I don't know which editors prefer, or if they even have a preference.
Chapter titles can be used to excite the reader: he or she may guess at the meaning behind the title, like in the Harry Potter books.
Because I usually read without glancing up to see what chapter I'm on, sometimes it's a good thing if there aren't chapter titles lol. I don't pay attention to them much anyway. As for my writing preference, I'm just too lazy to think of good titles. And they might distract from the story.
I (personally) enjoy adding on chapter names. Though when it comes to reading, I have no prefernece (as long as the name doesn't give away any of the story).
I like both reading and writing chapter names. Books seem kind of ... empty, to me, without them. It's like the chapters arn't there at all. I love writing them too, it's just so much fun. Usually, the don't give away any of the chapter (well, how would you interprit "twenty-one fingers"?), they're just an example of me messing around with words.
Oh, you're angry! Click your pen.
--Music and Lyrics
Chapter names are often the authors choice.
When someone reads the chapter name they often become intrigued because
1. The reader might not be sure of what the name is
2. It might be THAT chapter in which the reader really wants find to out about something
3. It can offer make Suspense
4. It can keep you interested if you've been having a full out reading marathon.
5. It can often help guide the writer in the task set before them.
Of course the Editor will always need to go through it and make sure the Chapter names aren't just to help the writer out, but to help the reader out.
~The bandit’s body slumped to the ground, knees hitting first,followed by the rest.His dead weight pushed dust into the air in a swirling cloud.The blood flowed from his head,splicing like river canals,delaying slightly on pebbles before flowing on through the street.~
I love them. Though, for this new revision of FREAK (it was needed, honest) I don't have them yet, I did on my last version. Whenever I would read them, they would give me small clues of what was going to happen, and they inspired me.
But... it's strange. I will notice chapter that are ordered numerically, but I will ignore chapters that have names to it. Even so, the numerical ones don't seem... as fun.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
sometimes i like them (in harry potter for instance) but mostly i prefer not to use
them. if you do use them, you need to make sure you don't give too much away,
have a name which is too long etc.
Chapter TITLES are tricky. I like them sometimes, but in general you don't need them. Chapter titles generally work if your chapters work like episodes, the way they do in The Lord of the Rings, the Narnia books, and Harry Potter. I tried using them with The Pastel Unicorn, but it became too difficult to keep thinking up a suitable title for each chapter.
Please, sit down before you fall down.
Belloq, "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
I think it's all a matter of preference. When I write, I don't use them that much, although I'm working on a story right now where I am naming the chapters, just because I thought of a lot of good names for them. When I read, however, I just unconciously ignore chapter titles, I don't know why.
I've never used them in my writing. I never could figure out how to do it without making whatever was about to happen totally obvious. The only time I ever paid attention to the chapter titles while reading was when I was in the middle of InkHeart... but I don't know why they caught my fancy so much.
The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. ~William Shakespeare, Othello Boo. SPEW is watching.
“I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you.” — Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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