A writerly question today.
Djiboutilicious for sale at Discorama, downtown Djibouti. Some titles are simply too much fun to toss out.
How do you feel about chapter titles in books? Do you prefer numbers or actual titles? Do you pay any attention to them? Do they bother you? Inspire you? Do you feel differently about chapter titles based on the genre?
At this point my book proposal has chapter titles. Initially I found this helpful. Organizationally it helps me keep track of the chapters, especially as I continue to rearrange. Also in the beginning the titles helped me narrow down the focus of each chapter.
However, now as the proposal is (hopefully) nearing the finished point, nearing (slowly) the ready-to-sell to a publishing house point, I find the chapter titles annoying and inhibitive and rather cloying, bloggish.
To title or not to title? Would love your thoughts.
interesting . . . i am reading the memoir “Yes, Chef” currently (by Marcus Samuelsson) and I have found the chapter titles to be very helpful–but they have a sort of theme too (my african mother, my swedish mother, etc.). Now that I have a Kindle, I also find the titles helpful if something happens and (gasp!) I lose my place.
But I could see it edging into bloggy (or childish territory) . . . I would go with your gut on this one. But tell us what that is!
Yeah, sometimes they seem so right on that I don’t mind, and even appreciate the insight they offer or the way they intrigue me into reading on. But I just took mine off the doc, so see how it changed things, and I have a feeling they will stay off. At least until further down the road.
Would you recommend “Yes, Chef”? I haven’t looked it up, just curious. Always looking for something good! Although I do have about 8 kindle library books backed up I need to get to. Plus A Tree Grows in Brooklyn on audio. Gotta get in some long runs so I can finish that one.
I like titles, as long as they aren’t cheesey. Having a heads-up about what the chapter might be about it nice and helpful. I agree with D.I. Mayfield… go with your gut.
Thanks!
I only like chapter titles if chapters jump around (i.e. if the book goes back and forth in time and does not stick to chronological order). But most of the time I do not pay attention because if the previous chapter left me with any interest/suspense, I am too quickly moving on to the next chapter, only glancing up at the title. It never registers or if it has, I have forgotten it by the end of the first chapter.
That’s just me though.
That’s kind of how I read too, I think. The chapter title doesn’t seem to add a whole lot.
I pretty much couldn’t tell you the last time I read (or noticed) a chapter title.
That’s interesting – so like they aren’t really there, or don’t seem to matter to you at all.
I usually find chapter titles helpful, especially when I’m looking through the first time, to see if I want to read, or if there’s part I’d like to start with to see if it gets my interest. Of course, I’ll be reading yours no matter what (am already interested!), so if you don’t like them, get rid of them : )
Haha. Thanks Patty. You mean you are confessing to not reading a book straight through?! :O)
I agree with Melissa. I only appreciate chapter titles when the book jumps around chronologically or follows separate storylines and characters…then the chapter titles help to keep things straight. But in a book that flows naturally, I don’t like chapter titles because then it makes it easy to skim through the book and get hints of what’s coming. If it’s a good story, I don’t want to know what’s coming…that ruins it for me.
Interesting how some people like them because they preview what’s coming and some people don’t like them because they preview what’s coming. I’m leaning toward not liking them. They work great for Harry Potter but for a memoir they give it more of an essay-type feel, rather than a cohesive narrative.
As a person who likes to write, I thought this was a good question. First, I honestly don’t really care either way. Titles or numbers are both fine, I’ve just always assumed the author chose either one for a purpose – whatever worked in THEIR book.
Second; I would not worry about word titles crossing the line into blogging territory. How many years have books been around? (several hundred, right?) And how many years have blogs been around? (something like a decade, at the most?) Which one of these has used word titles the longest?
There you go. If you should worry about anything, don’t let it be that.
Good luck with the writing project! I love reading your thoughts in this blog. Always so thoughtful and inspiring.
Good thoughts Tanja, thanks, I laughed out loud about the books vs. blogs battle. Yup, books win out. I read Annie Dillard (Pulizter,author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) say book titles gave her a book an 18th century feel and that’s what started me thinking…
I prefer chapter titles in nonfiction. Most of the nonfiction I read tends to be broken into subjects, so I’ll read it through the first time, but then go back to specific parts as the need arises… like the kitchen-organization section of a simple-living book, or the chapter on Rosa Parks in a book on “Influential Women of the USA.”
There’s no problem with simple numbered-chapters, and when I read fiction I must admit I VERY rarely pay attention to anything as “mundane” as what an author may have named their chapter. But for nonfiction – yes, I think they can help, and I do appreciate the wittiness some of my favorite authors have used in creating their chapter titles!
Great thoughts Marcy, thanks.
I like both numbers and titles. But I mostly agree with Patty on this one- I only read the titles when I am trying to figure out if I want to buy a book. In the middle of reading a book I rarely read them.
I love hearing what you guys think of chapter titles. Who knew?