I suck at titles. Real bad.
[name_m]How[/name_m] do you choose titles for your works? I’d love to just hear some thought processes from other writers because when it comes to this, I’m really stuck.
Thanks!
Well, what I usually do is I see what kinds of different titles authors come up with for their own stories.
There are titles named after characters ([name_m]Romeo[/name_m] And [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books, [name_f]Mary[/name_f] Poppins, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] Enchanted, etc). These are pretty straightforward.
There are titles for the settings in the story (The Chronicles Of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f]).
There are titles of something (maybe a saying or an animal or something else) that is important or is referenced in the book.
There are lots ways to make different titles, mine come to me pretty easily.
My titles usually differ from one another. For example, one of my stories is about wolves. It’s actually called Woodland, since it takes place in nature (of course). It’s easy to remember, straight to the point, and easy enough to say.
One of my other stories is called Folklore, it’s named after the main character, Folklore.
And one of my other stories is called [name_m]Sol[/name_m] Et [name_f]Luna[/name_f] (meaning sun and moon in Latin). It’s named that because there are two kingdoms named after the sun and the moon.
I advise you should look at your story, characters, settings, or for any symbols that could be used for the title. Write any key words down and see which ones could be good for your story.
Hopefully that sort of helps, good luck on finding a title!
In my experience, the title should be the last ting you write. Usually, I use a phrase that I used in my story, or something a character might have said. I feel it’s kind of a gut instinct kind of thing.
I, too, suck at titles.
I kind of like the idea of finishing the book and then choosing the line from it that you think fits best, and I did that with my first NaNo project (without the “finishing” part, lol). But I know some people find it cringy to read the title within the story because it can seem like the characters “know they’re in a story” and “break the 4th wall” etc.
For my current project I simply used the main characters’ lastname, I know it’s not ideal but it’s growing on me. One problem is that it’ll probably turn into a series, and I don’t want the second book to be called “Title-of first - undertitle”, but neither do I want to plan out all titles before I’m even sure how many there will be.
I am also terrible at titles. I usually end up going with the name of the character or the setting, but since my current project is going to be closer to 60,000 words I may end up going with something different. I’d love to be able to come up with something beautifully poetic as a title but I can only say that as a reader I like seeing a concept important to the story as a title.
I think when it comes to a line in the story being used as the title, it’s all about delivery. I tend to find it more cringeworthy on-screen than in a book because the delivery is often so uncomfortably obvious and “hey look at me, I said the title, dramatic pause” instead of just a natural part of the story? But in a book it all depends on whether or not the author writes it in a way that yanks me out of the story. Still, I know some who dislike the trope no matter how it’s used and I can understand why.
Sorry not to be of more help, but this is a weak area for me, too.
The title should have a clear target orientation. A good title is addressed to a specific target audience and makes it clear who the article is intended for. It is a bit hard task for me you know. I do not like to write a.papers and own stories. I bought essays sometimes
I would look at the titles of books with a similar target audience, and see if that gives you any ideas. For example, it’s fairly common in YA and older children’s literature for the book to be named after the main character, but it’s nearly unheard of in crime dramas.
Sometimes the title comes with the original idea, and sometimes it comes after you’ve finished, and sometimes the ‘working title’ ends up the real one.