I like to make my titles relevant to the plot of the actual story. If your major plot point is your MC snapping and letting everyone know exactly how they've been treating him, then Break the Silence seems pretty relevant. A good title should the reader some indication of what the story is about. And, obviously, this isn't always the case, and sometimes it's a little more obscure, but you really can't go wrong with a title that hints about the plot of the book or theme.
Thanks everyone for your feedback! The great thing with writing is that people all do things differently, doesn't really mean it's wrong
I'm TERRIBLE at coming up with titles. At the start I pick a placeholder title--like "Ally's book" (the main character was called Ally) or "Loch Ness book" (guess where it was set?)--and worry about titles later. My main concerns are: 1 - Tone 2 - How easy it is to find Break the Silence sounds serious and powerful. I don't think it would suit a comedy, but it sounds like it suits your book. There are 211 results on Amazon Books for 'break the silence'. That would be a dealbreaker for me, because I want my book to be easily searchable.
This reminds me of my favorite WIP placeholder title, saved on my hard drive as "Zombie Cupcake Story".
I've slowly been working (including researching time and 1 scrapped draft) on my WIP during my spare time for 2+ years now and it is still untitled. haha. As it is written above, "Break the SIlence" seems more dark and serious. It's sounds nice though and intriguing. There has been a few threads like this around these forums, not sure where they went thought... And on a side note I also remember once reading somewhere (perhaps here on wf?) that some authors simply take a simple sentence form their book. Whether it be the first sentence, last or perhaps a particular quote or saying by one of the characters?
Snapping Point? Or maybe: Camels Back. The Final Straw. Enough Is Enough? At The End Of The Rope? The Last Fuse. I've Had Enough Of This. Thats all I Can Stand. A Piece Of My Mind. Suffer In Silence No More. Breaking The Silence isn't too bad. I struggle with titles too, and will probably make a similar post for my book XD.
A lot of my writing is to do with themes like not giving into dogma forced on you by others and discerning objective truths from warped desires. Tradition's Noose, for example, has a theme of how binding others to old traditions and forbidding change can ultimately bring destruction. It referred to how by having different feelings about old laws can make you feel like your life is being choked out of you. Fate's Eternal Web refers to the web of life, that story involved a lot of how meeting someone can change your life's direction. Darkness Masked in Light was a more direct stance, with cults and brainwashing being the central theme.
I like break the silence too. And I also like these two suggestions above. That's all I can stand is my favourite, it sounds direct and personal, right away I want to pick up the book, the MC already intrigued me with his angry tone and I've not even read about them yet.
Hi! I am trying to pick a title for a story I am writing up. It is basically what happens during a Vampire the Masquerade RPG I take part in. I have 3 possible titles but am unsure which one to pick. What do you guys think? 1) Money, sex, power & butchery This title is based off of the charatcers jobs, a millionare, exotic dancer, majors aid and a butcher. 2) A deadly masquerde In reference to the game system 3) The unclaimed This is based off of their circumstances Which do you think is best, or do you have any other suggestions? Cheers.
This one is the least cheesiest, and leads a potential reader to ask what is being unclaimed. The other two are more upfront and direct, while not being very descriptive overall.
Louisa I wouldn't worry about the title. If a publisher picks up the piece, they will rename it regardless.
I like 1. not so much for the words but for what it says. If you could find a single word for 'Money, sex, and power' and then add it to and Cleavers... I think I'd pluck it from the shelf and flip it for the blurb. If a publisher wanted to retitle one of my works, I'd be pretty put out—open to discussion—but put out.
I've finally breached the 10,000 word mark on a novel but still have no idea on what it's title could be. I want it to stand out but also be consistent on it's theme. (I don't know if this is making any sense) Do I need to be worrying about it's title yet? I'm on Chapter 5 out of 18 I plan to write. I'm concerned that I could get to the end of it and not have fleshed out a title. I have a few I'm playing about with in my head, but I don't want it being a stupid title irrelevant to the novel. Any idea's on what I can do to help me find a title?
The first draft of my wip is finished and I still don't have a title for it. It's definitely not something that needs to be high priority. I try to think about the themes the work deals with and what sorts of pithy phrases I could sum them up with. If I plan a series, I try to think of titles that will go well together or conform to their own theme (eg Twilight, New Moon, etc). One-word titles aren't great for SEO, and you want to google anything you come up with to make sure it hasn't been taken by something that's already got a decent following (ie don't name your book Twilight ). Honestly, I'm not great at titles myself - but I'd suggest not thinking about it took much for now and just focusing on writing. In writing short stories, at least, I've found that I frequently end up thinking of a good title towards the end of it.
I'll keep plodding on then. If I get to the end and I'm still unsure then I might post my ideas for a title on here to see what people like. Thanks for the help
Most titles come after the work is finished. Many have a working title to get started, but it gets changed later. Brainstorming many titles is good. Write them down and then read them all when you are finished to help you come up with a final title. Be patient. When you are done the title often jumps out and smacks you in the face. But you can't see it until you are done.
I love this metaphor! I really hope it does I'll keep noting down any titles that spring to me, if not I'll let the Forum decide haha.
No. Don't worry about the title yet. It will come to you eventually, it always does. Many of us don't come up with a title until late in the novel.
I always have a working title and it changes all the time I am a fan of one word titles but the working title is always something i don't like but allows me to know what it is. i wrote a short story called Earthlings and after numerous title changes it became The Light. Chug along and it will come to you.
Thank you. The title keeps changing in my mind so I'm just looking for one that will stick. What's the best way to find a title for your novel?
Wait until you finish. Brainstorm many possibilities. If nothing resonates your neurons then ask others which they like.
