I am a big fan of chapter titles - if they are done well. I'm mainly referring to chapter titles in fiction, because most non-fiction books need to have them, but even in non-fiction it's best to have chapter titles that are interesting.
I think more children's and YA books have chapter titles than adult fiction, which is appropriate. I feel chapter titles should be like book titles - intriguing. They should make you want to find out what happens.
If a writer is planning to have chapter titles that are bland and meaningless, I think they are better off without. I recently perused a book by Pat Conroy, which had chapter titles like "Going Home." I don't see the point.
Creating good chapter titles is one of those writing gifts I am envious of. Since titles are such a great lure for readers, I think most novels could benefit from them. However, not every chapter will lend itself to a great title.
Should a book have chapter titles, if only some of them are really good? There will be some titles that are less than stellar or even kind of dull, but if the majority of the chapters in the book have entertaining, interesting titles, a few poor ones won't detract. I think a small number of uninspired chapter titles is worth keeping, if chapter titles are an asset to a novel overall.
www.daylightsend.weebly.com
www.trustindarkness..weebly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment