Chapter with titles

Papyrus Author Questions & Help
1

I like the auto chapter function but I would like to add a title to each chapter. Would also like for that chapter title to remain with the text if I move the order of titles. What are my formatting options?

2

Good question!

Changing the chapter titles is pretty straight forward. Would you like the headings to keep the numbering eg. “Chapter 1 My First Chapter”, or would you like it to be just the name, eg. “My First Chapter”?

:scroll: Removing the Numbering (eg. “My First Chapter”)

If you want the chapters to just have names, you can change the text style of the chapter headings:

  1. Click on a chapter title you wish to change.
  2. You should see the H1- (Chapter Numbered) button highlighted in the top toolbar of Papyrus Author
  3. Click the H- (Chapter) button in the toolbar
    :bulb: The automatically-generated name disappears.
  4. Write the new chapter title.

Here’s a quick video of the steps:

Video

:page_with_curl: Keeping the Chapter Numbering (eg. “Chapter 1 The First Chapter”)

If you want to keep the Chapter numbering, you can simply add the chapter name in the name field:

Video

Let me know how it goes, and have a great writing year 2023!

3

Thanks, Sam. That’s not exactly the objective. I’ll be more clear by showing an example below. Also, I would like to control the placement of the chapter and title on the page: centered, font size, bold, and the separation between Chapter (X) and the (Chapter Title). I would like to have the Chapter # and the Chapter Title stay together if I should rearrange chapters later during the edit process. I’ve tried to leave the Chapter # in the master page by assigning it in the formatting section for Chapter Number and then assigning the Chapter name in the Header (global).

Chapter 1

Wake Up!

Chapter 2

Emergency Room

4

Thanks for clarifying!

You can have the title on two lines by inserting a line break with SHIFT + ENTER, or by navigating ‘insert’ → ‘Line Break’.

Video

:bulb: Note that the line break will be visible in the Table of Contents as well–here’s a previous topic on it: https://community.papyrusauthor.com/t/toc-chapters-and-subtitles-formatting/932

I think we can get this done with creating a new text style for titles. :slight_smile:

With a dedicated text style, we’ll be sure that the spacing, font size etc. is consistent throughout all the titles, and once the style is done, it’s easy to apply for any future chapters as well:

Create a new style

  1. Make a new line of text, select it, and edit it to match how you want the titles to look.
    :bulb: You will be asked whether to change the style here, or everywhere – choose “Change here”.
  2. Once the formatting looks good, open the Styles-dialog with the A-icon from the top-left of the toolbar, and enter a name for the style.
  3. Select the settings you want the new style to remember (at least Paragraph Format and font size).
  4. Finally, select the “Enumeration/Table of Contents” tab, and switch the “Hierarchy Level” value to “Level 1 (chapter)”, so Papyrus Author knows that it’s a chapter title style.
  5. Click ‘Apply’.

Here’s a quick video on the steps:

Video

You now have a new text style for your titles, and you can apply it by simply selecting a title, and switching its text style from the style dropdown menu.

Video

Hope this helps! :grin:

5

I like the auto chapter function but I would like to add a title to each chapter.

I think the way you’re moving the chapter around is what’s baffling your attempts. In the navigator, click and drag the chapter you want to move up and down on the list. This will not only move the text, but reassign a new number to the chapter without changing anything else.
If, as the other user says, you have your chapter title on a line separate from the chapter heading itself, this should accomplish the affect I think you’re asking for. Let me know if that helps! :slight_smile:

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6

Okay, so here’s what I did to accomplish this effect. This is my own personal format.

  1. Creatue a ‘chapter title style.’
    1a) In the style dialogue box (open this with the icon next to the save icons) click new. Name this Chapter Title.
    1b) Next to Paragraph Format, click advanced. Spacing above Paragraph = 0; Position normal, spacing below paragraph = 24pts; don’t indent. Click OK
    1c) Next to Font Size, click edit. Select the font, size, and affects you want, then click ok.
    Note that I chose not to include this in the ‘table of contents’ because this mehod will result in a separate line on the ToC than the chapter number, which irked me.
    1d) References tab in ‘style’ dialgoue, change ‘Style of Following Paragraphs’ to Standard[global]. This will make it so when you hit enter after naming your chapter, it will automatically go to whatever you have your standard text set to.
  2. Manipulate the existing style for the numbered chapters.
    Up top in dialogue select ‘Chapter Numbered’ – either global if you want to apply this to all your documents, or local for just this one. Or both for good measure. xD
    2a) [Optional] Select ‘Paragraph format’ again. Set space below paragraph to 0pts and click OK. I would do this though simply because it leaves less space between the chapter number line and the chapter title line.
    2b) [Optional] Set font size and affects.
    2c) On the ‘references’ tab for this style, change ‘style of following paragraph’ drop down menu to the Chapter Title style created in step series 1.

This SHOULD have the requested affect. When you create a numbered chapter, it should still autogenerate “NEW CHAPTER” 'cuz I haven’t mucked with that yet. But when you delete that, it should allow you to hit enter (no shift, just enter) and automatically switch you to the ‘chapter title’ style, which you can then enter said title, hit enter again, and automatically be in the ‘standard’ style to begin writing your awesome novel!
I also took this a step farther and created styles for “chapter prologue” and “chapter epilogue” as well, 'cuz I like having those in my work.

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