Writer Tip: Chapter Lists

Some writers need to draw a map before they get started.  Others just need an open document and to find a quiet space.  I had a teacher who was a "Go With the Flow" writer and was critical of his students--like myself--who weren't.  I did try the teacher's method and wrote some of the worst things I've ever put to paper.  I now proudly map out my stories in some way before I get started.  I need to have an idea of where I'm going.  Before I start a novel, I now fill a notebook or computer folder with character bios, outlines, ideas, and anything to help organize my thoughts.  Doing this has made me a more confident writer.

I love to give my chapters a title.  I feel like each chapter is its own little story that builds together to create the larger novel.  Titles aren't my strongest suit and often get changed multiple times but that's the beauty of the writing process.  It's not final until its bound and published.  I've started to keep a list of my chapter titles so I can get an idea of what titles I've given to the chapters so that I can see later on what titles are working and what might need to be changed later on.  

This is something that I've just recently started to do so I'm still working out the kinks with it, but so far it's helped me to feel more organized when it comes to my chapter titles.  It's such a simple thing to do but saves me a lot of stress in the editing process.

Below is a sample of what my list looks like.  It's a really simple design but will hopefully save a lot of headache in the editing process.