Choosing the Right Name for Your Story
by John Floyd
So what's in a title? Is it really that important?
You bet it is.
An enjoyable short story or novel might never get read by the public (or, more to the point, by an editor or agent) if the title does not do its job. In the publishing world, a good title is like a good opening paragraph: it should be interesting. It should attract the reader's attention. At the very least, it should be appropriate to the rest of the piece.
And remember this, too: the title will be what represents your work to the rest of the world, now and forever. Choose it wisely.
But that's pretty vague advice. The question is, how do you do it? What makes a good title?
A Few Rules of Thumb:
Titles should not be dull. When you browse a shelf full of novels, or a collection of short stories, aren't you drawn first to the more unusual titles? So are editors, when they look over a stack of submissions. Not that "The House" or "The Tree" won't be a good story; but titles with a bit more originality stand a better chance. Examples: Gone with the Wind, The High and the Mighty, "The Tin Star," The Silence of the Lambs, The Maltese Falcon, Watership Down, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," Fahrenheit 451, The Color Purple, Atlas Shrugged.
Titles should be easy to remember. It's hard to tell a neighbor or a colleague about a story if the title's too long and complicated, or hard to pronounce. It's a good idea to keep things clear and simple. You might consider Murder on the Wzcyiubjekistan Express the best writing you've ever done, or The Tallahatchie Backroad Honky-Tonk Boogie your literary masterpiece, but I doubt either of them would sell. They probably wouldn't ever make it out of the editor's slush pile.
Titles should be appropriate. Don't name your science fiction story "Trouble at Dodge City" just because that's what the starfleet crew calls your space station. Editors will think you've written a Western. Similarly, Lawrence Block mentions, in one of his books on writing, a Charles McGarry espionage novel called The Secret Lovers. Block says its title (which refers to spies, who love secrets) led some readers to believe it would be a romance instead. Examples of titles that "fit" their subjects: Raise the Titanic, The Firm, "A Rose for Emily," The Caine Mutiny, Presumed Innocent, Love Story, In Cold Blood, Riders of the Purple Sage, The Amityville Horror.
That should help you narrow the field a bit as you try to decide on the right title for your story. But the question remains: How exactly do you find a good title? Where do you begin your search?
A Few Sources to jog the imagination:
- A title can be a popular expression. Gone for Good, Something's Gotta Give, The Horse's Mouth, The Usual Suspects, Good As Gold, The Whole Nine Yards.
- A title can be a play on words. (Sometimes a "twist" of an existing expression.) Burglars Can Be Choosers, The Cancelled Czech, You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die, The War Between the Tates, A Hearse of a Different Color.
- A title can have a hidden meaning, later revealed in the story. The Green Mile, Rain Man, Dances with Wolves, Catch-22, Hearts in Atlantis, Cool Hand Luke, The Shipping News.
- A title can come from an existing work. (The Bible, Shakespeare, etc.) The Grapes of Wrath, The Sound and the Fury, The Sun Also Rises, Absalom, Absalom, All That Glitters, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
- A title can be a person's name. Hannibal, Goldfinger, Carrie, Hondo, Rebecca, Doctor Zhivago, Shane, Forrest Gump.
- A title can be a place name. Cold Mountain, Cimarron, Peyton Place, Jurassic Park, Lonesome Dove, Mystic River.
- A title can be a possessive. Portnoy's Complaint, Angela's Ashes, The Optimist's Daughter, Charlotte's Web.
- A title can be an association of ideas. Often these are words that have a "double meaning," and refer to more than one thing in a story. The Eye of the Needle, The Dead Zone, Misery, Silver Bullet, Lie Down with Lions.
- A title can be an "event" or "activity." (Use "ing" in the first word.) Pleading Guilty, Romancing the Stone, Waiting to Exhale, "Riding the Bullet,"Raising Helen, Finding Nemo.
- A title can be a memorable line from the story itself. To Kill a Mockingbird, Tell No One, Sleepless in Seattle, The Eagle Has Landed, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
- A title (if long) can have a "rhythm." Another kind of "play on words," this makes a longer title more pleasing to the ear--and easier to remember. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, The Sins of Rachel Cade, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.
- A title (if it fits the story) can be simple. Jaws, Shogun, Cathedral, The Exorcist, Ragtime, Lolita, Deliverance, Airport, "The Swimmer," Roots, Centennial, It, The Godfather.
Whatever the source for your inspiration and whatever title you choose, remember that it needs to be a perfect fit for your story. If it isn't (and even, sometimes, if it is), it can get changed.
Seduce Your Reader with the Perfect Title!
by Anne Marble
Create Short, Catchy Titles
Titles should be interesting, and as short as possible. (Long titles are hard to remember and don't fit easily on the cover!) When trying to come up with a title, don't be afraid to create more than one possible title. Look through your list and see if anything jumps out at you.
One technique for creating interesting titles is combining contrasting terms. For years, writers have come up with titles such as The Rake and the Reformer and Fire and Ice. This might work well because sometimes characters are opposites, so a title that hints at contrasts teases readers with the promise of conflict. See if you can work concrete items into your titles. For one thing, a title like Christine Feehan's Wild Rain stands apart from novels with titles like The Wicked Duke. Also, try titles that evoke the senses.
TRY THIS!
Here's an exercise you can do to get a handle on what titles work for you. Look at your bookshelves and glance at the titles there. Which ones leap out at you? Can you remember which books you bought because of their titles? If so, write down those titles. Can you remember which books you bought despite their titles? Write those titles down as well. What makes the titles you like stand apart from the rest? What makes the other titles less then successful?
Look into Your Story to Find Titles
The best titles stem right from the heart of your story. What is your story about? Then maybe you can find a title that reflects that. Are your characters struggling to overcome the past? Then maybe you can create a title that evokes that, such as Shadows of the Past. Ask yourself what you want potential readers to know about your story when they're browsing the shelves, and try to come up with a story that reflects that.
Sometimes you have to dig hard to get the right title. What is the theme of your story? Sometimes, you can find a title in your theme, as long as you avoid preachy titles such as Honesty Is the Best Policy. Is there a symbolic object in your story? Maybe you can get a title from that. For example, let's say your hero gives the heroine a locket when he first becomes interested in her. Look up types of jewelry, names of gems, and other things related to that locket. Maybe something will give you an idea for a title.
Use Famous Quotations, but Don't Abuse Them
Many writers have gone to the classics for inspiration for their titles. Others have gotten titles from popular songs, operas, and so forth. Was your story inspired by a classic? Then glance through that classic text, looking for possible titles.Sources of famous quotations, such as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, are a great place to start. These are often grouped by category. If you're looking for a title about love or revenge or mistaken identity, you can find dozens of quotations on those topics from authors ranging from Shakespeare to John Milton to Alice Cooper. You can even search Bartlett's Familiar Quotations on-line athttp://www.bartleby.com/100/.
However, don't get carried away. Just because a quotation is about revenge, that doesn't mean it will be suitable as "title material" for your novel about a hero trapped in revenge mode. Many quotations are suitable only as, well, as quotations.It's tempting to use quotations from the classics to create a title. However, there are two things to be careful of. First, keep in mind that many famous quotations are awkward, especially when taken out of context. Anything that's too long is out of the question. In many cases, it's impossible to take a short piece of a quotation out of context and use it as a meaningful title.
Now a word about titles based on popular song or movie titles. Some readers love this type of title because they can remind them of a beloved song or movie. Others hate "recycled" song and movie titles because they seem like "rereads."
Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Sometimes when you're stuck, the best thing you can do is ask people to come up with titles for you. While some people are title-challenged, others have great titles coming out of their pores. Ask friends and family members if they can come up with any titles. Also, if you belong to a writing community, don't be afraid to ask for help there.
Don't Fret It