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Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:51 am
Snoink says...



There are a lot of people who think that titles really don't matter. It's almost as if they think the title and the story exist in two different worlds. So many people will think, "Oh, this is a crappy title, BUT OMG. THE STORY IS AWESOME SO READ IT."

...I tend to wonder what planet they're from.

But seriously. Titles DO matter. When I look on YWS for things to read, I see a lot of titles, and that's usually the first thing I look for. If it doesn't have a good title, then I keep looking. For books in the bookstore, it's even more important to have catchy titles. I don't have many favorite authors, but I can't stand a stupid title and won't pick it up if it is a typical cliched story.

Ouch.

So will I give you a formula about what works and what doesn't? Nope. There are just too many titles that could work. But I will give you titles that won't work.

Untitled

Just come up with something! It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be something! Take the main theme of your writing and BAM! A title. Never name something Untitled.

Rememberence

If you go on YWS, there are just SO MANY titles that have to do with memories and the like. It's an epidemic of memories! Unfortunately, these titles are not memorable. Seriously. Instead, take something interesting and original about your writing and use it instead!

Loneliness

I DON'T CARE. I mean, if I cared about your character or the narrator of the poem, then maybe I might possibly care, if it's written well. But don't tell me I'm supposed to feel the loneliness up front. Otherwise, who cares?

The ______ of _______.

Okay. Maybe it would work for "The Barber of Seville" but if your nouns are "curse" and "sword" then you can come up with something better!

Pain

...same thing as loneliness. I won't care unless you make me care. And at the title stage, I don't care.

FREAK

That's my title. :P

Anyway! I hope this rant has been somewhat helpful.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:15 am
Emerson says...



FREAK

That's my title. Razz


The Act of Vanity, perhaps? :P I've never used that formal for titles. I take words from my story, or like with my novel, I fought forever to find a title that I liked and actually fit the novel. It wasn't until I realized the larger theme behind all the plot-soap-opera-ish-gunk. Everyone has a secret, and everyone wants to keep their secrets. But what happens if none of those secrets are kept and/or they're made public? Nasty things! and so, To Keep No Secrets. Plus it sounds neat to me.

I've learned a good way to find titles is through themes and meanings. I suck at titles, but even so, if you can find a theme in your writing you can find a title to fit it too.

EDIT: thats weird. Your :P came out as 'Razz' in the copy in paste. I'm really, really confused.
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Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:27 am
Crysi says...



...The Chronicles of Taer.

*cries in a corner*

And I just wrote a poem titled "Memorabilia." Guess I won't post it. :p
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Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:06 pm
Myth says...



*gasps* Queen of the Harpies. Is that bad? What about Are You Me?[?] Oh, I don't know...
.: ₪ :.

'...'
  





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Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:11 pm
Cassandra says...



I can barely finish anything, better yet get around to putting a title on my stuff, so I won't worry too much about this now... :roll:
"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."
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Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:34 pm
Sureal says...



Glancing at the first page of the Fantasy Fiction forum, the following titles caught my attention:

Gypsie Eyes
Queen of the Harpies
Call of Darkness
Killer
Beyond


Titles such as 'first chapter' 'Prologue' 'a beginning' and 'Very short , i need idea's to continue the story , and i
wouldnt mind gettin a review or two ^^' don't really catch my attention. Although I suppose these'd come under the Untitled heading.
I wrote the above just for you.
  





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Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:43 pm
Myth says...



Thanks, Sureal. I always liked Snoink's Pretty Poisoned Lady.
.: ₪ :.

'...'
  





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Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:30 am
Elelel says...



You just CAN'T title something "Untitled". It's already taken, about fifty million times. Whoever first used it could probably make a fortune by suing everyone.

Hehe. That being said, I have issues with titles. I can't think of them unless I just do straight away. SO all my work is either "Untitled" or "that story with the guy who dies and then stuff happens" or something.
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Sun Feb 25, 2007 7:14 am
Caligula's Launderette says...



It takes me forever to find a decent title, but apparently people seem to like them, which is great.

Poem titles are harder, I think, I rather not just pull out a line from it and say look there is my title.
Fraser: Stop stealing the blanket.
[Diefenbaker whines]
Fraser: You're an Arctic Wolf, for God's sake.
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Hatter: Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a very wet dress? (Alice)

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Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:08 pm
Shafter says...



Oops! I'm guilty! (Caste of the Spider.) I'm not changing it, though. :razz:

Usually I agree with that rule, however. The other day I saw a book in Border's titled "The Castle in the Forest." Bo-ring!
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Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:39 pm
xtenx says...



What's sad is that a lot of great stories go unnoticed because of boring titles. Titles are so important and influential. When I'm at a book store, I won't even read the back cover of something with a common, boring, or cliche title. But the fact that the author is published at all means the book probably isn't a complete piece of crap (there are exceptions to that of course :roll:).

It's slightly different here on this site...I try my best to forget the title and just read the stories, but sometimes I cannot get over my natural instinct to skip the stories with boring titles. I understand how difficult picking a title can be though, so I do try my best to ignore it since this site is ultimately a place to improve.
-Kristen

So I just try, fail and try, and try again- and someday I swear I'm gonna get it. 'Cause I'm convinced, giving in is the worst thing there is.--Straylight Run
  





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Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:44 pm
Emerson says...



What's sad is that a lot of great stories go unnoticed because of boring titles.


If you are talking about books in book stores, its a little hard to judge because a lot of times the title an Author wants verses the title given to it by the publishing company are completely different.

Usually titles are part of marketing, like nearly everything with todays publishing houses, so if they won't sell they won't get used. I'm sure a lot of good (and really, really bad) titles get pitched this way. But something that sells may also be something good.
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Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:19 am
Pacific says...



I've been tossing back and forth, trying to find a good title. For the draft I'm working on it is called 'The Third Pillar' (you take my title, you're dog-meat *puts on malicious look*)... does that sound like anything you'd wanna read?
-Kiley-
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Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:39 pm
Firestarter says...



I love titles with odd syntax, or words missing that wouild ordinarily be there in a sentence.

For example:

Through a Glass, Darkly
Something Wicked This Way Comes (I am aware this is Shakespeare)
The Sky So Deeply Red

Okay, that last one was just a joke XD I just remember them better. Other good examples are taken from lines of poetry. They always work.
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Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:45 pm
Misty says...



Meh, I title things from the first moment of conception of an idea. All American Kid, Glass Girl, Mack, whocares...The most recent is The Postman Comes Looking For Us. Does that suck? Ah, well...
  








The wince that you wince when you see your quote in the quote generator is quite a wince, I tell ya. To know that the whole YWS community has read and judged your quote is quite an awkward feeling like oh noes. *manly blush*
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