On Chapters · 9:49am Mar 16th, 2015
inspired by The Hooves of Fate chapter sixteen: “Legacies of the Dead”
art by FoxInShadow
First, my apologies. I usually post a blog early on Friday or Saturday mornings, but circumstances have conspired to make my posting more erratic the last few weeks. Part of this is because I just received a promotion at work. The promotion comes with a change to my schedule and a corresponding bit of life-shuffling.
This week, I thought we could take a moment to talk about chapter titles. A good chapter title can entice the reader, stoke the reader’s curiosity, or set a tone. It can foreshadow. It can strengthen a thematic element woven into the chapter. Or it can give emphasis to some element of chapter that is particularly important.
The scene depicted above is from one of my favorite MLP fanfictions, the absolutely wonderful The Hooves of Fate by Sprocket Dogginsworth. The story happens to include a chapter named “The Hard Yellow Line”. Going into that chapter, I was intrigued by the title. I failed to guess its meaning or significance. But by the time the chapter was over, I knew I would never forget it. For me, “The Hard Yellow Line” is probably the most impactful chapter title from any fanfiction that I have read.
inspired by Pink Eyes chapter five: “Chickens”
art by Hobbes-Maxwell
I believe a well-chosen title can really enhance a chapter. The same can be said for an episode of television. A well-crafted episode with a perfect title can become unforgettable. Case in point: “Blink”. I don’t even need to tell you what show that is from, do I? You already know.
I have only read the first “book” of Project Horizons. At least for that book, Somber used a single-word chapter title scheme that I found very effective – especially when, following the predictably-themed chapter “Work”, my expectations were beautifully and horrifically shattered with the masterpiece chapter “Play”. That chapter haunted me. And it says something that while I don’t recall any of the other chapter titles, I very much remember those because of how the titles played off each other, and how perfectly fitting the name “Play” was to that very memorable part of the story.
On a similar note, you might find a title scheme having a negative impact. I certainly did with the first dozen episodes of Stargate Universe, whose cliched motif of titles such as “Air”, “Water” and “Time” (and the extremely on-the-nose way they were used) left me feeling ambivalent about upcoming episodes.
As most readers are aware, I used several chapter title motifs in Fallout: Equestria. For example, when a character was going to be added as a long-term companion to the protagonist’s group of friends, the chapter would be named after that character. Chapters that were meant to be particularly important and that changed the course of the story (to use the term coined by JMS, “Wham” chapters), were given names that followed the pattern of “The X of the Y”. (For example: "The Heart of Twilight Sparkle".)
Considering my own work, are some chapter titles I’m more pleased with than others. I particularly like “The Earth Pony Way”. The title comes from a single line in the song “Winter Wrap-Up”. I fashioned from that line a theme that became quite significant to the story that I was writing, and that was the chapter where it really started to come unto play. I am similarly pleased with “Peace in Our Time”, which is, of course, a reference to the fateful words of Neville Chamberlain. “Racing Apotheosis” and “The Shadow of the Ministries” are also favorites.
inspired by Fallout: Equestria chapter forty-four: “Galvanize”
art by Limreiart
So I'd like to hear from you. What chapter titles of what stories have you found the most impactful or memorable? Do you have any chapter titles in your own works that you put some extra thought into or feel particularly proud of? Please share. 
All I do is use quotes from the main character as chapter titles. Usually works out pretty good, all things considered.
I usually name a chapter after a place if it adds to the lore of my story. When my character appeared in a place that was significant for her (for example: the first chapter was just called Wasteland, as she was thrown into it, exiled from her Stable). When the chapter shows a villain or a faction for the first time, it is named after them (sometimes lampshaded as a Griffin called Guildenstern had a chapter title of "Golden Star").
Then again, for a chapter that introduced lots of places and concepts I just named it "Road through Wastelands".
I quite like Victorian style chapter headings. They can seem like they act too much like spoilers, but employed with a little thought, they can provide a sense of foreshadowing while still leaving the reader with some surprises.
I have a one-shot planned which uses that style for it's only chapter. The title of the chapter is:
In which a pony is upset; a room is painted; and we discover the purpose of friends and of sisters
I don't think it acts as a spoiler. Instead it gets the reader asking questions: Which pony is upset? What room is being painted, by whom, and why? What's the purpose of friends? What's the purpose of sisters? How do these things tie together? The bit where we discover the purpose of friends is a small mention in the middle of the narrative, so might be easily forgotten about, but it gets echoed back to when we discover the purpose of sisters, so I think it's useful to use the chapter title to draw attention to it.
This is the first story I've written using this style of chapter headings, but I may start using them more frequently.
In my very first story, the chapter titles were all from lyrics of the same song ("Broken" by Sonata Arctica) and I themed the chapter slightly after whatever the lyrics in the title said (for example, "Once Again Hope I Died for the Last Time" began touching on the main character's depression and potential suicidal tendencies). After that, I kind of used generic chapter names, mostly because of the rule about using copyrighted song lyrics (not a new rule, but it wasn't really enforced until sometime after I deleted my first story).
Honestly, I like when chapter titles are to-the-point in a creative way, such as with a figure of speech or a minor song reference while being relevant to the chapter's contents, because then it sets the author up with a chance to subvert all expectations; for example, like you mentioned, the whole "Play" thing that Somber did.
My favorite is from Project Horizons, and came out not long ago. For chapter 73, it's titled "Apogee" which quickly got my expectations high, and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. Usually when I see a chapter whose title is named such, I'm disappointed because my expectations get set higher than normal going in, so to see it used appropriately was satisfying.
As for titles, I like music and musicals, and like to find lyrics that match up with the theme/feel of the chapter, or sometimes even base stories around a particular song. A friend and I thought of writing a small offshoot of Fo:E based around the song "Big Iron" from the New Vegas soundtrack, but that hasn't filled out quite yet.
On a side note, I do recommend reading through the rest of Project Horizons to where it's at. It's definitely been a whirlwind of an experience, and it's never let me down in expectations. Just don't do like I did after discovering Fo:E and PH and sacrifice sleep (and a number of work days) to read all the way through it.
Well I came across a story with a title called No Elements No Harmony. The name itself is a giveaway to one part of the plot but the story itself and chapter titles previews the next.
2882105 I have to agree with you on enjoying music and related themes.
I like to interweave multiple layers whenever possible. I'm currently stalled on my Nightmare on Elm Street crossover due to writer's block. The first four chapter titles are simply familiar lines from an old bedtime prayer. Chapter five's title is the first line of a lullaby. Bedtime, sleep, nightmares...
I don't think anyone has noticed the fact that these are also song lyrics yet, mostly because I haven't finished writing the chapter wherein the title deviates from the lullaby. Those that do notice it with the next chapter might get chills if they sing ahead and think about what might happen in the chapter that I think of as "Ellen." E.L.E.N.
I named a 'Wham' chapter 'Switch, Thrown'. Works on several levels. I figure the best chapter titles are those where you look back, after the chapter's over, and go "…oh." And twitch
I also named an opening chapter, "Flaming Death Spiral"
Other people's chapter titles don't really stick in my memory—I read too many stories for them to do so—but I'm always disappointed when a one-shot uses the same title for both the story and the single chapter. That's not just a missed opportunity, it's a consciously abandoned one.
As for my own, I think my best would be the single chapter of Mandatory Fun: "Behold the Power of Cheese." For a story where Cheese Sandwich gets the Alicorn Amulet, it was either that or "Waffle King." Others I'm proud of include "On the Shoulders of Dragons" for a day in the life of an especially science-y Twilight, "Damn Good Yogurt" for an origin story of a Ronnie Soak-ish Discord, and what I still feel is my best Magic: the Gathering pun on the site, "Plight of Foal's Betrayal."
It's rare that I remember chapter titles, but I do have a few.
The first one comes from the best FoE side story I've ever read, Murky Number Seven. Killing the Slave is the title of the chapter, and although it's semi obvious as to what's about to happen, there's still euphoric feeling when it does. I have never cheered out loud for a character in fanfiction, except for Murky in this story.
The second one has explicit content, so I won't link it here. It comes from a story called All About Rarity. The Rarity in this universe has an idealistic, fairy tale interpretation of love. So it makes sense for all the chapters to be references to fairy tales. But it's not that simple. Each name fits the stage of Rarity's development in the story.
Finally, another Rarity fic; The Secret Life of Rarity. Specifically, the final chapter, simply titled "Goodnight". You knew it was coming, but it doesn't make it any less tragic. It and the final line are a torturous echo back to the first couple of chapters.
Fully agreed on the importance of chapter titles.
Personally, I've enjoyed some of the recent chapter titles of Heroes, such as "Enemy Within" and "Building Bridges," both of them successfully carrying more weight after concluding the chapter. For my own part in writing, I've tried to stick to theme, with every chapter named after economic or financial concepts. Sometimes I've played them straight to set the idea of the chapter (e.g. Business Model for the prologue), and sometimes I've been a bit more subversive. In either case, I've found naming my chapters to be tons of fun.
For the most part, I just give my chapters number instead of titles. Do you recommend against this practice?
Terry Pratchett once commented he didn't like using chapters at all. Not just the names, but, no separations at all; he said that to him, it interfered with the story flow. The only books he put it in were those for young readers, and only because his published forced him to. Though, "Good Omens" has a separation in Days, since it's about the End Days and all that, so it's counted down per day, in week day names.
On the one story where I took great care with my titles (which is my non-FO:E one), I went for a naming scheme of "the X and the Y". I liked how every chapter had a theme that fit with a meeting of two different things, starting with "The Pony and the Changeling", and later on going through titles like "The Scholar and the Beast" and "The Princess and the Queen". In others I used the same format in a less literal way, to refer to other very recognizable themes, like how "The Good and the Bad Times" referred to marriage. One sneaky dual one was "The Birds and the Bees", which, besides the obvious reproduction gag, actually also referred to a pegasus discovering the way a changeling hive worked
I'm kind of fond of using such themes in titles, but for longer stories it might be hard to keep it up. Though, for my Fallout Equestria fic, where the ghoul main character prompted me to make all chapter titles silly puns on "life", I think my earlier chapters generally have a lot less connection with their content than the later ones, despite me keeping up the theme. That might just be me getting better at it, though...
.... why did you remind me of the chapter Play WHY!
as for the story I did, it's a bit of a mix bag for chapter names. Mostly the chapter names have meaning to what's going on, and sometimes it's about something the main character feels, or thinks. I only used one, one word chapter, and it has deep meaning to what the chapter is about.
2882220 One of the most memorably chaptered books I ever read used numbers instead of names. Why was it memorable? Because they counted down instead of up. It was a constant reminder that the end was coming.
I'd quite like to do a story with a non-linear narrative but numbering the chapters linearly. So, for example:
Chapter 5: building explodes, lots of people standing around, wondering what happened, heroes are missing, presumed dead
Chapter 3: heroes desperately searching for the bomb in the building
Chapter 2: terrorists planting the bomb
Chapter 1: terrorists planning bomb
Chapter 4: heroes locate bomb; some evacuate innocent people from the building, one stays behind to try to defuse bomb
Chapter 6: aftermath, heroes revealed to still be alive except for the one who stayed behind
OK, that's a dumb example, but the general idea of using the chapter numbers to show the chronological order of the chapters in a non-linear narrative is something that appeals to me.
Kkat, I've always enjoyed your choice of chapter titles in Fo:E. Being a Babylon 5 fan myself, I recognized several of them as B5 episode titles, and I do agree that the chapter titles do contribute to the tone of the chapter! Sometimes it can take a while to come up with just the right title though, and if you have a particularly long story, that can be quite the challenge.
For my story:
1 - Of Friends and Nightmares
2 - Life in the Battlefield
3 - Ruling by Moonlight
4 - Departure
5 - Portents of Darkness
6 - The Keen Sense of Urgency
7 - True, True Friends
8 - Winds of Change
9 - Valkyrie
10 through 30 - Oh I hope I can come up with something!
I think my favorite naming convention I've done for a story was for my first work, Of Skies Long Forgotten. The story focused on Commander Hurricane as he grew from a farmer to the leader of the pegasus nation, and I used ever-intensifying weather-themed chapter titles to show how the story was intensifying. This gave way to the final three chapter titles, the most impactful of the story: "Chapter 14: Twister", "Chapter 15: The Eye" and "Chapter 16: Hurricane". Additionally, the type of weather phenomena used in each chapter gave a clue as to how 'wild', for a lack of a better term, each chapter was going to be.
I see other people listing out their chapter titles, so I can probably do the same:
Prologue: Forecast
1: Breeze
2: Gust
3: Draft
4: Gale
5: Turbulence
6: Squall
7: Mist
8: Tempest
9: Lightning
10: Thunder
11: Fall
12: Cyclone
13: Torrent
14: Twister
15: The Eye
16: Hurricane
Epilogue: Blue Skies
I've had other favorite chapter titles from other stories of mine, even though I didn't really continue with themes for them. Other favorites in that series on Hurricane are "Warlords and Unity", the pair of chapters "A Trial of Ice/A Trial of Fire", "End in Fire", and from my most recent work, "Turn Not Thy Face from Me" and "Mortality"
2882080
I do that too from time to time. Though sometimes you can end up with a chapter named "Screw psychology: I feel like inside of a giant vagina".
2882093
I did those in a few stories. My favourite are "In which Berry sighs and rolls her eyes" and "In which Lyra fixes a radio". The latter seemed insignificant at first, only to become an important plot point at the end of the story.
Originally I just used numbering instead of actual titles. Then I changed the title of my story to fit more in line with the stories all around theme and the title I went with was "Dirty Deeds." Which was inspired by an AC/DC song. Since then I've followed that theme and have each chapter named after an AC/DC song that corresponds in some way with the events of the chapter. For example the chapter "Have a drink on me," the climax takes place in a bar. It's been fun running with that overall theme. Gotta hunt down a new AC/DC song every time I post a chapter though haha.
Recently I have surrendered the idea of Chapter names, though after reading this I may modify my most recent fan fic involving Warhammer. Though I am pleased to say that in my Transformers fic I have worked in titles that refer to not only what happens in the chapter, but either the TV show in which it originated; Transformers G1/Beast Wars and MLP FIM. My FoE was just explaining what the chapter was about, though now I am completely re-writing that fic as it was my first, and utterly worst fic I have done.
Though congratulations are in order for your promotion at work, and I hope to see another blog post soon.
Stay Brony!!!
2882152 Really? I'm always slightly annoyed when one-shots have a different title for the first "chapter". It always comes across to me as the author couldn't decide what they wanted their story to be called.
Still currently reading Fallout Equestria. I'm kind of upset because I'm on ch 20 and I don't want it to end. Good job Kkat.
I believe that the final chapter was by the thing that kept me hooked beyong belief, over the edge of the seat. The Virtue of Littlepip is still dawning on me to this day, as I have still yet to fully complete it. I don't want it to end, but I want to find out the virtue. Is kind of genius.
I always try to give my chapters titles that match their contents. Some are fairly simple, but there are a few that I really like. Seeing the way the chapter titles fit in Fallout: Equestria was a big reason for it. I really liked how the chapter titles worked there, and wanted to do something similar for my own stories.
"The Diplomatic Process" is one I liked, mostly because it amuses me (Because it's accurate, even though the expectation it establishes is probably very different from the execution). A fair number are like that, really ("Bughunt" is an upcoming chapter that works in a similar way, kinda).
A few chapters are parts of longer sayings that reflect on the chapter itself. "What the Right Hoof Does" amused me, because my pre-reader immediately figured out (roughly) what was going to happen just from the title. I'm planning on naming a later chapter "Sudden But Inevitable" for similar reasons (And that one has the added benefit of greatly amusing me for being one of those "best lies" that one of my characters is so fond of).
There are several that are basically just thematically appropriate for the chapter, but I still like just because they fit in well, or sound particularly nice to me. "Black and Gold" and "The City of The Sun" are good examples of ones I just like the sound of. Then there's ones like "Welcome to the Herd", which amuse me just for being able to use lines like that in a very accurate way. And there are a few where the chapter titles play off each other, like "In Darkness" and "A New Day".
But I think my favorite chapter title in any of my stories is, simply, "Monsters". It's one of the titles that fits its chapter in multiple ways, and it's probably the darkest chapter of the story. There are several subjects that the title could refer to throughout the chapter, each of which are less immediately obvious than the one that proceeded them, but significantly more monstrous. And the greatest of those ends up being the protagonist...
Mine is very simple. Usually a joke, (Ex. naming a chapter where Rainbow dies after only being hit one time "One Hitter Quitter") or for a more serious tone, I will use a song title in which the song's title and/or meaning is related to the contents of the chapter.
That's my usual approach.
Honestly, Fallout: Equestrian might have some of my favorite chapter names in any work I've read. Most (published) authors just seem to go with numbers. Galvanize, The Shadow of the Ministries, all those you named, really--I'm also very fond of The Villain of the Piece. I love how well your chapter titles summarize while still remaining nigh-poetic on their lonesome.
As I have gotten better at well every aspect of writing, I've kind of gotten to the point where I just kind of throw interesting sounding and/or relevant lines as titles, honestly my original titles are on par with the amount of cringe I feel towards pretty much all of my earlier writing.
I can't think of a chapter title I've found memorable, but I can think of some song titles. Hiding in Plain Sight, Blow your Thrumpets Gabriel and Opium off the masses are some.
For me, at least in reference to Fallout Equestria, my favourite chapter title is Cold Dawn Light. I feel as though it is particularly powerful given that light is repeatedly uses throughout the book as a symbol for hope, yet in this case the light is shining on Littlepip in the wake of what she's done at Arbu. Homage's chilling broadcasts are captured perfectly in that title.
A few other works that use chapter titles really well are the works of Daetrin, but Cartography of War in particular has great titles for setting the feel while also giving hints as what's to come.
I've been reading Austraeoh recently as well, which consists of lots and lots of short chapters, like 1200 words max. The chapters all describe a single scene, and all the chapters are a single word for title. It's interesting on it's own but one of the big themes of the book thus far is a sort of isolation and loneliness centered around Rainbow, and the chapter titles really drive that home. So much meaning in a single word.
I also think there is a certain value in not having chapter titles at all, simply because there's nothing even being hinted at. For a story that relies a lot on uncertainty and tension, that can be important too.
I think one of my favorite chapter titles is from SSnE's Background Pony, chapter 12: What Sound a Stone Makes. I didnt understand it at all going into or even after i had finished it, but i think i get what its supposed to mean after i had reread the chapter. If anyone else has read it and has an idea what it means then please post it.
I also thought chapter 6 of PH was very well named as well as the last 3 chapters of Background Pony, what with the story's musical theme.
I always loved Background Pony's chapter titles. It really resonated with me the way that they all tied back into the chapter's theme, more often than not getting a name drop to boot.
hi hi
Congratulations on the promotion! Hopefully it is one of the all around upgrade promotions, and not one of those "now you get to do twice the work," kinds.
Using chapter titles like titles in a television show definitely works for things like Fallout: Equestria. If my memory isn't tricking me, I recall hearing that Fallout: Equestria was written as though each chapter were an episode in a series. (The Shadow of the Ministries might have been a two-parter that got aired one after the other.) One of the really useful things that chapter titles can do is to draw out the subtext and make it the context, even if the characters in the story aren't addressing it directly.
I can't really think of any chapter or episode titles that really stick with me, other than just a few of those episodes that I think are my favorites. (And sometimes I remember titles without remembering why, like Midnight on the Firing Line. Catchy title, but I don't remember what it was about.) I suppose that for long stories, having chapter titles also helps people come back to the right spot in the story if they're re-reading it.
In my own stories, since they've been either short or just single chapter things that were supposed to tell a complete story from start to finish, I've avoided chapter titles. This may be more of a style that lends itself to books, but I'm sure there is some amount of personal preference involved as well. I know that some of my favorite books leave only a half a blank page to start a new chapter, giving the reader a moment to pause and mentally take a step back before starting a new scene. There's something zen and immersive about that which can be nice sometimes.
Instead of just being a complete neighsayer though, I will say that I've tried to use quotes at the beginning of chapters to help encapsulate the themes, and inventing or finding appropriate quotes can be quite daunting. I must have compiled a list of dozens of quotes before trying to narrow it down to one for a chapter. I think probably the most memorable chapter quote that I've read came from Paradise.
"Fear is a powerful tool, but it’s best unused. What you control with fear, you destroy." - Excerpts from the Candid Sayings of Celestia as recorded by her friends
In the context of what was happening in the story, it fit perfectly.
Hmm. I find specific descriptions to be more impactful for me than titles. Even still, Fallout: Equestria for sure has among the best chapter titles I've seen (Galvanize, the Wham Chapters, etc.). I don't know what I really like about chapter titles. Certainly thematic ones like 2882447's Of Skies Long Forgotten, or Eakin's A Stitch in Time, where all the chapters are centered around a single motif. But beyond that, I can't say they have the biggest effect on me-often times I don't even read the chapter title before diving into the story.
Also, congratulations on your promotion!
2882319
Sounds like I should be doing more than just incrementing numbers, at least. Thanks for the input!
For myself, I'd say "Stars in the Tunnels" from my Rumble - Apple Bloom shipfic "Spelunking" is my wittiest chapter title.
I often don't pay attention to chapter titles. For example, I didn't know which chapter "Play" was until I saw the Youtube video below that paragraph. It certainly is a hard chapter to forget.
On that subject, a chapter title that comes to mind is "Darkness," from Project Horizons. It's not the most impactful title, and it doesn't make you wonder what it's referring to, but it is certainly very fitting.
Chapter 9: Stone
So far, the only chapter title that has stuck with me for over a year.
Going more in depth about how well the chapter titles worked. How they did everything you said, how perfect a match for what was in the chapter they were... Pretty much the one major thing I wish I'd did differently with my FoE analysis. Realized about halfway through that I really should be, but by that point I's skipped so many, felt it would be jarring to just start.
Also, Grats on the promotion.
As to personal things with chapter titles... honestly.. I tend not to notice them that much. Outside rare cases. Though one story that really does them well and I notice is Days of Wasp and Spider. Especially the sequel. The titles, always hint at something. Always make sense in the end, but almsot never in quite the way you expect going in.
One chapter name the really stuck with me is Nature of a Hero from the story FoE: Heroes by NoOne, the way the writer used it in the story I thought was nice and creative.
I never really thought about the impact of a title on chapters, it's a good thing I saw this post before writing my story with cheesy titles.
The 2 chapter titles that I distinctly remember and peaked my interest were from the 3 entry of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: Titan's Curse.
The chapter names were "I Have a Dam Problem" and "I Gain a Million Pounds"
part of making a good story is catching the eye and interest of potential readers. both in chapter names and in the very name and premise of your story......
project horizons started pretty good, but let us just say that as it progressed it became more and more alien to the themes of fallout equestria. it is more anime like than anything........... more so it has pretty much abandoned the concept of good intentions gone awry and has forced a narrative that absolves all the mane six of their actions during the war, making it all the manipulations of a few individuals....... somber even absolved fluttershy of her sin of damning the world in her desperation to save it, by making it nothing but another manipulation by someone trying to destroy the world.
it is a story that shouldn't have been fallout equestria based. it actually hurts itself by doing that.
2882093 I used pseudo-Victorian chapter titles for "The Magician and the Detective", keeping the attitude but not the grammar.
But I only did it for that story because it was a Sherlock Holmes crossover.
For "Moments", I based each chapter title around the core concept or phrase that I wanted the reader to focus on in that chapter, because the story contains a lot of contrasting elements and thematic reversals that could be hard to keep track of.
For my planned FoE story Song of the Wasteland, the main character is a musician, so every chapter will be a reference to a song or lyric (ex. "If You Are What You Say You Are," "The Words That Maketh Murder," "Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose"), and the different acts of the story will be named after entire albums (ex. "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World").
I'm glad we can both appreciate a good title.
Personally, I find that any of the chapter titles in Crushric's Jericho do a great job of either subtly setting the mood, or occasionally providing an interesting contrast to a chapter's events. Like in the chapter entitled "Smile", the titular character Jericho performs several actions that should decidedly not be smiled upon. Except by him, of course, because he's partially homicidal.
Additionally, Jericho often takes the concept of setting the mood a step further, with many chapters opening with a single word, more often than not followed by a paragraph with some thoughts about said word by Jericho. And the word is just the chapter's name, either. However, this word always relates, in some way, to the events of the story, or to the mood of the chapter. Chapter three, as a quick example, opens simply with "fog". A simple idea, a scant three letters. However, it encapsulates the mood of the chapter: dreary and oppressive. However, two of these openings has really stuck with me: the opening to chapters 33 (Decked) and 13 (Nuts). I think 13's opening is especially profound, though. Here:
Terror.
Terror is a strange emotion, one related to fear, but so much more interesting. To quote someone smarter than me, fear is being chased by a monster; terror is knowing there is something behind you, feeling its breath on your neck, knowing you will be grabbed, and then turning around to find that there was nothing there. Terror is coming home to find that everything in your house has been replaced with an exact copy. ... But terror was tied into the idea of ambiguity and vagueness, something we as a species do not like. When we can’t quite tell if something is off or not, when we’re not sure if it can or cannot hurt us, that is when we ponies get creeped out.
One unfinished fanfic of mine involved Rainbow Dash accidentally returning to the past after trying to fly too fast (a concept copying a PPG episode) along with the CMC, accidentally undoing the events of The Cutie Mark Chronicles. It becomes a parody of time travel movies, mostly Back To The Future, after that. One particular chapter before the end'd have involved the CMC holding up Celestia's carriage, so that the decisive sunrise will happen later.
The initial theme was Dash trying to push herself further and angsting about alreada having reached the best she can do, so I tried to give chapter titles that conveyed her ambition like
Outfly The Storm
Chase The Rainbow
Stop The Sun
Reach the Horizon
- impossible-sounding feats that reflect her bottomless ambition and try to send a positive message showing her ability to conquer increasingly incredible goals.
I think a good title can make you curious in the general sense, gives you something rare among ANY fiction that you will remember,
and also gives you a hint about what the chapter may be about and keeps you guessing without completely giving every surprise away.
Naturally, there are many possible approaches for many kinds of fiction. Maybe you want one to be surprising or funny (in a dark story like FoE, a sudden silly title'd have a huge impact for example). You can make them references to previous bits of the story or to popular culture. I like Lyra's "Background Pony" 's musical/latin sounding titles (Melodius etc.) for example. One should always experiment with new directions. :)