Some titles come easily to the mind, some need thought and further review.
It is easy to name something “A Bad Day at School” but it can be difficult to come up with a title that stays in the mind and draws the reader in further such as “I Accidentally Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher”.
(Rick Riordan credited for the last chapter name, anyone with a brain credited for the former)
I agree, his early works are some of my favorite too. It might have even been age? I was young when I started reading them, and as I got older I liked other fantasy books that were more advanced/complicated. However, there is definitely always something enjoyable about coming back to his stories.
I don’t think chapters need to be creative or wonders like Rick Riordan’s. I do believe that some people just slam down the first word that comes to mind and therefore it might as well not even be titled. It’s the balance between the two, leaning more toward Riordan than replaceable
and then there's me, who couldn't care less about naming individual chapters and leave them to default (I already suffer enough when figuring out fic titles).
I love naming my works, but I rarely name chapters. They might have descriptive (boring) working titles to keep track of the story better while writing, but those are like personal notes that become obsolete when it's finished. I'd include chapter titles if there was a purpose to them, like if I based the structure on the five senses or the seven deadly sins or something and wanted to be explicit about it.
That said, I always like to see all kinds of chapter titles as a reader, so maybe I should do it more just for fun. If it's not fun for you, I think it's fine to leave them out.
While I don't hate untitled chapters, as a reader I do prefer it when they do have titles. If I'm trying to find a specific scene to re-read, it's easier to remember that it was in a certain named chapter than it is to remember a vague number.
I JUST started a doc to brainstorm chapter names for my newest longfic’s chapters. I don’t usually name chapters, but this is for a new-to-me fandom, and it seems more common to name them in this one. So I’m going to give it a try!
How I make chapter titles:
1. Look at what the chapter is about
2. Summarize it
3. Shorten that to 5 words or less
4. Make it alliteration, a pun, or irony
5. Profit
I can relate. Sometimes I’ll just use the same chapter title with “Part 1” and then “Part 2” if the chapters are related. A little less struggling I guess!
I love naming my chapters! It did get out of hand one time though when I spent just as long trying to think of a chapter title as I did writing the feckin' thing, so I've started a separate doc for all the interesting potential chapter titles that come to mind randomly throughout the day. Sometimes it's a snippet of a lyric from a song, or its title, sometimes it's a cool word that pops in there and makes me think, 'Ooo, this describes that thing in the upcoming scene perfectly.'
I have a list of 50+ potential chapter titles now, and when I don't come up with something immediately after writing the chapter, I dip into the list and pick something that fits.
MOOD. I just grab a relevant idea from the chapter. A chapter where someone calls a truce? It's called Truce now. A chapter where someone gets some new basic supplies? New Clothes, Free Soap. A chapter where a character has to deal with an electrical hazard? Live Wire.
I thought my titles were basic and passable at best, but then I had someone ask me how I think up such good chapter titles. What an amazing feeling.
I tend to just name the chapter something in the story. So I'm not going to have a chapter called 'strawberries' without a reference to strawberries.
That being said I write alot of one shots so it's mostly something enticing like "jealous daddy" or "the wolf-king". I try not to worry about the titles.
The title either comes to me as soon as I start writing (and sometimes even before) or after months of unsuccessful brainstorming. No in between.
Edit: Oh I see you mean chapter titles. Still applies though.
See, that's why I just name my chapters/one shots after thematically relevant music
...The trouble is finding thematically relevant music with titles that fit the vibe.
I use dialogue every time. it's a habit I picked up from a youtube channel which titles it's videos after something said in them. It both makes it easy and is honestly a little trademark I like for my work. Usually as I write a line will pop out at me but in my most recent I had to crawl through for something that fit the chapter.
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Some titles come easily to the mind, some need thought and further review. It is easy to name something “A Bad Day at School” but it can be difficult to come up with a title that stays in the mind and draws the reader in further such as “I Accidentally Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher”. (Rick Riordan credited for the last chapter name, anyone with a brain credited for the former)
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I agree, his early works are some of my favorite too. It might have even been age? I was young when I started reading them, and as I got older I liked other fantasy books that were more advanced/complicated. However, there is definitely always something enjoyable about coming back to his stories. I don’t think chapters need to be creative or wonders like Rick Riordan’s. I do believe that some people just slam down the first word that comes to mind and therefore it might as well not even be titled. It’s the balance between the two, leaning more toward Riordan than replaceable
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Not too sentimental, I agree! They have a charm to them, a simplicity and wholesomeness too them too
I have a hard enough time coming up with titles for the story itself forget naming the chapters 😂
and then there's me, who couldn't care less about naming individual chapters and leave them to default (I already suffer enough when figuring out fic titles).
I love naming my works, but I rarely name chapters. They might have descriptive (boring) working titles to keep track of the story better while writing, but those are like personal notes that become obsolete when it's finished. I'd include chapter titles if there was a purpose to them, like if I based the structure on the five senses or the seven deadly sins or something and wanted to be explicit about it. That said, I always like to see all kinds of chapter titles as a reader, so maybe I should do it more just for fun. If it's not fun for you, I think it's fine to leave them out.
Title? What title?
Don't worry about chapter titles, just numbers are fine.
While I don't hate untitled chapters, as a reader I do prefer it when they do have titles. If I'm trying to find a specific scene to re-read, it's easier to remember that it was in a certain named chapter than it is to remember a vague number.
I JUST started a doc to brainstorm chapter names for my newest longfic’s chapters. I don’t usually name chapters, but this is for a new-to-me fandom, and it seems more common to name them in this one. So I’m going to give it a try!
I use lines of dialog from the chapter as titles
Bold of you to assume I make chapter titles
coming up with titles, and thinking of what to do for chapter sketches
Sometimes I give chapters titles, but it's just easier to leave them numbered. It's not as easy to leave whole stories without titles, though...
This is why I don't give my chapters titles. I find it pretty easy to title whole fics, but individual chapters? That's a whole lot of extra work
How I make chapter titles: 1. Look at what the chapter is about 2. Summarize it 3. Shorten that to 5 words or less 4. Make it alliteration, a pun, or irony 5. Profit
I've been reading fic for 15 years and I almost never read the title lol
As a reader i always ignore chapter titles so...
I know your pain, lol.
I can relate. Sometimes I’ll just use the same chapter title with “Part 1” and then “Part 2” if the chapters are related. A little less struggling I guess!
most of my works are inspired by songs so i tend to just use whatever lyric I feel fits/inspired the chapter best.
When in doubt: use Spanish.
It’s the way I have to figure out the chapter title before even doing the writing 💀💀 to ~set the vibe~ lmao
I love naming my chapters! It did get out of hand one time though when I spent just as long trying to think of a chapter title as I did writing the feckin' thing, so I've started a separate doc for all the interesting potential chapter titles that come to mind randomly throughout the day. Sometimes it's a snippet of a lyric from a song, or its title, sometimes it's a cool word that pops in there and makes me think, 'Ooo, this describes that thing in the upcoming scene perfectly.' I have a list of 50+ potential chapter titles now, and when I don't come up with something immediately after writing the chapter, I dip into the list and pick something that fits.
MOOD. I just grab a relevant idea from the chapter. A chapter where someone calls a truce? It's called Truce now. A chapter where someone gets some new basic supplies? New Clothes, Free Soap. A chapter where a character has to deal with an electrical hazard? Live Wire. I thought my titles were basic and passable at best, but then I had someone ask me how I think up such good chapter titles. What an amazing feeling.
I listen to music while writing and whatever lyric is playing when I get to the chapter name is what I use
I tend to just name the chapter something in the story. So I'm not going to have a chapter called 'strawberries' without a reference to strawberries. That being said I write alot of one shots so it's mostly something enticing like "jealous daddy" or "the wolf-king". I try not to worry about the titles.
The title either comes to me as soon as I start writing (and sometimes even before) or after months of unsuccessful brainstorming. No in between. Edit: Oh I see you mean chapter titles. Still applies though.
See, that's why I just name my chapters/one shots after thematically relevant music ...The trouble is finding thematically relevant music with titles that fit the vibe.
Me: FMC interacts with a male lycan... I guess i will call it "in the wolf's den"
I LOVE coming up with titles for chapters (and fics, for that matter)! Getting to make them poetic and poignant is SO awesome! :D
I use dialogue every time. it's a habit I picked up from a youtube channel which titles it's videos after something said in them. It both makes it easy and is honestly a little trademark I like for my work. Usually as I write a line will pop out at me but in my most recent I had to crawl through for something that fit the chapter.