"Coffee smiles giddily at what may just be a new sci-fi addiction, "Ooh, this story looks interesting" She opens up the table of contents just to stare at it in disbelief.
Table of Contents:
Characters
Chapter 1
aliens are real
Chaptr 1.85
Chapter two 😱
Chapter 3.14159—"
WHY? Who hurt you? I don't know if what the table of contents looks like makes that much of a difference in my story-reading experience, but some of these things are just atrocious.
Listen, I know the table of contents is your safe space, but so is this story and I can easily rant about both, so here we are.
I'll go through the sins of every chapter in the order I wrote them in the example.
Chapter 1
First of all, naming your chapters makes reading the story SO much better for me. I haven't the faintest clue exactly why I adore chapter names as much as I do, but, well, I do. My best guess is that funny or out-of-context names make the chapter more memorable. A little "Oh, so that's why it's called that," while I'm reading just makes me feel accomplished. It's basically an "omg they said the thing!" moment. You know, like your first time reading Percy Jackson and whatnot. Besides, if I'm reading a story for the first time and I see quirky, elegant, or serious chapter titles, it gives me a look into your humor or writing style beyond the description.
Besides, "Chapter 1" is just a bit bland. In my opinion, if you can personalize your book in any way, go for it. When I'm scrolling through a genre with a TON of stories for my next new read (cough, cough, romance), something as simple as a compelling description, pretty cover, or, yes, personalized chapter title makes me want to read it that much more. If literally anything makes me stop on your story, then you have done something right.
aliens are real
Listen, don't judge, but I am a chapter number purist. It just makes it easier for me to find a chapter coming back to a story if it has a simple number to remember it by. Either way, it's alright if your chapters aren't numbered, it's just nice as a reader.
Secondly, CAPITALIZATION. See? I did it right there. You capitalize every word in a chapter title the same way you do when naming your book. Of course, there are exceptions, articles for example (a, and, as, but, an, by, for, nor, in, up, the, of, on, by, in, at, and more—that's all I can remember off the top of my head) should not be capitalized unless they are at the beginning or end of your title.
If you can't be bothered to read all of that, tldr: Just search up "Title case converter" and you'll be a-ok.
Chapter 1.85
Come on now, in what world would you need a chapter one POINT eight-five? Alright, that was sort of a gag, but I have seen so many 1.5 chapters for no reason. I understand when you're writing your perfectly numbered story and you have the same chapter except from a different character's perspective and decide to write it that way. But even then, I am squinting to justify it. Just stick with Chapter Two, it's alright if your story ends with 31 chapters instead of a round number.
Moving on~
Chapter two 😱
Seriously? Emojis in chapter titles are sort of my pet peeve. I don't mind when you're writing your cute little short stories or poetry and ALL of them have emojis, but one random one sticks out like a sore thumb. With emojis, it's all or nothing. Your story is either meant to be aesthetic, or I'm taking it as seriously as a store-bought novel. I think the only "in-between" I've found so far is with comedy and satirical writing, but even then there is a line. Your satire is either extremely sarcastic or it's just a fun gag every once in a while. There is still a line there.
Chapter 3.14159—
Okay, this was just a gag, but if you ever see it in a real story, please tell me about it because I will actually laugh my head off.
~•~
584 words
"I haven't made one of these in a while! Don't worry though, my list of pet peeves has grown exponentially in that time, so you can expect a concerningly large amount of updates. Do you pay much attention to chapter titles? Vote if you liked it, comment your thoughts, and I'll see you next chapter!"
- Coffee
YOU ARE READING
Wattpad Rants
RandomIf these things annoy you, then they definitely annoy me. In this book, you will find a variety of pet peeves, notes, and tips for both readers and writers alike. You'll find contemporary and clashing views about the landscape on this website, so be...
