I will post what my story is about, but I first want to get an idea of what people think without any prior knowledge. Although I dont expect and may not even try to get published with this book, I always try to think as though I would and with this I want to see what people think of the title as though they'd just seen it on a shelf.
I usually do the title first because it makes see everything clearly and where I want the story to go.
An interesting question. Usually I try to come up with a title that best exemplifies the overall concept of my story, and since I always come up with the concept before I write the story, then yes, title usually comes first.
I usually create a working title for whatever it is that I'm writing. I just pick something that sounds nice and goes with the theme / scene that I'm writing. Almost always I change the title after I'm finished writing.
A title might be useful as something you can use to refer to your story but until the story is done that name is just a pet name. The title of your story may have to be different once the dust settles. I call my stories by what I call 'stable names' while I'm writing them. I got the term from my grandfather who used to train race horses. When the horses raced they used their racing names which were often quite unweildy and complicated but, when the horses were off the track, they were called by their stable names which were always nice and simple.
I don't usually start with a title. The story is what will matter so i usually let the title come to me whenever. In the current story i'm writing, i've been working for lmost six months and the first trace of a title just popped into my head while i was thinking about my story. I find that thinking of the title first takes me a long time so i do this.
I start with the story... I seem to be in the minority, but my reasoning is that I want the title to fit the piece, and I can't really be sure that it will do that, until the piece is finished.
Some of my stories are just born with titles, and they stay the same from beginning to when I consider it finished. Other stories have their titles appear along the way, while there are others which still dont have titles when I've finished them. I dont do working titles. I become attached to them and I know I wont be able to stop calling the story that. Before it gets a title, I usually prefer to the book using the name of the protagonist, the name of the world (if there is one) or by the theme if it's particularly strong, but that's never a title, just a name to refer to it by.
The story. I don't want to be limited by a word or phrase which may not even end up being used in the end product. x
I usually go with "untitled-date" on most of my pieces. Sometimes I use just the subject of the piece, like my current save document is "zombies." Obviously, that's not what I'm going to title the novel, but it keeps me from getting confused. I title my folder the same thing, then put the chapters in separate docs, "zombies chap 1" ect. I like to write the story first, then pick something, either a phrase, an overall feeling, or something from the piece to name it.
A title usually comes to me at some point while I'm working on the story, usually around the time I'm halfway through with writing it.
I may have a title at the beginning, but more often than not it's just a file name until I'm done with the story.
I write mostly for publication or at least the hope of publication, so I only use working titles, since the title is one of the things the High Priests and Priestesses of Marketing get most of the imput on. The working title for any piece is the first name of the main character unless while I'm writing a really great working title pops up.
I always start with a title. Titles in my story reflects an idea, a feeling, or even a concept in the story that's not easily noticeable. In a way, the titles of my story represents what the entire story is about: it is the centerpiece.
Title first, but only if I know it, then the story comes. If I don't know the title, I write the story first.
i've done both... but even if i start from a title, the title has already suggested a story of some sort...
It really is a toss-up for me. Sometimes all I can think of is a good title and nothing comes so it ends up sitting in a pile "good titles/no story". Othertimes I think of the story and have to come up with a title, which I'm not always satisfied with. Some stories have the titles pop in my head instantly and just fit while others I play around with (add words, play on words, etc.). So really could be either/or for me.
This is how I think. I rarely have titles. I can't even think of a time where I thought of it before the story. Usually I just start writing the story and go from the there. I think that is mainly because I have an idea and I just run with it.
My stories, so far, NEVER have a title when I start writing. I don't plan a manuscript the way one would plan a trip to the market or a trip to Cape Cod. The storyline seduces me to write it and, somewhere along the way, I need to have some way of referring to it and naming the file in my computer and things like that. I usually start with the main character's name. Only later does the story suggest a title for itself and, even then, you can be sure if a pub thinks they've got a better title, yours will hit the deep six. I've learned to be pretty relaxed about the title. Even in different countries, the same story can have a different title from one continent to another so, for me, the title is just not that important.
The story comes first comes first comes first you can have the best title, best characters, best plot without a story, everything else is a bonus hence the terms "working title" or "untitled as yet", sometimes stories will change titles half a dozen times before a final is approved such is show business
Well, Jonathan, I'm inclined to agree. However, such an absolute stance gives me pause. Every story begins with an idea. What if a title sticks in your mind, and that leads to an idea that subsequently grows into a story? For my part, I generally come up with a story idea first, and the title comes to me later.
good point, we can't help but get attached to catchy titles, and sometimes titles do sell, so a good deal of thought should go into that as well
Most of the time I have a story idea in my head before I have a title. However I am pretty sure I have thought of a phrase or something that later triggered the story.
Hm... Well, my answer is fairly mixed. Most of the time I'll come up with a title mid story; Sometimes the only story I have to go with is the title. I'd say I come up with the story first for 90% of the time, though.
I write the story first, and then choose a title that best summarizes what the book is about. If I choose a title first, I find myself conforming to that title, bending my ideas so they fit the title rather than making the title fit the ideas. Thus I title it when I've made sufficient progress.