Titles

Titles. Kind of strange that my first post on any sort of writing craft is about something that usually comes at the end of the creating process. I'll start with novel titles, but the basic principles are the same no matter what you're titling.

Ideally, a title should grab the reader's attention. But you probably already knew that. It's actually more important to think of that as creating almost a cliff hanger with the title. Your title shouldn't give away the entire story, because even if it's a great story, your reader won't be inclined to read it if they already know what happens.

For example, if I titled a book "Great Adventures of Survival: Involving a Dragon that Burns the Hero, Who Then Must Be Saved by the Princess", it wouldn't be nearly as attractive to me as a reader as a title like "A Fiery Rescue".

Now, I'm not saying that the first one is really something that you'd title your book, since it's a bit of an exaggeration, or that the second is really that great (I just made those up). But having a more concise title that doesn't give it all away will make someone who just sees the title more likely to read it.

You can pull title ideas from anywhere really. I've taken titles for my novels or short stories anywhere from a small icon in the story to a major section. Titles can come from a particular message or icon that keeps popping up in the story, or from something that happens in the story, or from the theme of the story.

I mentioned that titles are usually produced at the end of the creative process. I think that's probably because that's when you know your story the best - when it's all finished. Especially with a novel, there are so many things that you'll find out along the way, about your characters, your world, and your plot, that it's easier to look back and pick out something iconic that would make a good title.

I'm a rebel though, and I often pick a title before I even start writing. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll keep that title, but sometimes it's the title that gives me the inspiration for the story, and so it's the very first thing that gets put down on paper for the story.

Where do you get your titles? For titles that I come up with before the story, I'll usually be thinking about something when I come across a particularly catchy phrase. For instance, yesterday I was making a (delicious) sundae, when I thought "Sweet Sin". Sure, it was in regards to ice cream, but then my mind caught hold of the idea and spun off to interpreting it as a vengeful murder.

Here's a challenge. Come up with your own interpretation of Sweet Sin, and if you like it enough, write something following that interpretation. I would write a short story about that murder if it were me - and now that I'm writing this blog post, I'll have to. :)