I am now editing my chapter titles. I will keep them short. I have been guided by some of the best examples of contemporary literature. Two to four words appears to be the average. The less said in the chapter title the better. It is better to keep the reader in suspense than to spill the beans. My chapter titles will merely act as a basic signpost to the reader.
In my stories, I find chapter length is dictated by the plot. The first one I wrote, I tried to keep the chapters all the same length, but ralised this was unecessary and, frankly, a waste of the time I could spend on expanding the plot and characters
I don't have my working chapter names in my MS. I have them handwritten on a sheet of paper pinned to the wall in front of me with the appropriate pages numbers as a quick reference while I'm editing.
Hi ASG.
I did not plan my novel, but I will for book two. It will save me much time and effort. I started with a sketchy outline of the beginning, middle and end of my story.
I wrote over 130,000 words, which consisted of five large sections. Each section had a title. I abandoned my list of chapters so I could write with more freedom. I was not constrained by chapter titles. I deliberately wrote in linear fashion to keep my plot and storyline as simple and straight as possible. I have succeeded in breaking the sections into individual chapters, which relate to the preceding and following chapters.
This is my first novel in a series. There has been much trial and error. I will do things differently for book two.
I am in the process of adding more chapter titles to the last two sections of my novel. However, that will not be the end of the editing process. It is ongoing and will continue.
Good luck.