So as I have been working away on Tea Times Three I decided from chapter one to name my chapters. An unusual move for an adult book. The naming of chapters dies out around YA or earlier, same with illustrations. I even came across a post on AW in a thread about naming chapters in novels that called chapter titles cliche! I think this is a little harsh.
I am an adult and I like chapter titles. It gives you a sort of overview of the book without giving away the story and I like that. I will also go one step further and say I like illustrations! I think I have an idea why these two things fade out by the time you get to novels.
Chapter titles in middle grade fiction tell you about the chapter to come and keep the reader keep reading, especially if the chapter titles are punny, or particularly interesting. Pictures of course help the young reader visualize the action.
By the time we are all grown up we don't need these things anymore. Chapters only break a book into sections and o no more thought than a number need be put into them. And illustrations are for kids.
But you know what? As an artist I LIKE pictures. I can visualize the action just fine but darn it- I like art. And I like the author willing to title chapters to give us that little tease of what's to come. I like the effort. I like a table contents too so I can see all the chapter titles and refer back to it to see where the book is going.
These things add an element of fun which seems so often absent in adult fiction, because we are all trying to be oh-so-serious novelists.
I thought I'd post all the chapter titles of Tea Times Three that I have thought of so far. Some may be changed but they are OK for now.
Chapter 1- Opening Soon
Chapter 2- Grand Opening
Chapter 3- Phone Tag
Chapter 4- Now Open
Chapter 5- Sunday
Chapter 6- Free Samples
Chapter 7- First Customer
Chapter 8- Around Back
Chapter 9- Plans
Chapter 10- (unnamed so far)
Contest updates! There aren't any! Maybe I didn't explain it very well in the first two posts so here is a further attempt to explain the contest. Apologies for the confusion! I think I have too few followers for this to have actually worked anyway. Serves me right for trying to build a platform without a book, or fans, or an audience, or friends...
Contest:
1- In order to win you must be a follower of my blog.
2- You must get your friends to sign up to follow my blog and they should post a comment saying "PERSON sent me to your blog" The person who gets the most friends to sign up to follow my blog wins!
I hope this helps.
Hi Che, I like the naming of chapters - it's like a taste of what's to come!
ReplyDeleteI think you were very clear about your rules, I myself considered entering but I realised that it's extremely hard to get other people to follow someone else's blog. In my mind blog following is a personal thing, I choose who I want to follow/read because of their writing style and content.
Perhaps similar to other blogs, you should have competition where following gives you points, promotion gives you more points (e.g. tweeting/blogging about competition). With a prize like yours I've no doubt that You'd get good traffic if you went this route :)
Hope this helps :)
I like chapter titles too :)
ReplyDeleteThat is what I was trying to do with the contest but I guess I did it kind of backwards!
I might revamp it a little to make it a random drawing and just pull the name of one my followers.
I just saw other people having contests and thought I'd have a go at my own.
I think competitions definitely work for getting followers. My advice would be to have your original prize.
ReplyDeletePost another competition post (and maybe using google docs form have people fill it out) so for e.g. (this is what I've seen done).
1 entry = new follower
2 entries = old follower
+1 entry is you tweet about contest
+2 entry if you facebook
+3 entry if you post about contest on your blog.
You increase traffic because say your original ten followers will enter but will also tweet/blog about it then reaching out to others who will come to site and enter, especially with such amazing prize!
You could have people comment on the post telling you how many entries they earned and ask for links.
Hope this helps, and thanks for dropping by my blog
Thanks! I've used googledocs for word documents with a friend of mine but never something like this! I'll have to look into it!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!!