Naming Chapter Titles

One of the things to consider when writing a book is chapter titles. You have to decide if you book needs them or not and what that title should be. So today I’m listing 8 things you need to consider when choosing a chapter title.

1. Does your book need them? Chapter titles are definitely something I’ve seen making a comeback in the last few years. But not every book requires them. It’s up to you to determine if your book and readers will benefit from a title. A title of a book is part of what draws the reader in initially (along with the cover design and book blurb). Chapter titles are meant to do the same thing for the individual parts of the book. If the title has no allure, or sounds like something the reader really isn’t expecting or doesn’t want to hear, it could cause them to stop reading altogether. On the other hand, if you can create titles that superbly compliment the coming pages, that could be what keeps the reader hooked. If you choose not to use titles, your writing, on its own, needs to compel your readers to continue from one chapter to the next, which is quite do-able. Or titles may just be a personal preference for you.
2. Chapter themes. So, if you decide to go the route of naming your chapters, one thing to consider when choosing the name, is what themes are in this chapter. Titles need to match up with the feel your readers are getting from what’s going on. This step is important to include when communicating with your beta readers! Make sure you ask them if they felt that the title matched up well with the theme of the chapter. If not, ask for detailed ideas of why it felt off – themes are much more or less obvious to a person reading a story for the first time, as opposed to the author who has been looking at it over and over for months.
3. Characters’ goals and questions. Is this chapter about a specific character’s goals, fears, questions about what’s been happening? (hint: it should!) Keep those thoughts in mind when thinking of a title. You could include that character’s name, or simply mention the question they are asking. But that leads us to point #4: length.
4. Length of the title is very important. Like the book title, you’re trying to convey feeling and intrigue in a few words as possible.  You want to hook your readers, but without giving too much detail. Detail is for the actual writing.
5. Appetizer of content. Think of your title as a tiny taste of things to come. You want to give your readers something to wet the appetite, but save the most satisfying parts for the pages to come. Give them the name off the menu, then fill them with more delicious plot.
6. Hint without giving things away. A title should be a preview of things to come, but should not point directly to what’s going to happen. The idea is to make the reader ask questions: is the MC about to get caught? Will the antagonist find the secret plans? Is the sidekick really gone for good? The title should give subtle hints, not point directly to what is about to happen. This is another point where you want to put your beta readers to good use. If they guess exactly what’s coming just based off the chapter title, that’s not a good thing. You can even get ideas by asking them what they would name the title.
7. Can it feed off the previous or next title? If appropriate (as if two chapters go hand in hand) you could try letting two (or possibly more) titles play off each other. For example, “Into the Forest…”, “…Of Death and Darkness.” Now, if you go this route, make sure you consider all the previous points, and don’t let it go on for so long that it sounds cliché. A list of cliché titles will start to sound tiresome and will turn off a lot of readers, so just be careful with this one. Again, consult the betas carefully before publishing this style.
8. Appeal. Finally, will the title appeal to your readers or turn them away? This cycles back around to Step #1. Remember the above points to consider, plus consider un-related themes. Could the title make a reader think vampires are afoot when they aren’t? Could the title trigger bad memories for the reader, rather the intended plight of the character, such as fears or past confrontations? While it is important to come up with a sharp image-hook for your beta fish to latch onto, you need to also be careful to not pick a hook that might dive into real, offensive territory. For readers, fiction is about the protagonist taking on impossible odds, being in danger, and fighting to the top; don’t make the readers feel like their own struggles are insignificant, belittled, or humorous. Characters should take on the danger for the readers.

So there are my 8 steps to consider for choosing chapter titles. Is there anything you would add to your process? Or something you would argue? Leave me a comment, I’d love to see what you have to add!
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