Young Writers Society

So far I've come to the conclusion of just naming my novel Tara. That is because I am not clever with names. I kinda don't like Tara being the name of the story. Can anyone give me tips?

This article has some theories behind titling a story.

When it comes to actually picking a title, I find it's best to write the story out before selecting a title. A title that fits at the beginning of the story does not necessarily fit by the end of the story. Old drafts of my novel were called various things, including "untitled" for a long time.

You can just title your story something temporary, so it's not a dreaded "untitled" and rename the story later as things progress.

Titles are some of the hardest things to pick, and I'm not sure how I came up with my current title (I was spending a bit too much time thinking about the symbolism behind a few things in the story, and the title came together). Several people I know really struggle with titles. Don't worry about it too much as you're writing.

Rosey Unicorn wrote:Several people I know really struggle with titles.

*Points at herself*

I agree with Rosey on what she said. The easiest way to decide on a title for your novel or story is after you've actually written it. That's how it is for me, that is. It's different for different people, but a majority of people do find it easier to decide on a title after the story is written. You didn't actually mention whether you've finished your novel yet, but if you haven't, you shouldn't worry. Just concentrate on writing the novel and worry about the title later.

If you have actually finished the story though and still can't come up with a title, don't get stressed over it. One thing that you could do is take a look back at your story. You could find a line, or a few words within a line, that stand out. Something that could actually sound pretty good for as a title. That's something that's helped me name a story/novel before. Another thing that you could do is write down some key words that are connected to your novel. You could try connecting those words together or get some good ideas from those words to come up with a title.

To be honest, the best thing for you to do is not worry about it. You never know, an idea for your novel might just pop into your head when you're riding on a train one day...

Either that, or check out the helpful link that Rosey sent you...

I've finished the novel months ago.

Okay, try and have a think about it then. What I said about picking a line out of a story is actually a very good way of coming up with a title. I find that it is anyway. Take one of my recent short story's, for example... Whether you agree that it's a good name is another story, but I'll juts use it as an example. It's called I don't need to say I love You.

It was actually for a contest where you had to write a letter to someone after you'd died. I got the title for it from a sentence in the letter itself. It was something like this, I don't need to say I love you, or tell you that I can't imagine life without you. You already know that. I didn't actually take the entire line, but a part of the line that I thought would sound good as a title. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

A better example of this is the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Harper Lee actually came up with the name from a line in the book. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. See what I mean?

Look back through your novel. You are guaranteed to find at least one part that word sound good as a title.

I went for a symbolic title, with my MC's nickname being Cat and the whole story being mostly about her stepping between obstacles and generally acting like a spy. The sequel, Leopard's Roar, is when she gets her voice and status established. Required a lot of thinking about the overreaching theme, but it was worth it.

I'm going to run this through quickly. I'll come back to edit it fully but I'm not sure I'll get another chance.

Here are some don't do's:
One word titles. Unless you might have a really cool novel cover or that one word is so awe inspiring, these are not very good titles because their not descriptive
Place names and people names. While Percy Jackson and the Olympians suffers from this, that's just the name of the series and it's not in big writing. The Lightning Thief however, is. Especially in fantasy works and sci-fi. Not too many people know about Gliese 581g yet
Weak adjectives: The Green Monster might be the story about a jealous school girl but the adjective is weak. Rather make it the Jaded & Jeweled Green Monster, it's a bit clearer

Here are some Do's:
Draw emotion. Even Hitler got this right. Mein Kampf means My Struggles. It's the nature of the human heart to be sympathetic.
Clear: It should be very clear, is already addressed above. At the same time it should contain mystery. The Lightning Thief obviously details either sci-fi or fantasy. It'll attract those readers plus it has a freaking awesome name already. Maximum Ride isn't. The only reason I read it is because of the name's coolness, not the clarity. At first glance of the cover, I thought they were angel knights!
Catchy. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X makes use of alliteration. James Patterson didn't care about Clarity or emotion because he's a popular writer. So he made it catchy. (Echoing voice) The D..D..D... Dangerous Days of D...D...Daniel X!
Interesting: Relates to catchy, the title should describe a weird reading experience. Saddam Hussein and the Hippies from Space. The Time Traveler's Wife...
STRONG WORDING!

I might come back and edit it later. At the moment I can't tell what Tara is about at all.

In the meanwhile, read through these links. And browse the website, it'll really help!:

MOST IMPORTANT: http://www.superheronation.com/2007/08/ ... -chapters/

Backups:
http://www.superheronation.com/2010/07/ ... w-a-title/
http://www.superheronation.com/2008/08/ ... our-title/
http://www.superheronation.com/2008/07/ ... our-novel/

Titles and names need not have any subjective meaning. A mentor of mine who was the editor for a nationally acclaimed literary journal told me once of a story he received from a young man. It was called "Creole the Killer", and was about a male that was in fact, a killer. The story is remarkable and very well written, and was a great choice for the journal. However, he insisted that the author change the title to something else, or it would appear cheesy. The author protested over the phone and fought, until finally caving in when my mentor told him more or less "I'm doing you a favor, you ungrateful urchin" (I may have added flavor there ). The title was then taken from a line of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which was "Swear not by the moon". The short story was then submitted to a national contest, which it won, and was included in an anthology of best short stories of the year for young, upcoming writers. In a short blurb at the end for the writers to say something, the young author said the uncaring prick editor made him change the title.

The point, do you see? Good.