tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post855555349027352123..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Words or Numbers? What’s the Best Way to Label Your Chapters? Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-82558047763843343462019-03-29T08:25:09.760-04:002019-03-29T08:25:09.760-04:00Glad it helped! Glad it helped! Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-33794358193844935632019-03-13T14:56:38.707-04:002019-03-13T14:56:38.707-04:00I was looking at this post bc my WIP has forty-ish...I was looking at this post bc my WIP has forty-ish chapters/scenes, and I was considering all sorts of formats. Numbering makes sense, as I don't want to slow down the reader, only demarcate a shift in time. Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17190520223862342252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-59929458314299601572015-12-28T11:42:51.194-05:002015-12-28T11:42:51.194-05:00Yeah that's one thing I need to be careful abo...Yeah that's one thing I need to be careful about, thanks for the caution =)Blondie B. Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04604675752890942675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-58934288403841125752015-12-28T08:13:57.662-05:002015-12-28T08:13:57.662-05:00One word of caution on song lyrics...they're c...One word of caution on song lyrics...they're copyrighted, so any publisher who buys the book will have to get permission to use them, which can be a problem. You might have more leeway with titles (I don't think those are copyrighted), but check to make sure you aren't violating any laws.<br /><br />I like the concept of the chapters being Easter eggs though. :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-79175875925181328162015-12-20T06:17:53.785-05:002015-12-20T06:17:53.785-05:00I don't even have chapters yet (just notes and...I don't even have chapters yet (just notes and bits of text) but I'm planning to use lyrics and song titles from the punk genre. It is strongly related to my main character and the family she was raised in, her values, etc.<br />It has a few cons of course (like: some chapters will need a lot of research to find the perfect bit of lyrics to fit the story), but I like the idea that the most invested/curious readers will maybe google them before or after reading, and for those who will be already familiar with the song, it's like finding an easter egg. Who doesn't like an easter egg?<br />I also know that it's not guaranteed success, because readers might be annoyed by chapter titles being a little bit longer than usual, and like some readers don't like to be told what characters look like, I'm sure there also are readers who don't like to have a musical atmosphere forced on them. They like to create their own in their mind, or maybe on a special reading playlist (who else does that?). Otherwise they would go and see the movie instead!<br />Oh, and I forgot to mention, if my story becomes famous after I'm gone, the directors will know what music to use =D Blondie B. Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04604675752890942675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-2843174807810672902015-12-11T09:47:26.209-05:002015-12-11T09:47:26.209-05:00I think I've seen that as well. I remember the...I think I've seen that as well. I remember them being funny, but couldn't say what book anymore.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-25088866320417099822015-12-10T18:36:50.063-05:002015-12-10T18:36:50.063-05:00I've read a series that used a line of dialogu...I've read a series that used a line of dialogue from the chapter for the title. It worked really well. Slightly intrigue, sometime funny, never makes a heap of sense out of context.Brie Donninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02143675481045319013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-79677064662128528042015-12-09T07:14:46.371-05:002015-12-09T07:14:46.371-05:00Fun!Fun!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-55304714860141172192015-12-09T00:35:09.012-05:002015-12-09T00:35:09.012-05:00I'm big into naming. Short titles are best bec...I'm big into naming. Short titles are best because even I don't pay a whole lot of attention to long names. I use them to quick-find each chapter (or categorize them) during my drafts. But I also LIKE naming them. Give me your draft with numbered chapters & I can probably name every one of them... including the book itself. As a wanna-be author, that's probably one of the best skills I have. I'm working on all the rest it takes to publish.<br />GaleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-41564861155774268502015-12-08T07:50:32.143-05:002015-12-08T07:50:32.143-05:00Smart! One of my books, I skipped chapter nine and...Smart! One of my books, I skipped chapter nine and we didn't notice it until copyedits, lol. No clue how it made it past all those rounds of edits.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-62781556324670115002015-12-08T07:48:59.447-05:002015-12-08T07:48:59.447-05:00We can always hope! My problem, is I change stuff ...We can always hope! My problem, is I change stuff in a scene, but don't always make the description title reflect that :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-31964147412987024982015-12-08T07:47:57.349-05:002015-12-08T07:47:57.349-05:00I love her idea, too. Very handy for drafting. I love her idea, too. Very handy for drafting. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-53855488594165931092015-12-08T07:47:31.711-05:002015-12-08T07:47:31.711-05:00That is a fabulous idea. I use Scrivener, and I cr...That is a fabulous idea. I use Scrivener, and I create a folder with the chapter, then all the scenes are files. Chapter gets named by number, but the scenes are descriptive. Similar, and I love your idea of doing that with chapters as well.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-36337953803752990432015-12-08T07:45:51.764-05:002015-12-08T07:45:51.764-05:00I assume that was non-fiction? That would be a use...I assume that was non-fiction? That would be a useful way to keep readers on board. Not sure how a "what's to come" translates to fiction, but it'll be interesting to see how it works out for you. :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-43196505152818190712015-12-08T07:44:12.524-05:002015-12-08T07:44:12.524-05:00I've said something similar, so it could have ...I've said something similar, so it could have been here. A pause in the story...I like that. Very fitting way to describe a chapter break. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-43233400023117370042015-12-07T21:58:05.406-05:002015-12-07T21:58:05.406-05:00I like word-numbers and then a one or two word cha...I like word-numbers and then a one or two word chapter title. Since I don't always get the chapter divisions right in the first go, I add the chapter numbers last. It saves me from discovering I have two chapter sevens and no chapter fourteen. :)Chicoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504144663440678542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-19267025744678813592015-12-07T19:47:59.370-05:002015-12-07T19:47:59.370-05:00In second or third draft I did what Michael did in...In second or third draft I did what Michael did in Scrivener so I knew what was in each chapter. Now in my fifth draft, I'm just using numbers. Hopefully I know what I'm talking about by now. But one never knows!Carol Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10444182118975929045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-48615022106732928472015-12-07T16:00:15.185-05:002015-12-07T16:00:15.185-05:00Numbers * stupid tablet, hahaNumbers * stupid tablet, hahaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14788023574913815144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-12446313131619570972015-12-07T15:59:19.790-05:002015-12-07T15:59:19.790-05:00I usually use ni,bets because I want the chapter t...I usually use ni,bets because I want the chapter to speak for itself, but I like Michelle's idea better Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14788023574913815144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-24171827355832443092015-12-07T15:55:36.134-05:002015-12-07T15:55:36.134-05:00When writing the first draft, I usually label chap...When writing the first draft, I usually label chapters with words so I get a general feel of what's going on and I can shift them around. But when I edit it I replace the words with numbers. All a matter of opinion, really.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164974372184844759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-15630358007528090122015-12-07T12:06:53.704-05:002015-12-07T12:06:53.704-05:00My genre is historical fiction set in the gold rus...My genre is historical fiction set in the gold rush era. The first book published about that was "The Vigilantes of Montana." The author, Thomas Dimsdale, who incidentally was on-scene so he knew what he was talking about, used Roman Numerals, with a short blurb on what was to follow, or alternatively, a quotation from Shakespeare. That's what I am doing, although I'm not sure about the Roman Numerals. Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02063337064422578885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-38917529286047598292015-12-07T10:55:37.692-05:002015-12-07T10:55:37.692-05:00I read somewhere (maybe it was here at Fiction Uni...I read somewhere (maybe it was here at Fiction University) that where in the flow of the story you divide into chapters is purely subjective. With this thought in mind, I go for the number way. It's a pause in the story as far as I'm concerned.G. J. Jollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09716902434885633884noreply@blogger.com