Help me find a title...

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

Whihc of these do you like best? Ie. if you saw them on the spine of a book in a book shop or library, which would appeal / intrigue / interest you most & cause you to pick up that book for a closer look?
Oh, and why?

1. The Strongest Woman on Earth
2. Melangell Dreams of St Dwynwen
3. St Nôn's Revenge
4. Lives of the Saints
5. Strange Saints
6. Saints in a Landscape
7. The Woman who Loved an Octopus, and other stories

It's a collection of short stories, not a novel, but they all have a common theme, so a sort of concept album as it were; & I'm assuming at the point that you look at the book on the shelf you dont know that yet.

Thank you!

PQ

Birol · Feb 19, 2007

The second one because the words are unusual and combined with the use of "dreams" evokes an ethereal quality I like.

1. Sounds trite.
4. Boring and stuffy, unless I'm doing academic or other research. Then I might pick it up and put it down if it wasn't a straightforward treatment of the lives of saints.
3. No real reaction from my psyche, though that would be my second choice.

Cassiopeia · Feb 19, 2007

how about Strange Lives of the Saints

Actually I like number two as well

lfraser · Feb 19, 2007

I like the second and third example. They have a bit of mystery to them. The first one is just plain flat, to me. I like the idea of a saint taking revenge. Makes me wonder what awful thing would make a saint do that.

Aeryn · Feb 19, 2007

Not just for the sake of being different, honest, but I like No.4 the best. (Could also be 'Lives of Saints'?) Simple, yet somehow intriguing - especially if it were obvious that it was a collection of short stories.
I'm naive as far as saints (?) go - so No.2 and No.3 would be too obscure for me. My two cents.

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

Aeryn said:
Not just for the sake of being different, honest, but I like No.4 the best. (Could also be 'Lives of Saints'?) Simple, yet somehow intriguing - especially if it were obvious that it was a collection of short stories.
I'm naive as far as saints (?) go - so No.2 and No.3 would be too obscure for me. My two cents.

See, I would really like "Lives of the Saints" (in fact, thats the title I had chosen), but even my publisher (before being put right by the editor) assumed it was a religious treatise. (The book's coming out this summer.)
And Ive had a number of ppl say that they would buy / want to read it, after I explained what the stories are (retellings / subversions of the legends of Welsh saints), but that they'd not pick up the book with that title, "Lives of the Saints".

As for obscurity, these are all Welsh women saints, and some are quite well known inside Wales (those named are, more or less) but others are completely obscure even in Wales, and certainly elsewhere.

Nickie · Feb 19, 2007

To be honest, none of these titles would appeal to me... but then I'm not so fond about saints (grin!) I prefer sinners... So a title like "Saints and Sinners" would have more appeal to me.

Nickie

alleycat · Feb 19, 2007

Throwing out a few other ideas . . .

The Legends of Saints

The Strange Saint and Other Stories

Saints in Wales

Saints Upon the Earth

Stories of the Saints of Wales

Saints in a Landscape or Saints in the Land of ______ (what would work for Wales?)

Lifelongdagger · Feb 19, 2007

I think I'm with Nickie on this one. The first, fourth and fifth titles sound a little boring, whilst two and three don't really roll of the tongue that easy, although in Wales, they may well do.

Anyway, good luck with the book, it must be really exciting for you. Something most of us just dream about . . .

All the best and kind regards,

Lifelong

Aeryn · Feb 19, 2007

Some titles that might seem simple on other writing can sometimes work well for a collection I think. If I saw the book in a bookstore, *knowing* it was a SS collection....(i.e. the book is in that bit of the bookshop or library) the No.4 title wouldn't put me off at all.

(I am strange and unusual though

)

Maybe, one of the stories has a great title that could be the title of the whole collection....? Another option.

(Have you done a title/Amazon search on any of them....? Perhaps No.4, No.1 and No.5 might have been done a lot before....and cause confusion?)

Good luck with deciding anyway!

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

Lifelongdagger said:
Anyway, good luck with the book, it must be really exciting for you. Something most of us just dream about . . .

It will be my first, & it happening is still pretty much like a dream. :tongue

Fingers crossed it will happen for you too.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback.

@Alleycat, I do like Saints in a Landscape, and it woudl be quite apt too, but I think thats already been done...

@Aeryn, the Amazon search is a good idea, I'll do that...

alleycat · Feb 19, 2007

The Land of Saints?

Saints in a Welsh Landscape?

The Saints of the Mountains?

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

You're on a roll now, arent you? :tongue

Ahaa -- have just checked for Saints in a Landscape, & it's the title of a painting by Rubens -- The Holy Family with Saints in a Landscape.
I am liking this a lot. Lemme put it in the list...

alleycat · Feb 19, 2007

You also add an adjective to make it completely different.

Saints in a Misty Landscape

Saint in a Far Landscape

Or change it a little . . .

Saints in the Land

Jamesaritchie · Feb 19, 2007

Titles

Can't say I like any of them at all. There's nothing to make me wonder, to make me think I have to pick up such a book to see what it's a bout.

I've found the best way to title a collection of short stories is the same way publishers do. They usually give it the title of the best or most well-known story in the collection, and add "& other stories."

aruna · Feb 19, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Can't say I like any of them at all. There's nothing to make me wonder, to make me think I have to pick up such a book to see what it's a bout.

I've found the best way to title a collection of short stories is the same way publishers do. They usually give it the title of the best or most well-known story in the collection, and add "& other stories."

I agree with James.
I generally don't like names in a title, as a name means nothing to me before I've read the book. Pick the story with the most interesting title, and add "..and other stories". Just my 2c!

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

They dont have titles... They're twelve stories, each about one (on one case, two) saint(s). At the head of each story is simply the name of the saint in question.
And none of them have yet been published.
Thats why I need an eye-catching title for the whole caboodle. And thats why I personally rather liked Lives of the Saints. :tongue

The names will mean something to most Welsh readers. But then I am hoping for English (and even, in due course, North American) readers as well. So will bear your points about them in mind.

Little Red Barn · Feb 19, 2007

onetiredmama · Feb 19, 2007

What's the most unusual or memorable things one of these saints did? Maybe you could incorporate something like that in the title.

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

The Woman who Loved an Octopus, and other stories ?

(not the actual saint, but that what happens in my story about her

)

TsukiRyoko · Feb 19, 2007

Number 7, definately

Jamesaritchie · Feb 19, 2007

Title

Penguin Queen said:
The Woman who Loved an Octopus, and other stories ?

(not the actual saint, but that what happens in my story about her )

Can't speak for anyone else, but I believe this title would at least make me pick up the book and start reading.

ChaosTitan · Feb 19, 2007

Penguin Queen said:
The Woman who Loved an Octopus, and other stories ?

I like this one. A book with "saints" in the title probably wouldn't interest me.

Of course, I have very odd reading habits.

onetiredmama · Feb 19, 2007

Now it's getting interesting. I like that!

Penguin Queen · Feb 19, 2007

Help me find a title...

Break the rules.

Around and About

Otherwise Occupied

Bored and Frantic

Break the rules.

Not too old to learn

Still around

Break the rules.

Still around

Break the rules.

Still around

On a wing and a prayer

Break the rules.

haz own threads

My Mini Me

Break the rules.

Forced into cell phone life

Around

My Mini Me

Break the rules.