5 Benefits of Chapter Titles
I love chapter titles. As a reader, I love to see them. As a writer, I love to include them. Coming up with a suitable title hasn’t always been an easy task for me. Unless it’s one of those rare circumstances when a title comes to me right from the get-go, I find naming my creative works to be one of the hardest parts. It’s not easy to compartmentalize an entire novel into a few short words. With chapters, however, I love the challenge.
Today, a lot of books don’t come with titles. Instead, some books opt for having just the chapter number, while others may include the character’s point of view, a famous example being George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And while I don’t think that every book necessarily needs chapter titles, I think that that they do offer a lot of benefits.
1. Gives readers a preview of what they’re getting themselves into
As a kid, some of my fondest memories were going into bookstores with my grandpa, looking at books with intriguing covers, reading a captivating blurb on the back, and then glancing at the chapter titles in the table of contents. While this may constitute spoiler territory to some, most chapter titles (good ones anyway) don’t reveal too much, but offer more of a teaser of what’s to come.
Ideally, each chapter should represent a relatively sequential series of short stories in a book. Therefore, reading a table of contents can give you a sneak peak of what you’ll be in for throughout the entire book. It’s essentially another chance to really hook a potential reader, which is always a win!
2. Helps writers really hone in on a theme or important topic of a chapter
Naming is hard. Whether it be for characters, locations, creatures, and not least of all, the book itself, it can take ages to come up with names that really sing. Check out my blog on naming for some tips and tricks to tackle this hurdle. However, at least for me, naming a chapter has always been relatively effortless to me.
In fact, I find naming chapter titles really satisfying. Titling a segment of my story allows me to see it as its own work within a larger piece and helps me mentally see it that way during edits and rewrites. Usually, each chapter has its own themes, character moments, and objectives while also moving the overall plot of the story forward.
3. Gives the author the chance to add a smidge of character to the story
Simply put, chapters can be a great opportunity to ingest some character into a story. Aside from being a teaser of what’s to come or a way to mentally segment a section of the story, it’s a chance to hammer in a running theme, joke, or motif. For example, if a story is told in the first-person and a character might be an unreliable narrator, a certain quirk can be applied to the chapter naming scheme for a touch of character.
If the story is supposed to be in the form of a log or a journal, dates or certain occasions can be marked as the title to really add a sense of structure and immersion. Another way to look at it is if your book is like a Netflix or Amazon series, then each chapter represents an episode in it. Episode titles can really flavor the personality of certain shows, and chapters can do the same for books.
4. Chapter titles can create an expectation or atmosphere for a reader
If a chapter is about to have a pivotal moment, then a powerful title can really help set the mood. Seeing a chapter that alludes to a massive conflict that tension has been mounting towards can really get the hype train going. It’s as if to say “this is it.” Alternatively, a cleverly and appropriately chosen title can subvert expectations to powerful effect as well.
Titles are also a great chance to show off double meaning, which can really make rereads more satisfying. For example, a title might obviously refer to one thing that’s literally happening in that chapter while also referring to something behind the scenes in a more metaphorical way. There’s a lot of opportunities to have fun with them!
5. Readers can more easily refer to a specific chapter.
It goes without saying that a title is typically more memorable than a number. Actually, it would be pretty impressive to come up with a title that isn’t. However, when a certain chapter really stands out and readers want to talk about it, it’s far easier to remember “The Wings of Volderas” than “Chapter 26” for a lot of people.
Again, it’s like an episode of television. People often mention a specific episode that they love from a series. The same can be true for chapters in a book.
Titles have a lot of power. They set the tone and atmosphere for a story, and some of the strongest franchises boast catchy, memorable titles. There’s a certain effect in speculating what a story will be like based on the title alone that’s just so captivating. By adding titles to each chapter, you can really capitalize on that. It’s a way to give each chapter its own identity and invite speculation for each step of the way as readers journey through your story.
