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1_million_words2013-07-30 02:05 pm
thtwzjustadream.livejournal.com) wrote in 1_million_words2013-07-30 02:05 pm
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Tuesday Tips: Naming your fic babies!
With apologies to those for whom it's already Wednesday, here's our latest weekly tip! This time, thoughts on a topic we've discussed briefly before: Titles!
It used to feel like a chore, but I've started to enjoy coming up with titles. When I don't it's usually a sign I'm not all that happy with a particular piece. Often, a title will come to me about half to two thirds of the way through a story and will either be a line from it or a play one one of the lines.
I also have the habit of using song lyrics. I used to feel a little bad about that - like it was a lazy habit. But I noticed when I started watching Supernatural how the writers of that show do so like crazy! And if you think about it (and keep an eye out for it) various shows use allusions to songs, novels, movie names and catch phrases in their episode titles. It makes sense in a way - music is about emotion, and if a lyric is strong and creates emotion (happy, sad, angsty, whatever) it's likely to resonate with your reader, too, even if they don't know the song you're referencing.
Here are three tips I've culled from the links below, that might help if you're stuck coming up with a title some time:
- Great titles can both preview what's coming, and gain meaning as the reader goes along. They capture the mood of a story and become its 'brand' in a way. For some examples, see this list of famous books, and what the author's originally considered going with.
- Use verbs and strong nouns, i.e. 'power words'. Some examples of titles with power words (and what they might read like if watered down):
*Desire under the Elms (Love under the trees)
*From here to Eternity (Now and Forever - although I kind of like that, too).
* The African Queen (A Man and his Boat)
* Dune (A World of Sand)
- Give yourself options and try a quick search. One of the links below suggests having three to five options for your title before you choose. That seems like a few more than necessary to me, but whatever works. I also like the idea of Googling a title to see where else it has come up, and what the tone of those stories are compared with the one you're ready to post. And if you find your title doesn't come up at all (as I found with the one title of mine that I really love) then you might have something original.
What are your thoughts? Do you enjoy coming up with titles for your stories? Do you have a system or a habit that works for you or that you'd like to break out of? Does a title sway you to click in if it's compelling, or push you to keep scrolling if it's annoying? How about chapters - do you just stick with the default text of Chapter 1., Chapter 2. etc... or do you name each one?
The Art of Finding a Title
Quicktips: Writing an Effective Title
A Guide to Great Titles
Three Rules for Writing Effective Titles
Famous Book Titles with a Letter Missing (for laughs)
It used to feel like a chore, but I've started to enjoy coming up with titles. When I don't it's usually a sign I'm not all that happy with a particular piece. Often, a title will come to me about half to two thirds of the way through a story and will either be a line from it or a play one one of the lines.
I also have the habit of using song lyrics. I used to feel a little bad about that - like it was a lazy habit. But I noticed when I started watching Supernatural how the writers of that show do so like crazy! And if you think about it (and keep an eye out for it) various shows use allusions to songs, novels, movie names and catch phrases in their episode titles. It makes sense in a way - music is about emotion, and if a lyric is strong and creates emotion (happy, sad, angsty, whatever) it's likely to resonate with your reader, too, even if they don't know the song you're referencing.
Here are three tips I've culled from the links below, that might help if you're stuck coming up with a title some time:
- Great titles can both preview what's coming, and gain meaning as the reader goes along. They capture the mood of a story and become its 'brand' in a way. For some examples, see this list of famous books, and what the author's originally considered going with.
- Use verbs and strong nouns, i.e. 'power words'. Some examples of titles with power words (and what they might read like if watered down):
*Desire under the Elms (Love under the trees)
*From here to Eternity (Now and Forever - although I kind of like that, too).
* The African Queen (A Man and his Boat)
* Dune (A World of Sand)
- Give yourself options and try a quick search. One of the links below suggests having three to five options for your title before you choose. That seems like a few more than necessary to me, but whatever works. I also like the idea of Googling a title to see where else it has come up, and what the tone of those stories are compared with the one you're ready to post. And if you find your title doesn't come up at all (as I found with the one title of mine that I really love) then you might have something original.
What are your thoughts? Do you enjoy coming up with titles for your stories? Do you have a system or a habit that works for you or that you'd like to break out of? Does a title sway you to click in if it's compelling, or push you to keep scrolling if it's annoying? How about chapters - do you just stick with the default text of Chapter 1., Chapter 2. etc... or do you name each one?
The Art of Finding a Title
Quicktips: Writing an Effective Title
A Guide to Great Titles
Three Rules for Writing Effective Titles
Famous Book Titles with a Letter Missing (for laughs)