The Poetry of Chapter Titles
I love chapter titles; do you? They remind me of the title of a poem, the way they give you something to think about, a clue to hook you, a feeling of what’s to come.
They are also one of the most difficult things for me to write. Only after my entire novel is finished and pretty polished do I go through and name most of the chapters. Here are a few examples from CIRQUE (the only one that was written before the chapter was number 2):
And here are some of my favorite chapter titles from other writers’ books:
Finally, this last one comes from my husband Mark’s WIP. I love it for both its tongue-in-cheek humor and, speaking of tongues, the way it trips mine when I read it:
Do you have any favorites, of your own or others, that you’d like to share?
They are also one of the most difficult things for me to write. Only after my entire novel is finished and pretty polished do I go through and name most of the chapters. Here are a few examples from CIRQUE (the only one that was written before the chapter was number 2):
The Circus and the Sans-culotte
Doctor Guillotin’s Philanthropic Beheading Machine
A Body at the Turk’s Head
The Empire of the Dead
And here are some of my favorite chapter titles from other writers’ books:
How Nobody Came to the Graveyard
The Hounds of God
(The Graveyard Book)
The Glorious Whitewasher
Dire Prophecy of the Howling Dog
The Cat and the Pain-killer
(Tom Sawyer)
Knitting
Still Knitting
The Knitting Done
(A Tale of Two Cities.
The third is the one that had the most impact for me, but largely because of the build-up.)
Over Hill and Under Hill
Riddles in the Dark
Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire
(The Hobbit)
The Boy Who Lived
The Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters
Through the Trapdoor
(Harry Potter)
Finally, this last one comes from my husband Mark’s WIP. I love it for both its tongue-in-cheek humor and, speaking of tongues, the way it trips mine when I read it:
The Cursed Boy of Bickern Major
In which
Winifred Wootz has an encounter
with a celestial light socket and the baby
gets blamed
Do you have any favorites, of your own or others, that you’d like to share?
Titles are difficult for me, too! I always admire a clever chapter (and book!) title. I think my favorites are in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. She starts all the chapters with the phrase "In Which..." For example: "In Which Cimorene Refuses to be Proper and Has a Conversation with a Frog"
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Faith!
The chapter titles of Stevenson's "Treasure Island" captured my imagination as a young boy:
ReplyDeleteThe Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow
What I Heard in the Apple Barrel
The Ebb-tide Runs
The Cruise of the Coracle
I Strike the Jolly Roger
... simple, yet very effective!
Like you, I also found Twain and Dickens to have great chapter titles.
I adore clever chapter titles that whet the appetite without giving away the ending. Fiendishly hard to write. I loved yours in Cirque ...
ReplyDeleteI only use chapter titles for my own self for easy referencing. I know much better with "A Meeting" or "Another Meeting" what it's all about rather than Chapter 21 or 22. LOL.
I also like quotations at the beginnings of chapters, things that encompass the idea or theme. I loved the Secret Life of Bees for that. Bee facts, lore, and whatnot. The author did an amazing job of having just the right quote.
I do love them, but I've never used them. My chapters have always been only numbers. But since I have such a hard time naming my BOOKS, I can imagine that chapter titles are even harder! But I love yours, and your husbands. ha ha! Can't wait to read these books. They sound delightful!
ReplyDeleteI love them, too. I'm using them in my WIP. For some reason, I don't find them as hard as book titles. I suppose because they don't have to encompass the WHOLE book.
ReplyDeleteI think Vijaya makes a great point that they can be useful to you while writing, even if you delete them and just go with numbers later.