personally, I love naming chapters ^.^ and almost never put chapter numbers. Sometimes, when I'm outlining chapters, I'll end up making a pattern :roll: (i.e. The Passing, The Pretender, The Escape, The Quest) I came up with around 36 chapters titled like this :rofl:
Author:  Lady Eruwaedhiel [ April 20th, 2011, 4:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I have a list of chapter names here somewhere ... ah.

Prologue: Overrun
Quintor With You
Mystery
On the Run
Haven
Dream of Dragons
Songs
Serpent Waste
Smokewing
Attacked!
Land Enchanted
Revelations
Memory Lane
Leave You Behind
Switch Places
Two Reunions
Four Scars
Mission: First Ride
Desolate
Far From Home
Sorrow
Riders Rampant
Ripples
Foreboding
I Am Jacy
Lost in the Woods
Search
Runaway
Burning Snow
Secrets
Pursuit
Literally
Hawk Falls In
Betrayed
Wanted
The Rhemalyse
No One Cares
Stalking the Hawk
Payment
Trapped!
On the March
Down
Surprize
Recovery Attempt
Only Supplies
Knothole
Strike Back!
Persistence
Consequences
Will It Take Blood?
Intoxicated
Incarcerated
Initiated
Ready Yourselves
Will it End This Way?
Coming Through
Halian's Riddle
Missing!
Skirmish
Klista's Prey
Monster's Plaything
Found
A Question of Origin
Sleepers
Ivy
Void
Target for Revenge
Against Orders
Vulture
Identity
An Exchange
Stress
Varnell's Bargain
Aaron's Request
Return
A Son
A Gift
A Bond

Wow, that was a lot. Thank you to anyone who reads all those. Anyway, I like to draw parallels between different chapter names, like the last three. And the ones that all start with Is. What's everyone's view on punctuation, like ! and ? and such?

There's also the option of adding "In Which" like in the Winnie the Pooh stories or the Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead. I like doing that, but I don't think I'd like to give too many hints about what's in a chapter at first glance.
Author:  Leandra Falconwing [ April 20th, 2011, 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I think punctuation is fine in chapter titles. I don't think I've seen it much, but when I read through your list, those didn't stand out as strange. So I think it works.


Hehe, the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede uses "In Which" chapter names, and they're usually fun without really giving away too much. It probably depends on what you want, because it does tell you a bit about what will happen, even if you don't know how it will happen.
Author:  Lady Vilisse Mimetes [ April 20th, 2011, 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I think with most titled chapters you're giving away something (usually something small) but it's like giving a hint of what's to come... I think that's why I like making them :D
Author:  Melody Kondrael [ April 20th, 2011, 7:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
No matter what, I want chapter numbers....

I love how in Inkheart there are quotes about books in the chapter headings. It's almost worth flipping ahead to each chapter beginning to read the awesome quote. XD

Titles are nice when done right -- not too many spoilers! I like the 'in which' option too.

LadyE, you're gonna make me drool over your title list.... <grin>
Author:  Calenmiriel [ April 22nd, 2011, 12:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I usually only use chapter numbers either this form "Chapter1" or this form "Chapter One." Mainly because 1.) I'm terrible at coming up with chapter names and 2.) I don't want to give anything away. (I have a habit of doing that with my stories.)

Like Melody though, I like the quotes idea that has been used in the Inkheart series. I plan on doing that with my books too just because I'm a quote collector, so why not use them? :D
Author:  Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ April 22nd, 2011, 5:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
Mostly I stick to just numbers. I do try to add titles sometimes, but they're impossible to come up with sometimes.

I love reading quotes in books; and that's what I'm doing with City of Lies. It's cool. :D
Author:  Aragorn [ April 22nd, 2011, 5:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I mainly just use numbers. However, I do enjoy reading quotes at the beginning of chapters, including quotes from a fantasy novel's own world rather than quotes from our world.
Author:  Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ April 22nd, 2011, 5:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
The Myst reader does that.

And I do that in Return of the Fireborn. I quote Rolph's journal from later explorations during the book that precedes the actual writing of the journal. Which is cool. :D
* begins to wonder about finishing that book *
Author:  Calenmiriel [ April 23rd, 2011, 4:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
On the subject of chapters, does anyone separate their story by the chapter numbers/titles/quotes as they work on the rough draft of do you usually do that on the second/typed draft?

~Calen
Author:  Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ April 23rd, 2011, 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I always write my stories around the chapters. That way I can end them at appropriate times, and build up suspense at the end of each chapter. (Writing chapters in at the beginning also helps to keep chapters more of equal length, sometimes.

That being said, my chapters are only numbered, and are basically just stopping places. Which might be why I have rearranged them so many times.

Out of curiosity, how long are everyone's chapters, generally? Mine average ~4000 words.

eru
Author:  Lady Eruwaedhiel [ April 23rd, 2011, 6:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
Mine range all the way from 1,709 to 3,172 to 4,655 all the way to 7,113. I generally mark where I think would be a good chapter ending in my first draft (usually with a line of ++++++) and then I decide which would be ideal and which I need titles for.
Author:  Leandra Falconwing [ April 24th, 2011, 10:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I tend to just put them in if I feel it's a good time for a chapter. This results in very different chapter lengths at times. :P

For those who use titles and chapter quotes and such, do you decide what they are after the book is finished or do you have an idea of what you want when writing the chapter?
Author:  Lady Eruwaedhiel [ April 24th, 2011, 11:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
Whether or not I know what the title will be depends on whether I know what's going to happen in the chapter. :rofl: A lot of times I will start out with one idea of what will happen and it'll morph into something completely different by the end of it. I tend to keep a notepad file of possible chapter names and happenings and then put them in when I'm finished.

LOL Melody! Why, may I ask?
Author:  Svensteel Mimetes [ June 18th, 2011, 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I like using numbers only, chapter names can sometimes destroy suspense and give away some of the future plot. Plus I would have trouble thinking of a title for each chapter... Making a name for the book is hard enough; you shouldn't have to do it nineteen more times!
Author:  Aemi [ January 27th, 2012, 12:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
The E wrote:
I generally mark where I think would be a good chapter ending in my first draft (usually with a line of ++++++) and then I decide which would be ideal and which I need titles for.
That's what I'm doing.
I love your chapters, E! It reminds me how much I want to read your book. ;)
Author:  Emilyn [ February 25th, 2012, 1:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I always liked reading the chapter names in an unknown book at the bookstore because they told me that the book wasn't boring and that is what would inspire me to look up the book at the library. I find that books that do have chapter names inspire me to read them more than books that just have numbered chapters without names.
That's mainly why I do number and name for the chapter.
The books where the chapters have "In which", there are a lot of books that do that. Mostly old books did that, like Pilgrims Progress and Oliver Twist. At least, my copies of the books have that.
For the book "Princess Academy", the author wrote a different poem to put at the beginning of each chapter instead of putting a name for each chapter. She calls them songs because she has melodies for them but didn't put the music in the books sadly.
Author:  Lady Elanor [ February 25th, 2012, 1:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
When I started my novel, I didn't even think of using titles. I just used numbers. I haven't added any titles in, and am not sure if I will. I find it quite hard thinking up titles. :D
Author:  kingjon [ March 2nd, 2012, 12:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I sometimes like reading books with chapter titles, but I've never been able to come up with suitable titles myself (or and I've never even thought of doing so). I have enough trouble coming up with titles for stories ...

But there's yet another issue that I don't think has come up yet: if you give your chapters numbers, what form of number? "Chapter One"? "Chapter 1"? "One"? "1"? "Chapter the First"? "Chapter First"? I usually use "One" nowadays, though in one story (and probably the others with that narrator) I use "Chapter the First" to hep evoke a particular voice for the reader.

And if you put quotes or poetry at the beginning of each chapter, where do they (actually and supposedly) come from? There have been some authors whose in-universe chapter headings I really admire (Asimov is the one who leaps to mind, and Carol Kendall's in The Gammage Cup), but others whose poetry (for example) is not nearly as good as their prose. (Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy is the one I think of; it began each chapter with a bit of one of the protagonist's songs ... which were supposedly very good, but actually usually drivel at best.)
Author:  Lady Elanor [ March 2nd, 2012, 1:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
At the moment mine are 'Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. That might change yet, though. :)
Author:  Airianna Valenshia [ March 12th, 2012, 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I use Roman Numerals, at present.
Author:  Jay Lakewood [ March 26th, 2012, 2:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I use a Number, such as "Chapter IV" or "Chapter 4", and then "Crazy People in Forests?", etc. I was thinking about getting some legends and poetry from my world for a quote at each chapter. :) I've never done that type before though...
Author:  Fyrstar [ March 26th, 2012, 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
I have a fantastic variety of stories, but I usually just number them, although a few stories have chapter titles, but it's normally either: Chapter 1 or Chapter I or just I. For several stories I also include a location and a time for clarification (specifically fantasies).
Author:  Abiah Idhrenniel [ April 9th, 2012, 8:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Chapters
In my own writing I just number chapters, "Chapter One" ect., "Chapter 1" seems a little informal, and honestly roman numerals are too much work.

I love it when books use good chapter titles that draw your attention and ties in with the chapter but doesn't give anything away.

I also love when books use quotes, if the quotes are interesting and tie into the chapter in some awesomely cool way, if they don't then I get bored and skip most of them, especially if they're long.
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