i normally name my chapters based on the meaning of the character's names or certain circumstances. like for chapter 2, I named it "A Soldier Greets the Fire" because two character's meet and their names are Ember and Mylo. one of my favorite parts of writing is thinking of chapter names 💀
One fic I read years ago was called something like in which the characters actually get to talk to each other, and all of the chapters were variations on that theme, titled something like in which a and b. Made for a memorable crack texting fic. Another fic used a song name as the title, and then for the various chapters used different lyrics from that song that went with the theme of each chapter. It’s been years since I read for either of those fandoms, but I still remember those fics even though they were by no means the best (both were abandoned some time after I started reading).
While I love to name chapters, stories, write summaries, I have little confidence in my choices. I just tend to get carried away with too obscure ideas because of my ADHD. So this video is super helpful 🙏
well, i'm not even halfway through the video and i've already decided i'm going to give my fanfic chapter titles even though i'm 12 chapters into writing it
I'm def a "page 10" writer lol. I often struggle to title my chapters, so I usually just go with a 1-2 word title which captures a certain emotion or an over-arching theme that's prevalent in said chapter. Thanks for the great tips though! I might have to try some longer chapter titles in my next fic :)
When I personally read a fic I never read the ch titles or ch summaries since I’m too impatient and just want to get on with the story, it’s all just purple prose anyway imho. However, as a hobby ff writer I noticed for one of my fics the readers were excited to find out the chapter titles when I didn’t display them in the navigate/scroll down menu and instead added them into the main body of the text/chapter itself (basically as a header). It wasn’t intentional on my part but became a fun thing throughout the story :)
That's fair. For me I would prefer that drop down menu show them specifically because I wanna reread or reference certain parts, and the lack of chapter titles makes that harder.
I agree! Chapter titles are so helpful. I don't often use them myself, because I struggle enough with titles as it is! But in my current fic I've gone with naming them for tarot cards which fit the vibe of the chapter, because one of my mcs uses the cards of Marseilles in canon. I put meanings of said cards in the summaries. Often results in a last minute scramble to find a card that suits when uploading day rolls around, but I like it! You can blame the fact that I'm constantly buried in the early 19th century these days for my fondness for titles that go "in which [event]." I like to use it in my summaries (e.g. 'In which John Childermass befriends a ghost') but it does pop up in titles a lot. I am in LOVE with the whimsy of old-fashioned wording. This may be present in modern fandoms (?) but I see it a lot more often in ones which are set in a historical era. Thanks for the video, it's given me some idea s to think about!
My favorite thing to name my chapters after is OSTs from the pieces of media the fanfic is for. For example, I’m currently working on a Little Nightmares fic and the names of the chapters are: Ruins of a Sad Apartment, Lights Out, and A Room with a View, all of which are OSTs from the game. This works for titles as well!!
I doubt I'll ever write my idea of the fic that has the present story line as a road towards London that spans 8 hours for the characters. I had the idea to title chapters as a countdown, "8 hours until London" "7 hours until London" "6 hours until London" and then the last chapter would just be titled "London" The idea came from a game titled Until Dawn, that had a countdown.. until dawn, as the chapter titles, I just wanted to use them as a countdown towards the end of a journey. I'm sure someone also used the "distance left" format before, like "100 miles until the destination" 80 miles until the destination", but I can't think of any.
I have something similar! But mine is a count down for the bomb to explode. I was writing a thriller 😂 and received may comments regarding how much tension it creates whenever the hour goes down 1.
Love this video!! it's been a while since I wrote anything chaptered, but I planned one fic inspired by a song and the chapters were lyrics from that song, and it did have some correlation with what happened in that chapter.
i usually fall in the camp of finding it quite difficult to title my chapters (maybe because i mostly write oneshots lol) but one thing i like to do lately with writing for a tv show is look at the show episode titles for inspiration. one fic i wrote as a post-episode scene, and the episodes in that arc were called "absolution" and "mercy", so guess what the first two chapter titles are gonna be? ding ding ding! also another fandom i'm in (macgyver) has a very recognisable title format that usually looks like ____ + _____ + _____ , so it's very fun and easy to title stuff that way as well
Nice, very useful advice for naming chapters and short stories. I definitely struggle with names and the fact tha that ever chapter postpone AO3 needs a name kills me a little. Haha. I will be using this advice! Thank for the video❤
It's not compulsory to name chapters on AO3. I've never left it blank myself, but I've seen other stories where the chapters don't have a name and are just labelled "Chapter 1" (or whichever number it is) by default. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, though!
I'm going to politely disagree. I find chapter titles off putting, they can be a cheesy, over the top and overwhelming, I generally prefer not to read them. Single word titles are alright, I'd say. Easier to manage. I also prefer chapter summaries for getting an idea of the chapter rather than from the title.
That's fair. To each their own. I actually prefer when chapter titles are used in conjunction with summaries, because every little opportunity to hook readers back in counts. Chapter summaries also aren't visible when you scroll through a drop down menu or contents page: you have to click on the individual chapters to see it.
Chapter titles can honestly be helpful for folks who forget to update their bookmarks with where they left off, or dont want to do that in the first place. even single words can help, but in general a chapter can be really helpful. i honestly wish more people put titles, even if it's a single word but honestly if they used the chapter summary like you said, that could also be helpful. if they have no title for their chapter, but a summary, people will still get a chance to job their memory on where they left off, as long as the author didnt change the summary after the fact ^-^ this is p much how i sometimes have to remember where i left off on a show if the program doesnt automatically update or show me the last ep i watched
I do some stories with chapter titles, some without. It depends on the story I am telling. The more comedy/crack/fluff are more likely to get a chapter then a serious/tragic story. One story I did Part 1: Chapter 1 to Part 3: Chapter 15 even though I posted them as one story, it did have clear parts. That one I got to the end of part one, posted it. Had a long break at the end of part one, posted part 2 when I finished writing it. Had another long break and then part 3. Seemed to work well for that one because each of the archs had an ending but the overall story was still not finished till part 3.
Yay! A new video! 😃 You always have such great advice, watching your videos always gets me inspired to write more! ❤️ I never gave much thought to chapter or episode titles before, but they really can have a big impact on reader expectations and anticipation like you explained. Pretty cool, I think I will have to keep this in mind for future fics!
Yep it can be tricky. I usually name them during the planning stage and change them after drafting them if I think of something better. Glad you enjoyed the vid!
I use them for parts (my current WIP is divided into 3), but not chapters. Not everyone knows Roman numerals all that well so it isn't the most accessible. If you were writing a Roman AU or fic about Olympus or Percy Jackson then I can see how it would fit a theme.
i normally name my chapters based on the meaning of the character's names or certain circumstances. like for chapter 2, I named it "A Soldier Greets the Fire" because two character's meet and their names are Ember and Mylo. one of my favorite parts of writing is thinking of chapter names 💀
oo i like that chapter title :) pretty smart way of doing that, and i havent thought of it before!
One fic I read years ago was called something like in which the characters actually get to talk to each other, and all of the chapters were variations on that theme, titled something like in which a and b. Made for a memorable crack texting fic.
Another fic used a song name as the title, and then for the various chapters used different lyrics from that song that went with the theme of each chapter. It’s been years since I read for either of those fandoms, but I still remember those fics even though they were by no means the best (both were abandoned some time after I started reading).
While I love to name chapters, stories, write summaries, I have little confidence in my choices. I just tend to get carried away with too obscure ideas because of my ADHD. So this video is super helpful 🙏
I'm glad 💖
well, i'm not even halfway through the video and i've already decided i'm going to give my fanfic chapter titles even though i'm 12 chapters into writing it
Was planning to start naming chapters, and this video helped a lot! Thank you!
I'm def a "page 10" writer lol. I often struggle to title my chapters, so I usually just go with a 1-2 word title which captures a certain emotion or an over-arching theme that's prevalent in said chapter. Thanks for the great tips though! I might have to try some longer chapter titles in my next fic :)
Short chapter titles can absolutely work! I usually like to switch it up myself, and if you feel like doing that too then I hope this video helps 💖
When I personally read a fic I never read the ch titles or ch summaries since I’m too impatient and just want to get on with the story, it’s all just purple prose anyway imho. However, as a hobby ff writer I noticed for one of my fics the readers were excited to find out the chapter titles when I didn’t display them in the navigate/scroll down menu and instead added them into the main body of the text/chapter itself (basically as a header). It wasn’t intentional on my part but became a fun thing throughout the story :)
That's fair. For me I would prefer that drop down menu show them specifically because I wanna reread or reference certain parts, and the lack of chapter titles makes that harder.
I agree! Chapter titles are so helpful. I don't often use them myself, because I struggle enough with titles as it is!
But in my current fic I've gone with naming them for tarot cards which fit the vibe of the chapter, because one of my mcs uses the cards of Marseilles in canon. I put meanings of said cards in the summaries. Often results in a last minute scramble to find a card that suits when uploading day rolls around, but I like it!
You can blame the fact that I'm constantly buried in the early 19th century these days for my fondness for titles that go "in which [event]." I like to use it in my summaries (e.g. 'In which John Childermass befriends a ghost') but it does pop up in titles a lot. I am in LOVE with the whimsy of old-fashioned wording. This may be present in modern fandoms (?) but I see it a lot more often in ones which are set in a historical era.
Thanks for the video, it's given me some idea s to think about!
Naming stuff is hard so thanks you!!!
You're welcome! Glad I could help 💖
My favorite thing to name my chapters after is OSTs from the pieces of media the fanfic is for. For example, I’m currently working on a Little Nightmares fic and the names of the chapters are: Ruins of a Sad Apartment, Lights Out, and A Room with a View, all of which are OSTs from the game. This works for titles as well!!
I doubt I'll ever write my idea of the fic that has the present story line as a road towards London that spans 8 hours for the characters. I had the idea to title chapters as a countdown, "8 hours until London" "7 hours until London" "6 hours until London" and then the last chapter would just be titled "London"
The idea came from a game titled Until Dawn, that had a countdown.. until dawn, as the chapter titles, I just wanted to use them as a countdown towards the end of a journey. I'm sure someone also used the "distance left" format before, like "100 miles until the destination" 80 miles until the destination", but I can't think of any.
That can definitely work for that kind of story!
I have something similar! But mine is a count down for the bomb to explode. I was writing a thriller 😂 and received may comments regarding how much tension it creates whenever the hour goes down 1.
i like that!
ooo thats so cool!! i definitely want to take inspiration from that idea ^_^
@@mothmaniel I'm glad to hear that!
Off topic but your aesthetic is so cute !
Thanks! It's pretty much my brand so I wouldn't say it's too off-topic 😜
this video is very underrated.
Thanks, lovely 💖
My titles are usually a couple words of gibberish that don't make sense until you've read the chapter
One of my fics the chapter titles were just a line of dialogue from the chapter itself and that worked out great. ❤
Awesome! Lines of dialogue can make for some of the best chapter titles.
Love this video!! it's been a while since I wrote anything chaptered, but I planned one fic inspired by a song and the chapters were lyrics from that song, and it did have some correlation with what happened in that chapter.
i usually fall in the camp of finding it quite difficult to title my chapters (maybe because i mostly write oneshots lol) but one thing i like to do lately with writing for a tv show is look at the show episode titles for inspiration. one fic i wrote as a post-episode scene, and the episodes in that arc were called "absolution" and "mercy", so guess what the first two chapter titles are gonna be? ding ding ding!
also another fandom i'm in (macgyver) has a very recognisable title format that usually looks like ____ + _____ + _____ , so it's very fun and easy to title stuff that way as well
Yay we’re back!I do sometimes struggle with naming my chapters and if I come up with nothing I just leave it blank lol.
It's okay to do that too and take your time 😊
Nice, very useful advice for naming chapters and short stories. I definitely struggle with names and the fact tha that ever chapter postpone AO3 needs a name kills me a little. Haha. I will be using this advice! Thank for the video❤
It's not compulsory to name chapters on AO3. I've never left it blank myself, but I've seen other stories where the chapters don't have a name and are just labelled "Chapter 1" (or whichever number it is) by default.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, though!
🥳🥳🥳 Haven’t even watched the video yet! But this upload alone has made my day!! Absolutely adore your content!
Ahh thank-you! Hope this met expectations 💖
I'm going to politely disagree. I find chapter titles off putting, they can be a cheesy, over the top and overwhelming, I generally prefer not to read them. Single word titles are alright, I'd say. Easier to manage. I also prefer chapter summaries for getting an idea of the chapter rather than from the title.
That's fair. To each their own. I actually prefer when chapter titles are used in conjunction with summaries, because every little opportunity to hook readers back in counts. Chapter summaries also aren't visible when you scroll through a drop down menu or contents page: you have to click on the individual chapters to see it.
Chapter titles can honestly be helpful for folks who forget to update their bookmarks with where they left off, or dont want to do that in the first place. even single words can help, but in general a chapter can be really helpful. i honestly wish more people put titles, even if it's a single word
but honestly if they used the chapter summary like you said, that could also be helpful. if they have no title for their chapter, but a summary, people will still get a chance to job their memory on where they left off, as long as the author didnt change the summary after the fact ^-^ this is p much how i sometimes have to remember where i left off on a show if the program doesnt automatically update or show me the last ep i watched
I do some stories with chapter titles, some without. It depends on the story I am telling. The more comedy/crack/fluff are more likely to get a chapter then a serious/tragic story. One story I did Part 1: Chapter 1 to Part 3: Chapter 15 even though I posted them as one story, it did have clear parts. That one I got to the end of part one, posted it. Had a long break at the end of part one, posted part 2 when I finished writing it. Had another long break and then part 3. Seemed to work well for that one because each of the archs had an ending but the overall story was still not finished till part 3.
I've done parts too! My approach for differentiating them was to design banners in Canva for each part and then embed them at the top of each chapter.
Yay! A new video! 😃 You always have such great advice, watching your videos always gets me inspired to write more! ❤️ I never gave much thought to chapter or episode titles before, but they really can have a big impact on reader expectations and anticipation like you explained. Pretty cool, I think I will have to keep this in mind for future fics!
I'm so glad! Hope you have lots of ideas on how to name your chapters and have fun doing it 💖
this is really helpful!! always excited to watch ur vids :]
Aww thanks 💖
I struggle to name my chapters. Its just Chapter 1 for my fic at the moment
Because its all I've written so far...😅
Great video!
Yep it can be tricky. I usually name them during the planning stage and change them after drafting them if I think of something better.
Glad you enjoyed the vid!
Cool!
Am I the only one who uses roman numbers?
I use them for parts (my current WIP is divided into 3), but not chapters. Not everyone knows Roman numerals all that well so it isn't the most accessible. If you were writing a Roman AU or fic about Olympus or Percy Jackson then I can see how it would fit a theme.