las: Novel update ....

Lucy Snyder (

las) wrote,
@ 2007-12-01 11:28:00

Entry tags:

spellbent

Novel update ....
In case you're wondering how the word count worked out on Spellbent:

86,250 / 80,000
(107.8%)

A question for everyone: as readers, do you care much about chapter titles? Do you even notice them?

Also, I'm sort of curious to see what (if anything) you may think happens in the book based purely on the chapter titles I've used:

A Simple Storm-Calling
Slaying the Dragon
Wutganger
The Cavalry
Virtus
The Luckiest Girl in Ohio
Meeting Mr. Jordan
A New Record
The Wyrm's Offer
Supersonic Butterfly
Disappearing Act
Bus, Bar, and Box Store
Ganga Goddess
Flummery
In the Wake of the Dream
Potion Motion
The Warlock
Manic Mechanic
Mysterious Ocularis
The Road to Hell
The Sting
Underworld
Palimpsest's Gamble
Siobhan's Children
The Return
A Little Chat
Ever and Ever

(Post a new comment)

	onemoreshadow 2007-12-01 04:40 pm UTC (link)
	I like chapter titles, but I don't miss them if they're not there. Having said that, yours sound quite interesting. :) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	bzarcher 2007-12-02 02:06 am UTC (link)
	Yes, that's what I was going to say too. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:31 pm UTC (link)
	Well, good :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

buffysquirrel
2007-12-01 05:00 pm UTC (link)

I don't tend to notice chapter titles, but I'm fine with them being there--just don't include any information that's crucial to understanding the plot! loll

I'm notorious for ignoring everything about a book except the actual text. Hence I can rarely remember who wrote anything I liked, or what the title was....

Okay.

A Simple Storm-Calling--that's weather magic? Since you've called it simple, I imagine something goes wrong! As the next chapter is about a dragon, maybe a dragon gets summoned instead of the storm? Now it has to be killed. Peeking ahead, I see that the dragon appears in at least one further chapter, so maybe it doesn't get killed after all.

Or, given Ganga Goddess, maybe "Dragon" is a drug reference, and not a real dragon at all.

Wutganger. Hmm, ganger sounds like "going" or "travelling", but Wut doesn't tell me anything. I'm figuring it's a character name, possibly one whose meaning is related to the character's er, character, but I'm blanking here on what happens in that chapter. They meet Wutganger? they go to Wutganger (and who are "they" anyway?).

The Cavalry traditionally come to the rescue--is this to do with that pesky dragon again?

(is Wutganger the dragon?)

Virtus...okay, I'm lost now. Makes me think of choirboys.

The Luckiest Girl in Ohio (we're in Ohio?). Maybe she escaped from the dragon? Or maybe it's ironic. Is she going to have to marry the dragon? Or maybe she's the only one left standing after the dragon pays a visit.

(is there a dragon?)

(you're just going to laugh and not tell me how wrong I am, right?)

(Reply to this)

buffysquirrel
2007-12-01 05:14 pm UTC (link)

Meeting Mr Jordan. Obviously this is an important character (or possibly dragon). They get their own chapter! So perhaps they go to him for help with the storm spell gone wrong (or dragon).

A New Record. Hmm. Ambiguous. Guinness book type record? diary type record? Nope, gets me no further along.

The Wyrm's Offer. ahah! back to the dragon! Of course it's a gross assumption that this is the same dragon they slew (or rather didn't) earlier in the book. Perhaps the dragon is trying to make a deal with them so it doesn't get killed? Or perhaps it's trying to slyly trick them into something (they do that, dragons).

Supersonic Butterfly. Umm. Makes me think of Chaos Theory.

Disappearing Act. This is what the dragon does once it's tricked them into...whatever. Although I'm having difficulty seeing a dragon getting on a Bus. A Bar is more plausible. (what's a Box Store?) Maybe "they" have to get to this Box Store to acquire whatever the dragon has offered them, or they can get something there to help them with the dragon.

Ganga Goddess--another important character? Maybe too wasted to be any help tho' ;).

Flummery. Hmm, they start to realise the dragon's duped them. Or more dragon-duping happens.

In the Wake of the Dream. They're really waking up now to the idea that You Cannot Trust Pesky Dragons.

Potion Motion and the Warlock suggest they're trying to get some serious magic together to deal with the Story Dragon, er Problem.

Does the Manic Mechanic have to fix the Supersonic Butterfly for them?

Mysterious Ocularis...they're using some kind of spell to search for...whatever? Or a magical device? Something to do with eyes or seeing, anyway.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-01 05:37 pm UTC (link)
	A big-box store is any big, square chain store that occupies a strip mall, like a Target or a Best Buy. And no, you cannot trust those pesky dragons ;-) (Reply to this)(Parent)

buffysquirrel
2007-12-01 05:17 pm UTC (link)

The Road to Hell probably isn't the M25. Hmm. Obviously a dangerous trip they have to make in pursuit of the magical object/the Story Problem/the dragon.

The Sting is when the dragon springs his trap! aha!

Underworld is the Bad Place they end up in when the dragon tricks them.

Palimpsest's Gamble. Okay, I know what a palimpsest is--a mss that's been erased and written over. But here it sounds more like it's a character. Maybe this is the risk they have to take to escape the trap.

Siobhan's Children...hmm. nope.

The Return--they escape! A Little Chat is where we wrap up everything the reader didn't understand and Ever After is what happens to the characters in the end.

Sounds intriguing, however wrong I am! loll

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-01 05:43 pm UTC (link)
	Palimpsest is indeed a character. "A Little Chat" is just as ironic a title as "A Simple Storm-Calling" and "The Luckiest Girl in Ohio". :) There are actually two secondary characters in this who are dragons. Past that, I continue to be annoyingly coy ;-) (Reply to this)(Parent)

lometa
2007-12-01 06:00 pm UTC (link)

Chapter titles are important to me as a reader. I even collect them sometimes and use them as launching off points in my own writings. "The Paraffin Destiny of Waxwings" would be one example. A chapter title gives me a preview of what content might be. It's irritating to me when they don't match and comes across as the author not taking the time to correlate the ideas or that the ideas are too abstract for me to connect.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

lometa
2007-12-01 06:15 pm UTC (link)

From your chapter titles I can tell that I am probably looking at a book that is a novel as oppose to a collection of short stories. I got that idea from titles 1 and 25. From titles 6 & 7 it could be a ‘Boy meets girl’ tale. The setting is harder to discern because I can’t find a common thread in the group of titles. I know you write science fiction and Gary writes horror so I’m wondering if it’s a combination of both with a leaning towards horror. Or maybe it’s fantasy because of the allusions to dragons. From titles 20 through I might think these chapters contain the actions that lead up to and include the climax of the tale. From title 25 I would guess it may be a futuristic novel. My favorite title is “The Wyrm's Offer”. It calls to mind Poe’s poem “The Conqueror Worm” and that may be because of titles 20 and 22. Interesting questions!

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lometa 2007-12-01 06:16 pm UTC (link)
	*From titles 20 through 25 I might think these chapters contain the actions that lead up to and include the climax of the tale. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lometa 2007-12-01 06:21 pm UTC (link)
	Sorry for all the follow ups! It's irritating to me when they don't match I wanted to clarify that a bit more. When they don't connect with the content of the text in the chapter or the story arch in some way. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-01 07:44 pm UTC (link)
	All the titles are descriptive of events/characters endemic to the chapter in question -- they just might not make tons of sense until after the chapters have been read :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

mindyklasky
2007-12-01 06:41 pm UTC (link)

I'm not a big fan of chapter titles. I don't use them when I write. They don't *bother* me in other people's books, but I tend to glance over them.

One thing that drives me nuts is epigrams - those little quotes at the top of chapters from real or made up literature. I was reading a fantasy novel the other day - totally made up world, totally made up characters, nothing to do with earth - and each and every chapter had a Shakespeare epigram!

Drove me nuts. Didn't finish the book.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-01 07:36 pm UTC (link)
	No epigrams in this one :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	eglady 2007-12-01 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	Personally, I like chapter titles, if they're intriguing enough they draw me into the next chapter and help me frame the story a little. When clever, they help me think back to where events took place. But maybe that's just a nod to my twisted need to organize something in my life. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-01 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	That's largely why I started naming the chapters -- as a way to help me quickly locate scenes. Several of the titles don't make much sense until you've read them, which is intentional. I wouldn't, you know, write a climax chapter in which the cruiseliner hits and iceberg and then title it "The Ship Sinks". The first chapter, sure, but not the climax ;-) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	flaggerx 2007-12-01 08:15 pm UTC (link)
	I think they matter, in that they should fit. But I never do more than scan the titles, more likely to read any quotations offered under the titles. Although, titles may be so quickly read that I think I notice them less than I do. I hope that's definite enough for you. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:31 pm UTC (link)
	Good to know :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

apintrix
2007-12-01 08:31 pm UTC (link)

Hm... sounds to me like, urban fantasy? If I was going to try to give a synopsis based on this I'd say, a girl who dabbles in magic gets in a whole slew of trouble involving dragons, interacts with crazy gonzo-mystic characters around the city (including dragons), and plots and springs a clever trap to extricate herself from the trouble with their help. Possibly involving the classic underworld voyage.

Anything with a chapter called "The Sting" awakens the caper-film fanatic in me with glee.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:32 pm UTC (link)
	Urban fantasy, indeed. But no characters resemble Paul Newman or Robert Redford ;-) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	apintrix 2007-12-02 06:36 pm UTC (link)
	ah, more's the pity... grin (Reply to this)(Parent)

sarajlarson
2007-12-01 08:49 pm UTC (link)

Like the readaholic that I am, I notice chapter titles, and sometimes pause to ponder them. Yours are very intriguing. If I didn't know anything about your work, but just picked up this book in the bookstore and looked at it, my curiosity would be piqued. When I'm browsing the bookshelves, I look at title, front cover, back blurb, and chapter titles, in that order. I would definitely take this one to the checkout counter, based on the title and the chapter titles.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:33 pm UTC (link)
	That's good to know :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

theonides
2007-12-01 09:06 pm UTC (link)

I think chapter titles are dependent on both the story and the writer. I think I have some stories that I might consider putting chapter titles on... but none of the ones I've written so far have them. I find that when I consider chapter titles, I am sometimes afraid of giving too much away... but then titles are not really my strong suit. When I read books, I pay attention to them when they are there, and don't really notice when they are missing. But many years ago I read a book that just began every chapter with a quotation, and that was also nice. And as with titles, sometimes you can't always tell the relevance until the chapter is over.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:40 pm UTC (link)
	Interesting, thanks (Reply to this)(Parent)

pgmcc
2007-12-02 12:00 am UTC (link)

I don't normally think too much about Chapter Titles. Also, if chapters have a little verse or saying before the main text, I read them and forget them and never go back to see what the link was between the chapter and the bit of verse or saying.

Chapter length is more significant for me. I find I flash through a book with lots of short chapters. It comes from thinking about stopping reading but seeing only a couple of pages to the end of the chapter, so I read on. Often, by the time I get to the end of the chapter I have recovered enough to see that the next chapter is quite short so I may as well read on. And so the reading process continues.

I haven't a clue what goes on in your book from the chapter titles, but do think it would be an interesting meme to ask people to write a synopsis of what they think happens based on the chapter titles. (I might have a go at this myself.)

Good luck with the book.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:41 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! What by your definition constitutes a short chapter? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

pgmcc
2007-12-03 08:11 pm UTC (link)

What by your definition constitutes a short chapter?

I've just done a quick check on books I've felt I was making rapid progress with (when I get the time to read).

Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes seems to average about four pages per chapter. (261 pages in total)

Glen David Gold's Carter Beats the Devil has chapters that I consider reasonably short, and they seem to range from 6 to 12 pages. (563 pages in total)

The Quincunx by Charles Palliser has chapters about the same length as Carter Beats the Devil. (1,221 pages in total)

Page count seems to be the determining factor with me. The three books above have different font sizes (the Bradbury has the largest, Gold's book is next, with the Palliser having the smallest)yet when reading books I look at the number of pages left in a chapter, no matter what the font size.

I seem to remember that when I read Lord of the Rings (about 30 years ago) it had small chapters and I flew through it.

Books with chapters the size of Bradbury's can be good at keeping pace up, and allowing one to keep the reader in touch with different story lines. Longer chapters can leave one forgetting characters that crop up in later chapters.

I hope this helps.

I suppose you're now going to tell me your novel has chapters of 35 pages and more.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-03 09:26 pm UTC (link)
	It does help. The chapter lengths are all over the place. The mss. is currently 399 pages, so with 27 chapters that averages out to a chapter length of about 15 pages. But I do have a couple of chapters that are twice that length -- the first chapter is 30 pages, for a relative-length comparison. So I expect many of the chapters would be under 12 book pages. (Reply to this)(Parent)

e2satori
2007-12-02 12:07 am UTC (link)

Hm - all I can tell is that your story exists in the realm of fantasy - possibly magical-realistic fantasy, as Ohio is invoked. Other than that - and that the book is a novel rather than a collection of short pieces - I couldn't rightly guess.

I really enjoy chapter titles. They are only peripherally related to my enjoyment of any book, however, so I generally treat them like an aperitif - I down them, enjoy the flavor, and move on to the main course without a backward glance. I always appreciate an author's effort when s/he chooses to think up titles, though. It's a flourish, but I likes me some flourishes once in a while.

And I am a slut for a good epigram. I ADMIT THIS THING.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:43 pm UTC (link)
	A most admirable slut :) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	e2satori 2007-12-03 07:42 am UTC (link)
	"Pepys Pepys" (now gimme some chickenfeed) ^^ (Reply to this)(Parent)

algedonic
2007-12-02 02:56 am UTC (link)

Very interesting post.
I have a need to name my chapters, because I like labels for myself if not others.
Plus, sometimes I have an idea of what a chapter is going to be about, and come up with a title for it, and that in turn shapes how the chapter is actually written.

Good to see people overall like chapter titles, as I am going to be using them anyway, and some of them are damn good bits in their own right. :)

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-11 02:48 am UTC (link)
	Good luck with it! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	algedonic 2007-12-11 12:25 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! And congrats on yours getting published! That is awesome. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	dogzilla30 2007-12-02 03:03 am UTC (link)
	When I begin reading a book the chapter titles don't make much sense to me, but after reading a few chapters they normally fall into a pattern that gives a teaser of information about the rest of the novel. The best chapter titles don't give away the rest of the story. I think you've managed to do that and I haven't even read a word of it yet. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:46 pm UTC (link)
	I did try not to give anything important away. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	Chapter titles kim_richards 2007-12-02 03:18 am UTC (link)
	Chapter titles aren't a requirement but often they are intriguing. I don't notice if there are just numbers but I usually notice a chapter title. I like to guess what they may pertain to before I read the chapter and see if I'm correct. I also like to locate the place in a book where the cover picture scene came from (if there is one). (Reply to this)

undeadrat
2007-12-02 04:26 am UTC (link)

I like your chapter titles.

Some of them reminded me of Neil Gaiman. There is just something playful about them, especially when you set the fantastic next to the mundane -- Storm-Calling and Dragons next to Ohio. And then there is the sense of ironic as in The Luckiest Girl in Ohio.

With a simple list of chapter titles you've piqued interest enough that I want a copy of the book.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	las 2007-12-02 06:34 pm UTC (link)
	Well, if things go well I hope I'll be able to hook you up with a copy in the next couple of years ;-) Thanks a bunch for the Cosby you sent Gary, btw ... that's a whole lot of fun. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	undeadrat 2007-12-02 08:57 pm UTC (link)
	You are very welcome. I'm glad you guys are enjoying them. I'm looking forward to your book. You have one guaranteed sale. Maybe two -- my wife may have to get her own copy. Ha! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	waltermonkey 2007-12-02 07:40 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, I think what you've done is what I was going to say I like, which are chapter titles that are ambiguous but make sense when you go back to them after having read the chapter. They're also a great way to lead the reader off in the wrong direction. (Reply to this)

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