Personally, I insist upon two things in everything I have written from short stories to 200+k word novels. Those two things being, chapter titles and at the end of each chapter, a punch-line sentence or two that sums up the chapter and builds some anticipation of the next chapter to come.
Chapter titles, to me, beyond giving the reader a nice place to stop and pick up from (which is important IMO... though sadly in my work they tend to stop before then
), are a great place to be creative and build up a bit of curiosity and anticipation that hopefully entices the reader into reading just one more chapter.
Now I'm not an expert like most folks here, so take EVERYTHING I say with a grain of salt. But, that word 'chapter' to me is important. I read once, that a chapter should be as long as it needs to be. Okay, I buy that, however, I try to keep my chapters around 1,800-2,500 words max. Besides being meaty BUT short enough that a ready feels satisfied (and justified that they took the time) after having read it, it should leave them ready to take a break, but tempted to read more.
Some folks break up a chapter into multiple scenes. I try not to do that. Each chapter has a specific theme, though the setting may change, the characters use that movement from one set to the next to note the world/exposition, have discussions, build up anticipation and so on. In any case, there is a singular fixed theme to each chapter, and once it shifts (say character interaction to action), then it's time for a new chapter.
That final sentence hopefully helps build that anticipation and curiosity... yet the next chapter title is what I hope entices them to want to read just one more chapter.
My 1870's Western Half-Breed, at 211k words has 91 chapters. I even went so far as to break those 91 chapters up into 11-parts that also each get a title. So, they're like little novelettes, once again, all of the chapters in each part sticks to a common theme (or character evolution), and naturally each of the chapters does as well.
In my latest work, the 'ROUGH' ToC reads as follows
The Abolitionist
L... S... ~ G8
Table of Contents:
ii. Warnings and Cautions
iii. Enhanced Reading Options
iv. Introduction
1. Home Hell Again
2. Welcome Wagon
That Smell by Lynard Skynyrd
3. That Smell
4. Habitual Cruelty
5. Retrospection Wheel ***
6. Plus One
7. Do unto Others
8. Misericorde
9. Harbinger of Rain
10. Peace
When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin
11. Southpaw
12. Welcome to Eden
13. Renewed Innocence
14. Revelations of Sin
For Pete’s Sake by The Monkees ~ Pogue’s Theme
15. Crush of Humanity ***
16. That Which Was
17. Deliverance from Eden
18. Sowfilly Anew
19. Liar’s Poker
20. Hermes Staff
21. Renaissance ***
22. When Monkeys Dance
23. Little Piggies
24. The Bob Knobs
Wicked Game by Chris Isaak
25. Turncoat
Everybody Wants Some by Van Halen
26. A Just Harvest
27. When Hawks Cry
28. Weight of the Masses
29. Benevolence of the Masses
30. Baptismal Justice
31. Agricultural System of Population Management ***
32. When Monsters meet Makers
33. American Cathedral
Breathe by Télépopmusik ~ Kae’s Song
34. Faces to be Forgotten
35. A Sinner’s Redemption
36. Shuttlecock
37. No Quarter
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts ~ Ode to Mop Boy
38. Principal’s Office
39. Mop Boy
40. The Mad Clown ***
41. Cocked, Locked and Lunkheads
42. Future Founders of Freedom
43. To Raze a Fallen Star
Killing Strangers by Marilyn Manson
44. Chasing the Harvest
45. A Tiger’s Cubs
46. United We Stand
47. Delicate Flower of Virtue
48. Breaking the Wheel
49. Bitter Sailing
Disparate Youth by Santigold ~ The White Tiger Theme
Appendices:
A1. Equipment of Reaper-379, Rokka-Kae (Rahk’kuh-Kay)
A2. Glossary of the Restored Constitution Federal Government
A3. Pastoral Pidgin/Slang Vocabulary
A4. South Philadelphia (exclusive) Dialect, Pastoral Pidgin/Slang Vocabulary
A5. Pastoral Pidgin Conversations Translated (by Chapter)
A6. Removable Pastoral Pidgin Conversations Translated (by Chapter)
A7. Music & Sound Credits
K2