Titles

My two bits: I've come up with titles fairly early on in the writing process only to change them as a went along. Then, I landed an agent and that agent starts talking about re-naming my ms. currently we have a publisher, and I waiting to see what they wanna call it! If I were you I wouldn't get to attached to a 'working' title...until you're so popular that what you think really matters.

Titles come, but not necessarily by me. Sometimes a story remains "NAME's Story" even when read by betas, who will come back with suggestions as part of their comments.

Sometimes books get named because I'm talking about it with friends and someone thinks of a title in the discussion.

Sometimes I'm listening to music and a bit of lyrics attacks my brain and says "TITLE!"

Titles are like any other ideas--they come from anywhere and in their own sweet time.

However, I will also say not to worry about it, as long as you put something on it that you can stand. Experience of my published friends is that 40% of the time, the editor will want to change the title when it's published anyway so better not to get married to whatever you come up with.

Good luck.

I've very rarely had a title jump out at me. The one for my historical WIP just seemed to pop up and actually works on three different levels, so I quite like it, but usually I have to really struggle for titles. My fantasy WIPs - one of them is just named after the main character for the moment, the other one I got the name from a quote from Robert Burns, because I was playing deliberately on its Scottishness and so Burns seemed a good place to look for something catchy. That's more the way I tend to go - trawling through my poetry books or Shakespeare or something looking for a good quote to go with. It works for a working title if nothing else.

I like album titles better than book titles. Obedience doesn't really apply here, because that title is a theme from the novel. But with other titles I've used, I've asked myself, "Could this be the name of a Bowie album?"

Book titles usually reflect a meaning/theme of the book (duh). But album titles are so...random. I think that's why I like them. The title I'm using for my new WIP (who knows if it'll stay as is) is really only tangentially related to the action in the book. But it's catchy (says the writer), and, who knows, maybe it'll stick if the book makes it to publication.

i don't know why i like to come up with a title early on, even if it's not a good one. currently, i don't like 'tut, tut,' but since i've not actually started writing on it yet as i'm still thinking about the characters and setting and what kind of story i want, yet it still needs, imo, something better than 'project 137' as a file name.

then again, i see no better titles for 'the golden rules' or 'bullfighter.' 'the nightman' was a cheesy syndicated superhero t.v. several years ago, but the title works for me. still, they'll change it if they have a marketing reason and if ever i'm in the position to argue it i probably will for 'the golden rules.' i mean, hey, marketing isn't an exact science ~ i wouldn't jeopardize being published over it, but if i know it's catchy and can make a case over it i'd expect them to consider it.

it's nothing to stress out over, imo. if you have *some* kind of title to offer and know it'll be changed, it's likely to get changed, no?

here are some ridiculous titles i'm pulling out of my ear based on genre:

romance: 'mists of autumn'

sci-fi: 'the rainbow project'

horror: 'inside the closet'

thriller: 'beyond the limit'

childrens: 'the geese chronicles'

young adult: 'a time too many'

christian: 'one god, one life'

idiot's guide: 'how to party'

satanic: 'heavenly loopholes'

fantasy: 'i spent a week in mudville one night'

Titles always come easily to me. I questioned my last title, though. I actually had a poll here at AW about it. I was going to submit it and I thought the title may have needed a change. Turned out the publisher was already given the title and it was too late for me to change it anyway. My titles just speak to me...and they usually reflect the content. Here are my last four:

Summer on Fire: A fire begins a series of events that transpire over a summer.

Chasing Empty: Teens battle the craziness of the 80s punk rock scene and its emptiness.

Sebastian's Poet: Sebastian has a troubled life until a famous folksinger enters into it and rescues him.

Dubious Pickles and the Space Between the Walls: Dubious Pickles is an insane man who wants to stop the people he thinks are taking over the world, by taking it over himself. His house has secret spaces between its walls.


The titles are almost like mini synopses. So I guess that's how I pick them...

If in doubt I generally use some memorable phrase from the character's dialogue.

veinglory said:

If in doubt I generally use some memorable phrase from the character's dialogue.

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That's actually what my title, Chasing Empty, is. One of the characters used the term in a diatribe.

I only had trouble with one book. I still can't think of anything to call it. (That may say something about it being a lousy story) Sometimes I opt for the obvious.. The Adventures of . .. or something that runs a bit deeper and is more thought provoking. Usually the story will tell me what the title is after I write it.

Sometimes I'll just start a story with just a Title in mind, my current WIP has had the same working Title for 5 years now at least. I'm not sure about keeping it or not.