Yet Another Name Help Thread....

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 28, 2011

Hey all! It's me again.

And this time I need help choosing a name! Yes, it's that time!
Okay, here is the plot, summary credits to Ally McGreevy: "When you're 17 years old and your name is Leon Arimori, your life. Is. Fucking. Hard."
Leon's dad left when he was 4. His mom was taken away two years later. When he was 13, he lost his virginity. When he was 14 he fell in love. the year after that, he shot someone and spent 6 months in a correctional institute. When he was 16, his girlfriend dropped dead in the middle of a grocery store.
And now, there's someone else.

So, really, any name you can think of is helpful. The few friends I've shared the WIP with all like the name "Perfectly Dysfunctional" because yes yes, it is a sort-of romance, but for some reason I don't like it much.
Another name I have been playing around with include Do or Die, but I have gotten a couple responses just from friends that it reminds them of an "emo diary" hmm....

So. Your thoughts?

Ashes Oh Ashes · Jul 28, 2011

"Perfectly Dysfunctional" sounds like the MC should be a girl. It just feels more feminine than the summary. Call it a vibe. I don't like it.

"Do or Die" doesn't really seem to fit either.

I'm not sure you're giving us enough information to help you create a title, at least not one that's good. A few other tidbits/specifics would probably help us help you.

alleycat · Jul 28, 2011

Any Other Life

The Dysfunctional Years

Dazed and Confused

A Bad Permanent Record

Hard Times and Crazy Girls

Seventeen is Old

An Unromantic Comedy

Love and Dead Girlfriends

A Very Strange Place to Be

Screw-Up or A Screwed-Up Life

Depression is Easy

An Unwilling Spirit

Alone and Crazy

Second Chance, Second Love

Seeing Judith (or whatever the new girl's name is)

Ditching Life

I have no idea whether any of these have been used recently.

missesdash · Jul 28, 2011

Do or Die reminds me of the fifty cent album "get rich or die tryin"

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 28, 2011

Ashes Oh Ashes said:
"Perfectly Dysfunctional" sounds like the MC should be a girl. It just feels more feminine than the summary. Call it a vibe. I don't like it.

"Do or Die" doesn't really seem to fit either.

I'm not sure you're giving us enough information to help you create a title, at least not one that's good. A few other tidbits/specifics would probably help us help you.

Thank you! I said the exact same thing to them and they were like "Nonono feminine guys ftw!"
I only like the way it sounds.

Okay what else do you wanna know?

AlishaS · Jul 28, 2011

I agree, the first choice sounds too femmy, and the second does remind me of some rap album.
alleycat gave some good ones though

I like Love and Dead Girlfriends lol

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 28, 2011

missesdash said:
Do or Die reminds me of the fifty cent album "get rich or die tryin"

O_O
Not the vibe I was going for, lol. I'll figure something out.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 28, 2011

alleycat said:
Any Other Life

The Dysfunctional Years

Dazed and Confused

A Bad Permanent Record

Hard Times and Crazy Girls

Seventeen is Old

An Unromantic Comedy

Love and Dead Girlfriends

A Very Strange Place to Be

Screw-Up or A Screwed-Up Life

Depression is Easy

An Unwilling Spirit

Alone and Crazy

Second Chance, Second Love

Seeing Judith (or whatever the new girl's name is)

Ditching Life

I have no idea whether any of these have been used recently.

Those...are awesome. Thank you!

Ashes Oh Ashes · Jul 28, 2011

I like Alleycat's 'Any Other Life'.

DrunkenLilacs · Jul 28, 2011

"Misfit"
"Patron Saint of Lost Causes"
"Socially Impaired"
"Jesus of Nowhere"

Or you can just dissect deeper into the story, like say, find a scene that's really important and read between the lines for a title

Becca C. · Jul 28, 2011

My titles always come from the deepest themes of the novel. What would you say, in a single sentence, is the theme of your novel?

ShootingStarsMag · Jul 29, 2011

I wouldn't use A Screwed-Up Life because it makes me think of another book with that exact phrase in the title.

As for other title ideas, I love coming up with my own but I find it hard to give other people really good titles. haha

Mharvey · Jul 29, 2011

Damn, okay... I'm amazed at some of the stuff folks have come up with. I honestly gave up trying to name one of my manuscripts. I suck at it so bad. "That Dashel Story" is what I call it, because that's short for "the story with Dashel in it."

I may have to give some details and let the YA Forum Gods sort it out!

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

DrunkenLilacs said:
"Misfit"
"Patron Saint of Lost Causes"
"Socially Impaired"
"Jesus of Nowhere"

Or you can just dissect deeper into the story, like say, find a scene that's really important and read between the lines for a title

Wow those are really good. I am so bad at titles lol.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

Mharvey said:
Damn, okay... I'm amazed at some of the stuff folks have come up with. I honestly gave up trying to name one of my manuscripts. I suck at it so bad. "That Dashel Story" is what I call it, because that's short for "the story with Dashel in it."

I may have to give some details and let the YA Forum Gods sort it out!

Ha! I've been calling mine "the book" for 6 months.
"What book?"
"My book."
"Which one?"
"The one I'm working on."
"How far into it are you?"
"Almost finished."
"What's it actually called?"
"Doesn't have a title."
"What kind of a book doesn't have a title?"
"Um, an unpublished one?"
"The book you're reading is unpublished?"
*throws self off cliff* talk about annoying.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

ShootingStarsMag said:
I wouldn't use A Screwed-Up Life because it makes me think of another book with that exact phrase in the title.

As for other title ideas, I love coming up with my own but I find it hard to give other people really good titles. haha

Okay cool thanks

I just suck at coming up with titles

Bracken · Jul 29, 2011

Some good titles have already been suggested; I doubt I could come up with anything much better.
I just wanted to throw in the unsolicited opinion that this kid would've spent far longer than six months in a correctional facility for shooting someone (barring extreme extenuating circumstances, such as self-defense); my basis for this is that my own son, at a similar age, spent a year and a half in a state correctional facility merely for accompanying a group of older boys who broke into and robbed a store, which was closed at the time.
From what I've seen, kids who shoot people (with or without lethal consequences) tend to stay locked up until they're 18.
Those are the fortunate ones, who are tried as minors. The unlucky ones are tried as adults, sometimes even those as young as 13 or 14 years old.

Just my two cents.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

Bracken said:
Some good titles have already been suggested; I doubt I could come up with anything much better.
I just wanted to throw in the unsolicited opinion that this kid would've spent far longer than six months in a correctional facility for shooting someone (barring extreme extenuating circumstances, such as self-defense); my basis for this is that my own son, at a similar age, spent a year and a half in a state correctional facility merely for accompanying a group of older boys who broke into and robbed a store, which was closed at the time.
From what I've seen, kids who shoot people (with or without lethal consequences) tend to stay locked up until they're 18.
Those are the fortunate ones, who are tried as minors. The unlucky ones are tried as adults, sometimes even those as young as 13 or 14 years old.

Just my two cents.

I also have experience in this matter, my older brother, who was 14 at the time shot someone and under certain circumstances (having to do with his perfect record, what was happening at the time, etc.) spent 6 months. It just depends on the circumstances and I didn't want to go all into it on the thread.
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me your advice on the kids who shoot people thing

much appreciated.

cscarlet · Jul 29, 2011

Ashes Oh Ashes said:
I like Alleycat's 'Any Other Life'.

This one is also my favorite.

Bracken · Jul 29, 2011

strategic_tragedies said:
I also have experience in this matter, my older brother, who was 14 at the time shot someone and under certain circumstances (having to do with his perfect record, what was happening at the time, etc.) spent 6 months. It just depends on the circumstances and I didn't want to go all into it on the thread.
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me your advice on the kids who shoot people thing much appreciated.

So is "Leon Arimori" your brother? Kind of?
Why don't you ask him what he'd title his life, if someone were to make a book or a movie about it?
He might be able to give you some good title ideas.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

Bracken said:
So is "Leon Arimori" your brother? Kind of?
Why don't you ask him what he'd title his life, if someone were to make a book or a movie about it?
He might be able to give you some good title ideas.

Well, I guess you could say he was inspired by my brother.

That was a good idea and would've worked if he took it seriously. He said "Fuck It, Let's Jump Off a Cliff"
Teenage boys ^^" don't you love 'em?

mccardey · Jul 29, 2011

Can you find the title within your book? Maybe something your character says, or something somebody says about him?

ShootingStarsMag · Jul 29, 2011

strategic_tragedies said:
Well, I guess you could say he was inspired by my brother.

That was a good idea and would've worked if he took it seriously. He said "Fuck It, Let's Jump Off a Cliff"
Teenage boys ^^" don't you love 'em?

haha You just have to sometimes. But actually, that COULD be a title if you made it "Jumping off Cliffs" or something.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

mccardey said:
Can you find the title within your book? Maybe something your character says, or something somebody says about him?

I am looking through it to find something.

sadbeautifultragic · Jul 29, 2011

ShootingStarsMag said:
haha You just have to sometimes. But actually, that COULD be a title if you made it "Jumping off Cliffs" or something.

Very very true!

great suggestion.

Yet Another Name Help Thread....

sadbeautifultragic

Ashes Oh Ashes

Honest, not Harsh

alleycat

Still around

missesdash

You can't sit with us!

sadbeautifultragic

AlishaS

Is swimming with creativity frogs

sadbeautifultragic

sadbeautifultragic

Ashes Oh Ashes

Honest, not Harsh

DrunkenLilacs

Growing tipsier as we speak

Becca C.

ShootingStarsMag

New kid, be gentle!

Mharvey

Liker Of Happy Things

sadbeautifultragic

sadbeautifultragic

sadbeautifultragic

Bracken

sadbeautifultragic

cscarlet

AW = Procrastination.

Bracken

sadbeautifultragic

mccardey

ShootingStarsMag

New kid, be gentle!

sadbeautifultragic

sadbeautifultragic