Sign it! Are you pissed off? Then sign it!

A follower recently asked me if I had a post about coming up with titles, and since I didn’t, I decided to write one.

Coming up with titles is weird sometimes.

For example, I have had stories where the title simply “came to me” before I’d even started writing it.

Other times I couldn’t come up with or even consider a title until the story was essentially completed.

You can also throw working titles in there–titles you slap onto a WIP until you get further along and really consider it (or until an editor wants to call it something different).

If a title just “came to you,” that’s great, but you also might want to double check that it is really the best title for the work.

Other than the cover art, the title is perhaps the most important selling point on the book itself. It might be what gets a reader to pick up the novel to look at. (After that, the back cover copy obviously becomes important.) Unfortunately as writers, most of us have no say in what the cover art is–if we are publishing traditionally. But we do have some say in the title.

Often, the best titles capture an interesting image/concept, promises what kind of story the book is, or both. Genre may also factor in.

It’s usually better to be more specific than vague. Remember that whole post I did on vagueness? And also this whole post I did on not picking generic details? As a reminder, if something is too vague, the audience doesn’t get enough context, and therefore can’t care about the story. If something is too generic, it leaves no impression and is forgettable.

One time in my writing group years ago, we decided to go through the bookshelf (near where we met in a library) and find the worst title we could. To this day, some of us still remember that meeting because of that. The worst?

The Land

That was a title. (And the cover art was equally boring.) This is a horrible title, in part because of the points I just made. “The Land” is very vague and very generic. I have no clue what land we are talking about or why I should care about it–I have zero interest in this book (other than the fact the title is so awful). I have no idea what genre it is. Is this something geographical? A Land Before Time wannabe? Who knows.

Now, because I know people are going to go search that title on Amazon, I want you to know that this book did not have a subtitle. It did not have a cover image that conveyed a story. It was just The Land.

aka, THE WORST.

So lets talk about some examples that fit into the two categories I named.

1. Captures an interesting (and specific) image or concept.

2. Promises an interesting or specific kind of story

Also, probably worth mentioning is that just because I refer to the title as an example, it does not necessarily mean I have read or watched it–just grabbing examples, some I know, some came up in searches.

Interesting (and Specific) Image or Concept

Mistborn is a good example of this. It takes two images or concepts we are familiar with and smashes them together. We know what mist is. And we know what it means to be born. These are concepts and images that are specific. However, we don’t know what it means to be or act Mistborn, so it’s intriguing. Maybe this is why we pick up the book. Because we understand enough about those two concepts, but we want to know what this concept means.

Well, next thing you know, you are reading the back cover (which is equally interesting) and then opening the book.

Notice too, that the word mist is something that is associated with mystery and maybe even eeriness. In thick mist, we can’t clearly see what’s in front of us. It’s also a word that has some association with the otherworldly, whether it’s from Stephen King’s The Mist, or someone in Middle-earth talking about The Misty Mountains.

“Mist” creates a sort of buzz because of its associations and connotations–like those “buzzwords” I talked about in my post, 5 Tricks that Help with Hooks.

Here are some other examples that use this technique:

The Runelords Lord of the Rings Night Circus Jurassic Park The Raven Boys The Book Thief The Hunger Games  Ghost in the Shell Legally Blonde Phantom of the Opera Death Note 

Other times, the title may capture a more specific image:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Day the Earth Stood Still A Princess in Theory Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus The Time Traveler’s Wife Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie To Kill a Mockingbird

Remember, it is not required that you are highly specific, you just need to be specific enough.

Promises an Interesting or Specific Kind of Story 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this is a title that promises that this story is about Harry. I know that sounds obvious, but it’s more than that. This story isn’t just about some amazing plot. It’s about the daily life of Harry Potter, too. What it’s like going to a magical school. It’s not always about fighting dark wizards or saving the world. Sometimes it’s about dealing with your awful aunt, friends, and schoolwork.

I believe the title was changed to Sorcerer’s Stone here in the U.S. because that’s better for marketing. A philosopher may be interesting to kids. But from a marketing standpoint, a sorcerer is more interesting, because it implies there will be magic in the book, not philosophy.

So we know that this is a series about a person, but also has fantastical elements or some adventure to it: Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban (again, notice specific images).

Likewise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid immediately conveys what kind of story this is. Like Harry Potter, it’s about a person. “Wimpy kid” is interesting because no kids would typically describe themselves as that. “Diary” tells us this is a slice-of-life story, but it’s also interesting, because what boy would say they own a “diary”?

Here are some others.

The Kiss Quotient (Romance) Austenland (this will be about Jane Austen–also, notice the unique concept) Sherlock Holmes (this is a series about following the intelligent detective, the character) The President is Missing (pretty obvious, but immediately tells you what kind of story it is) The Da Vinci Code National Treasure Hamilton War of the Worlds Sixth Sense Cowboys and Aliens Lost in Space A Series of Unfortunate Events Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Little House on the Prairie The Little Mermaid Goosebumps Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

These all make promises, about the genre, story structure, emotional appeals, plot, or whatever else.

Gavin: Fucking hate that shit toaster, punch it in the stomach

*New version of Connor, which looks almost the same but has a different eyecolor and is slightly taller*

Markus: Yes, I am an android.

Kylo : I would die.

Hux : I lo-

hey there

In flower language? Probably, I think I’ve even reblogged something to that effect. But….most ppl don’t know flower language anymore. No, if you need a true “fuck you” then here’s my DIY official tutorial, the Death Bouquet:

(This is gonna be the least wholesome post I’ve ever written and I am so sorry but I am also laughing while I type this.)

I’ve been railing on Pink Floyd roses a lot for their thorns lately because one has sliced my hand open recently. Get some of those.

Next. Get you some ornamental thorn roses. (I’m not 100% but I think mermaid climbing roses fall into this and are also brutal)

Next. Thistles. Lots of thistles. More thistles than sense.

Next. Dusty miller flower greens. Soft. Weak. Floppy. Clog up your bouquet with these, especially in the middle where they’ll make the stems stick together.

Next. Baby’s Breath. This is your secret weapon. You can’t tell when they’re dead half the time, they’re strong. Too strong. The wrong touch and FOOOOOOF. Tiny leaves and petals EVERYWHERE it’s as good as a glitter bomb.

NEXT. Abandon common arrangement sense. Fillers first, clog the center with fillers. Clog it, make it dense. Stick a rose or two in, but you want at least 70% filler.

NEXT. Hide the thistles. Hide them under the roses. Make sure some of the heads are at hand level. Spray them with water. You want those stems damp and miserable. Thistles harden as they die.

NEXT. The roses. Line this puppy in roses. Ornamentals and Floyds should be along the outside, this bouquet should be DEADLY to put any weight on. Spray them with water. This bouquet should be so tightly packed that your “handle” looks more like a solid mass than anything else.

NEXT. Wrap them in paper. TISSUE PAPER. Thin, weak, damp. Even gardening gloves can’t save your hands now.

NEXT. Be strong, treat the bouquet like a bed of nails. The more evenly spread the weight, the less likely you are to get hurt. You will be tempted to give these roses away in person, but be strong. Your ginger body language will give up the game.

FINALLY. Deliver them. Know. KNOW that your plan has worked, because anyone with any sense will see a bouquet and just FIST it with one hand. Maybe the other will come to support it. But just that. Just the hands. Meeting thorny death. A dozen little needle presses. The paper will be too damp to unravel, to see what has done this. They’ll grab it a few times, trying to learn the secret.

Deliver it with a nice note. Sincere, heartfelt. Make them feel obligated to deep the Death Bouquet. This is where the density comes in. Damp, suffocating, these flowers will mold in secret. They’ll die and their odor will permeate the air. But, because of the nature of the baby’s breath….it’ll be hard to find. Hard to detect. The roses will be sheltered because they’re on the outside, getting air and water. But the center will mold, and stink.

Eventually, they’ll realize it’s the flowers, and they’ll move the bouquet, and POOF, it will shatter, leaves and petals everywhere, releasing a gag worthy odor unlike anything they’ve smelled before.

Her physical condition didn’t allow her to age

No one took her seriously as an actress

And even when she was trying to get into a happy romantic relationship (albeit with another villain) he still couldn’t take her seriously as a consenting, sexually active and romantically interested adult

That’s a lot of blows to someone’s psyche 

When Harley was re-institutionalized, he got her that dress she wanted.

In the comics based on B:tAS, there was a time during Christmas that there was snow and it was Mr. Freeze’s fault, and he was making it snow because Christmas was his anniversary with Nora and she LOVED it when it snowed on Christmas, so Batman let him finish mourning before calmly taking him back to Arkham.

He never, ever gives up on Harvey possibly recovering.

But instead, Batman sat with her on a swing and kept her company as the girl’s psychic powers slowly killed her.

No?

Connor, without looking up from his case files: I have 136 pieces of evidence that your human is secretly three raccoons in a trench coat and they all have rabies

Nines: you don’t have all the facts

Connor: which are??

(click for quality since tumblr ate it)

inktober day 5 | chicken