Named chapters, yes or no?

[ReadLight]

Yes, and in my experience the name alter between being a predetermined goal to a surprising conclusion of the chapter.

And not knowing which that'll be makes the writing process a bit more exiting for me.

For first chapter, for example, end up showcasing both the first step in character's progression and the final boss, so I put them both in the chapter title after I finished writing it. It felt pretty good, like discovering treasures.

 

[IllyasArt]

There are several ways to articulate chapters.

1. just Chapter Number
2. just a Name
3. Chapter Number & Name
4. Chapter Number then Subtext (I first saw this in Divine Comedy, where they mention "In which Dante meets...")

I don't like either type 1 or 2. #1 is boring, #2 you get lost on how many chapters you've read. I actually really like #4, but it's not commonly done, and can feel overdone if you don't have a good sense of humor.

I always either make a pun, or name the chapter after what it will entail.

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

Hell to the YES! It's makes things easier for me as a reader and a writer.

 

[KrakenRiderEmma]

1. 1. just Chapter Number
   2. just a Name
   3. Chapter Number & Name
   4. Chapter Number then Subtext (I first saw this in Divine Comedy, where they mention "In which Dante meets...")

   I don't like either type 1 or 2. #1 is boring, #2 you get lost on how many chapters you've read. I actually really like #4, but it's not commonly done, and can feel overdone if you don't have a good sense of humor.

I do #4 on my main series, and it can get difficult to keep it going for 92+ chapters, which is more than Around the World in Eighty Days, or Don Quixote or Vanity Fair. Not all of them are going to be witty, but unless you're very straightforward (which is less funny) it can be hard to use them to remember which chapter's which.

I mean I guess to be fair classic examples are like,
IN WHICH MR. PICKWICK ENCOUNTERS AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE (Dickens)
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PARTY TRAVEL BY THE PACIFIC RAILROAD (Verne)
IN WHICH IS RELATED THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENAMOURED SHEPHERD, TOGETHER WITH OTHER TRULY DROLL INCIDENTS (Cervantes, who wrote incredibly long ones, but I guess he gets away with it since it's considered "the first modern novel" or whatever)

...and they're definitely not all bangers. The Dickens style is probably the most "winking commentary."

Mine are probably too long on average, and I should rewrite them... although I am fond of
In which ***REDACTED BY HOLY DECREE OF THE CURIA FOR SUPERNATURAL WARFARE***

... which is one of the longer ones. And this thread is making me realize it'd be easy to cut subordinate clauses in most of the long ones, thanks

 

[Bobple]

Yep!

I also usually start with the chapter's name, cause it helps be get an idea on what I want the chapter to be about. Sometimes I do change it afterwards if it no longer fits. (Easy example would be had a chapter was writing it, then it became 2 chapters).

But yeah, Number & Name, one without the other makes navigation hard. Especially for me who loves to reread certain sections of stories.

 

[NotaNuffian]

To me, named chapters as a reader is more or less a short synopsis to the chapter ahead.

 

[K5Rakitan]

YES

 

[bulmabriefs144]

I do #4 on my main series, and it can get difficult to keep it going for 92+ chapters, which is more than Around the World in Eighty Days, or Don Quixote or Vanity Fair. Not all of them are going to be witty, but unless you're very straightforward (which is less funny) it can be hard to use them to remember which chapter's which.

I mean I guess to be fair classic examples are like,
IN WHICH MR. PICKWICK ENCOUNTERS AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE (Dickens)
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PARTY TRAVEL BY THE PACIFIC RAILROAD (Verne)
IN WHICH IS RELATED THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENAMOURED SHEPHERD, TOGETHER WITH OTHER TRULY DROLL INCIDENTS (Cervantes, who wrote incredibly long ones, but I guess he gets away with it since it's considered "the first modern novel" or whatever)

...and they're definitely not all bangers. The Dickens style is probably the most "winking commentary."

Mine are probably too long on average, and I should rewrite them... although I am fond of
In which ***REDACTED BY HOLY DECREE OF THE CURIA FOR SUPERNATURAL WARFARE***

... which is one of the longer ones. And this thread is making me realize it'd be easy to cut subordinate clauses in most of the long ones, thanks

I managed it for a self-contained trilogy (roughly 75 chapters) plus a sequel of a sequel (25 chapter or so). The series moved from an intended trilogy to two extra books as part of a larger trilogy. The middle book had a different chapter scheme, but since the first and last books had the same naming scheme, I think only like three or four chapters deviated. I also made a joke about Chapter 11 being bankruptcy a few times.

Outliers in terms of chapter naming:

• All of Town of Winter (except for the bankruptcy thing, where Chapter 11 was Chapter 11: A Bankrupt Theory?)
• Book 1, Chapter 11 (Oracle of Tao): Chapter 11 is always bankruptcy. Surely you know that
• Book 1, Chapter 29 (Oracle of Tao): Quod Ambrosia intrat inanis et vacua. What? Latin is mandatory when using Gates
• Some chapters didn't start with In Which though, but included it (e.g. Ummm, Leeroy Jenkins. In which the entire party dies because Ambrosia is stupid)

Also, I persistently named it a "trilogy", not counting what I called a bonus book.

 

[Succubiome]

I do #4 on my main series, and it can get difficult to keep it going for 92+ chapters, which is more than Around the World in Eighty Days, or Don Quixote or Vanity Fair. Not all of them are going to be witty, but unless you're very straightforward (which is less funny) it can be hard to use them to remember which chapter's which.

For Hero, I do a lot of double entendres and metaphors, and sometimes references to other chapter titles, along with letting in a bit of the MC's emotional state in some of them. I try to be descriptive enough that I can usually find what I'm looking for if I want to go back and reread something, but also have it vague enough one wouldn't know quite what to expect going into it without reading the chapter.

I haven't hit 92 chapters yet, but I'm definitely more inspired for chapter titles at some times than at others.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

YES

Carefully.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

Named Chapter are great.

One of my favorite webnovel with good chapter naming system is Re:Zero.

When there's a named chapter, a chapter named with the exact full name of the character of the cast, it would means a drastic and irriversible character development, complete with :
-> major backstory
-> how the character react to current event
-> how they would change forever for good or worse.

 

[Redadam04]

I do agree with that. Name chapters of Re Zero is amusing. It is preserving the true image of the series.

 

[Comiak]

Number and name. Otherwise you're doing it wrong. Just number and its boring, just name and its easy to get lost, especially if you stopped reading for a while and come back.

 

[Alfir]

But sometimes, it is just so hard to write a catchy chapter name that contains the chapter's essence, yet is not too much of a spoiler. Any tips?

 

[IllyasArt]

But sometimes, it is just so hard to write a catchy chapter name that contains the chapter's essence, yet is not too much of a spoiler. Any tips?

If a character makes a joke in that specific chapter, or does something specific, then just use that as the name.

 

[HungrySheep]

I hate naming chapters but I do it anyway because it feels lazy if you don't. So do it.

 

[Alfir]

If a character makes a joke in that specific chapter, or does something specific, then just use that as the name.

Or use the last two words written in the chapter. I have been doing this lately and it works. It is best if the last two words come from a character's mouth to quote them through the chapter title.

 

[OP1000]

When choosing a new story to read, I personally do not care whether a story gives all its chapters names or just uses numbers to differentiate which chapter is which, as long as the premise and synopsis of the story is interesting I will read it. But when I want to reread a certain moment in a story, I will prefer the stories where the chapters have names.

 

[Kamelingil]

I kinda bad at naming chapters and I keep thinking these might be spoilers that's why no one is reading

 

[Major2501]

Depends on how arsed I am. Fray is numbered, Coven is named. The named chapters in Coven though are all song titles and relate to the chapter in some way or other.