"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

Good afternoon, readers! Before I start off on today's topic, I would like to mention that this word of the week is suborn, a verb meaning to induce, persuade, or influence someone secretly to do an unlawful thing. It's often used in sentences about law, like someone being persuaded to committ perjury (that person is being suborned to committ perjury). It comes from a Latin word, ""subornare," which translates to "to secretly furnish or equip." There, wasn't that fun?

So today's topic is chapter titles. You know, those things before a chapter that nobody reads? It's a shame really, but many readers either ignore them because they're boring or just don't notice them at all. However, I love chapter titles. I think that they're fun, insightful ways to see what the upcoming chapter is going to be about. I've seen them done many different ways. Some are long (ex. chapters in the point of view of Jacob Black in Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer), some are short ( like in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) Some have only numbers. Some novels don't have chapters at all, but mainly asteriks separating the main scenes (The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger). I've seen novels that only use the name of the character of the point of view it's in (ex. in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the chapters simply alternated by "1. Nick" and "2. Norah" and "3. Nick" etc.) However, creative chapter titles is a good way to keep your reader interested. After all, when you spot a captivating chapter title, it makes you want to keep reading. They can get a piblisher interested as well.

Every author does chapters differently, and many novels by a single author can have different styles of chapter titles. But the one main things that many of them (if not all) have in common is that they all relate to a main idea in the chapter. Some of them are broad, one word titles, and some are more specific, but they both relate to important aspects of the chapter.

Here are some hints that I've used or tried out in past chapters:

1. Reptition - Beginning each chapter with the same two words in a pattern can keep chapters entertaining. For example, you can have a novel with each chapter beginning with "Don't Forget to..." and then end with different words each time. It can keep things interesting.

2. Alitteration - Having alliteration in your chapters keeps your chapters flowing nicely, plus keeps them short and sweet. For example, one chapter can be "Daring Diasater" and another can be "Always Arrogant."

3. Clever and Humorous - Witty titles are a great way to catch a reader's attention, especially if it seems to be in the point of view of a witty character in the novel. For example, "How Not to Get Your Way" or "Don't Talk Back to Guys with Big Muscles." Keep it interesting.

4. Poems, Quotes or Song Lyrics - Having a brief quote or song lyric before a chapter is a great way of hinting what's going to happen in the chapter. You're welcome to use common or unrecognizable song titles as a chapter title (ex. Broken) but if you used a song title such as "Boulevarde of Broken Dreams," you might not be able to get away with that if the novel is published. You could also use a small portion of the quote as a title and include the full quote above.

5. Definition - Sometimes using definitions of words as a chapter titles can really work, depending on the story at hand. Or you could do something like, "Love: A 4-letter word that's impossible to define." Play around with it.

6. Language - I've seen novels where all the chapter titles are in a different language. Many of the words you can tell the meaning of in English, simply by how they look and sound, but it just keeps things a little spicy and special.

Remember: you don't have to be consistent! Sometimes changing things up can keep your reader (and you) entertained! Don't be afraid to mix things up!

The best advice I can give you is pay attention to what your story's about, the simple and the abstract things. For example, in Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, she could have titled each chapter with something that the main character wanted to say, but couldn't because she was too scared. The best chapter titles really relate to the story. You know your story better than anyone else; use that power to your advantage.

That's all for today, writers! Have a good night! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at penelopepaige@rocketmail.com. Time to go sharpen that pencil...

Question: Do you have a specific way to name your chapters? If so, what is it? If not, how do you name your chapters? Do you name them at all?

What's Your Name Again?

Good evening, reader! It's Moon. Today's topic is going to be on naming your characters, but first let me start with the weekly Word of the Day (which I guess should be the "Word of the Week," huh?) This one is thaumaturgy, which is a noun referring to the performance of miracles, usually magic. (This makes me think of Harry Potter, tee hee. <3) It comes from a Greek word meaning "miracle working." There's also "thaumaturge" and "thaumaturgist," (nouns, meaning a both of which mean "a performer of miracles" or "a magician," ) and the adjective "thaumaturgic," (meaning "performing miracles" or "of, relating to, or dependent on thaumaturgy." Like most writers I know, I always want my characters to be detailed and 3-D. Sometimes I went on a baby naming site and looked up meanings to certain names. Though, then I realized that people in real life usually don't match their name, and that it's more important to be time-appropriate than personality-appropriate. After all, the parents didn't know what you would be like when they had you. I mean, "Penelope" is Greek and means "With a web over her face." That means nothing to me. Here are the main things to keep in mind when naming your characters (keep in mind that I embarrassed myself by breaking all of these to help share with you what I've learned):

1. Cultural and story context: A name usually reflects the culture and life of the character, sometimes the genre of the book as well. Aeon Daggercult would be great for a fantasy novel, but not for realistic fiction. People in the 1800s named their kids Martha and Hulda, but you wouldn't see someone with those names in present day. If a character has a Native American background that goes to a high school in New Jersey, his name won't be "Misty Rain" or "Big Bear." They've assimilated. His name might be John. His last name could be an Americanized last name too, but it could also be something from his culture.

* Just a quick note: If you're naming your character from another culture, be sure to do your research. Just because a name sounds like fun doesn't mean you should just name your character that off the bat. Look it up. It could be a boy's name instead of a girl's name. It could mean something completely offensive (You wouldn't name your kid Ass would you?) and the character wouldn't be taken seriously in his culture.

2. Keep the names to a minimum: I know some people have two middle names or five names, but just leave your characters alone. Even if you have a fantasy novel, your reader will just get confused or overwhelmed or just not take the character seriously if her name is "Misty Jessica Clefairy Winefred Humbleton." Not gonna happen. Keep it to two or three names, unless you really feel it's necessary to expand. And keep nicknames to a minimum too: you don't want to confuse your reader. If your character's name is Joseph, keep it to Joe or Joey (but if you have a more creative nickname, use that one, but don't use ALL of them).

3. Avoid stereotypes: This one should be obvious, guys. Seriously. If you have a story based around stellar, celestial things, please don't name your character Luna Moon. Please, I beg of you. You'll get laughed at. I, personally, will laugh at you. You don't want that; I have a very loud, obnoxious laugh.

4. Keep pronunciation in mind: So you don't want a bland name, that's fine. We all want names that our readers will remember and associate with our characters. However, out of desperation, don't name your character Fwejfoievnujsri, because even though that LOOKS awesome on the page of your fantasy/sci-fi novel, your reader will rip out the page in their anger and damn their tongues for all eternity.

5. Don't freak out: In all seriousness, a name is a name. If your character has an awesome, perfect name and a terrible, 2-D personality, you're character will still be unsatisfactory. Name, although important, shouldn't be at the top of your list. Work on learning about your character. You may even change his or her name after getting to know the character more. You can even refer to the character as "Girl" or "Boy" or "Awesome Guy" until you find a name you like. It's not the biggest deal in the world.

That's all for today, guys! Have a good night! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at penelopepaige@rocketmail.com. Time to go sharpen that pencil...

Question: How do you go about naming your characters?