The Trouble with
Titles: A Look at Creation
by Marie Lavender
I wrote an article recently about the
varied methods authors use to write their books. That should be published soon
on Publishing Addict. In the
article, I likened each method to a unique fingerprint. For this article, we’ll
go a step further and establish that constructing a title is like a thumbprint.
Your thumbprint is unique, separate from anyone else around you.
Everyone knows what a title is. It
summarizes your topic, and it draws attention. We’ve seen them on movies, music, books,
essays, poems, even blog articles. But, it’s hard to find something that just
pops, that is apart from the other zillions of titles in the publishing sphere,
right? There are even articles out there, advising us how to making a winning
blog title and, more often than not, they encourage you to throw a number in.
(i.e. 13 Reasons You Should Get Out of Bed in the Morning). That last one was my
poor attempt at humor. LOL. Let’s back on point though, shall we?
You don’t often seen articles advising
you how you should title your book. Why? I imagine that it’s partly because finding
a title is so darn difficult, and if the author has managed to achieve it, they
don’t use the same method for every book. Or, perhaps the creation of titles is
a far too complicated creature to break down into an executable plan. It’s true
that dealing with titles is a double-edged sword, a necessary evil yet the
process of finding the right one can actually be fun! It may end up being a very
satisfying experience for you.
“Have you gone off the deep end again,
Marie?”
No. Allow me to explain.
When a new author, or perhaps we should
say “aspiring author” if he or she is not published yet, looks at the number of
titles on Amazon, it can be incredibly daunting.
“Oh, man. That’s a really good one. Why
can’t I come up with something like that?”
Well, you can. But, the truth is that
some titles get recycled. Not on purpose, of course, but because one person
can’t own a word, so to speak. There are many words in the dictionary, and so
many get added every day. So, someone is bound to use them. Would you title
your book Disestablishmentarianism?
Probably not, unless you were writing about that concept. But, even then, a
string of words paired along with it is a bit catchier, right? Consider this.
Let’s say your book is about female pirates, or at least one of them.
“Really, Marie?”
What? LOL. I couldn’t come up with
anything better, and it’s one of my future story ideas. Yes, they did exist in
the past, but I digress. Let’s look at the competition. Here are some pretty
cool titles:
Not too shabby, huh? How did they come up with such
amazing titles? And that doesn’t even count the fiction books about piracy.
“Hmm. This is getting complicated. With
so many choices, how can I possibly compete with that?”
Well, it’s not really about competition.
You figure out your title in your own way, and go with it. Most likely, you
didn’t write the book as a sales tool or to compete with anyone else, but rather
because you actually enjoy writing and your characters (or topic) compelled you
to write. At least I hope you did. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to create
a unique title that will stand out.
If you’re like most writers, you’re
probably at one end of the spectrum or the other by now. If your manuscript is
finished, you’ve both brainstormed and found a few possible titles, or you are
still wondering what to call this masterpiece you’ve just written. Here’s the
rub. You’re the only person who knows your story in and out, upside down,
through and through; at any angle you come at it, you know your story the best.
Unless the editor at your publisher or your agent makes a title suggestion,
you’re on your own. And even if that is the case, they will want you to have
established a title firmly on the manuscript whether it’s great or not. In
essence, this title-making thing is on you as the author.
“Oh, great! That makes me feel a whole lot better.”
Well, it should. Regardless of how hard
it is, once you do find a title, you will feel that much prouder of the work
you accomplished. So, take your time and give it a shot.
Do I stress over titles? Of course. Who
doesn’t? In fact, with some books, I actually struggle with them. But, that doesn’t
mean that the final sense of pride doesn’t come about. I just have to be
patient while I’m figuring it all out.
“So, what’s next?”
Good question. Now we have to decide what stage you’re at as a writer. Have you written the book? No? Well, maybe
you should know your story and your characters a little better before you try
to come up with one.
Perhaps you’re in the process of writing
the manuscript, and we can fully term it, as writers often do, a
work-in-progress. Yay for you! You’ve made some headway, and I’m so proud of
you for getting this far. If you want to throw a title on your
work-in-progress, then by all means brainstorm to your heart’s content. If
you’re struggling, however, you can use my fallback technique. Throw a
temporary title on it until you can find something better. I do this a lot.
Even Second Nature, my newest
release, had the temporary title of Love
or Blood until I came to my senses.
“Really?”
Yep. Coming up with a temporary title
relaxes you, and frees up your focus for you to exclusively write your book.
Who knows? Somewhere in the process of writing your manuscript, you may find
the perfect title. If you check out my website here, you can
see a list of my works-in-progress. Most have temporary tiles because I am not
certain of a title until I’m fully focused on a book. Some titles like my
series books are more permanent, but if they aren’t, I’ve clearly indicated that
it’s a temporary title. Writing is work, and title creation is no different.
But, I can’t tell you how much easier it is to slap a temporary one on,
however silly, in order to free up space in your mind to focus on the book.
Remember that temporary titles can still be applied before you even tackle writing
your book. Just for fun, here
is a little tool that tells you how successful a title would be. Now, if I
relied on this tool, I would never publish or sell a book, but it is kind of
amusing to see what they come up with.
Let’s say your book is finished, but
you’re still struggling with that elusive title. Are you writing a standalone
book or is it part of a series? Nine times out of ten, that will have a
significant impact on a title. For example, when I came up with Upon
Your Return for a title, I wasn’t aware at the time that there would be
sequels. A year later when I knew for sure, it took me awhile to come up with
titles that not only honored the books’ themes, but also tied back to the first
book in some manner. Hence Upon Your Honor and Upon Your Love, which I am writing now.
Not every series book, of course, must have a related title. Even J.R. Ward,
one of my favorite paranormal romance authors, has begun to stray away from her
original titles in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. Consider the following
titles:
The Shadows (coming soon)
Do you see how the final two are completely
different? The book tells the author which road to follow. Even the sequel to
my book Second Nature is different,
titled Blood Instincts, but it fits
the storyline well. The final book in the Blood at First Sight Series will be
called The Bloodseer Legacy.
“But, how did you know, Marie? Especially if you’re
not done writing those books?”
The titles just came to me one day, and everything began
to make sense. I’ll get into ways you can jumpstart title creativity in a bit.
Now, if you’re writing a standalone novel, the sky is truly the limit. You can use
a temporary title, and then figure out a better one later. I can’t stress
enough that the better you know your book, the easer a title will come. If you understand
the plot, the characters and any inner themes, you’re more likely to create a
very good title.
“But, how do I get there?”
All right, you’re trying to pin me down to one
method. The truth is that every writer’s journey is different, and he or she
may use separate techniques for every book that is written. Having said that,
every writer will, at some point, have a “Eureka!” moment. The lightbulb will pop
over their heads and they’ll know they have the right title. If you are lucky,
this “Eureka!” moment will happen many times during the writing of a
manuscript, and it’s a particularly satisfying experience to know that the plot
is falling into place, the characters are well-developed, your setting is
sound, and the ending provides a good resolution. But, I digress. How do you
find your “Eureka!” moment with a title?
1. Rely on instinct. Always, always trust your instincts as a writer. If
your inner calling is saying, “Nah, that’s not it,” then maybe it’s right. But,
that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use that option for a temporary title. I
encourage you to trust your instincts with your book and titles.
I have an
author pal who was encouraged to change her perfect title in order to get
published. In the end, however, she followed her heart, found a different
publisher and that title has given her great success. You can check out her
book, The Scale, here.
The moral of this story? Trust your instincts, capiche? LOL.
2. Brainstorm. Word association can truly work wonders, but I hope
you know your story well enough to do this kind of session as well. Here are
some tips on brainstorming for writers.
3. The plot or topic. Knowing your basic plot can help you create a title
at any stage of writing. The more you know about your book, the better. But, if Character A seeks revenge upon Character B, and does, in fact, achieve it, then
maybe something in that storyline can give you your title. What elements stand
out to you? Revenge, vengeance, vendetta…well, there are all kind of words for what
the character aims to accomplish. Make a list of major plot elements. Merge
them into a whole if you must, or scramble the words around until they appear
senseless. Then pick some random words out of the bunch. Maybe that can lead
you to the right title.
4. Pay special attention to themes. As you work on your book, themes
will start to arise. Perhaps a theme came from the plot, or even from a
character’s determination for something. Maybe it came from a strong
personality trait. But often a book will carry themes. Make a list of these
themes or concepts, and decide if playing off of one of them will lead you to
your title.
5. Be ready for anything. Keep yourself open to random acts of brilliance.
“What,
Marie? I think your arrogance is showing.”
LOL. Not
really. If you’ve struggled long and hard for a good title, having that
“Eureka!” moment can be powerful.
Keep your mind open and allow the creativity
to flow through you. This may drive you straight to your perfect title, and who
doesn’t like closure?
6. Don’t be afraid to ask. Ask your potential readers, even your family and
friends what they think of the title, and if they saw it on a book, would that
make them pick it up?
Don’t base your entire decision on this, but it’s not a
bad idea to take that into account.
7. Nothing is permanent. This can really help you in the long run. Even
though you might think you have a good title, there’s still room to create
something better. Now, I’m not saying you should change it, just that you
should be open in case fate and the “Eureka!” moment happen again. It may be
even better than you thought. You have plenty of time to come up with a great title.
Now, I imagine that some of you may say, “This
article is great and all, but you still haven’t helped me create a title.”
Well, I can’t create the title for you. I can only push you in the right
direction. Every author is different, using entirely separate methods. Some use
music for inspiration; some brainstorm in the shower. I have done both. If that
makes me weird, oh well. Authors are strange creatures.
The number one thing I want to stress is patience.
Don’t let the need to create a title keep you from writing your book. And even
if you’ve left the title-making until the last possible moment, don’t fret. It
will come to you, even if it happens after rounds and rounds of brainstorming.
Or, maybe it will come to you during the editing process, after you’ve done a
final read through of the book. That “Eureka!” moment will possess you, and the
wait will seem worth it. Keep your mind open, know your story, and that title
will come to you, I promise.
Barring that, here are some other links that might
help with the title creation process:
In any case, I do hope I have steered you in the
right direction at the least. Your thumbprint, or title, should be as unique as
you. As always, happy reading…and writing! :)
