I did a little research on this last year and found a few articles that gave good tips. Things like: consider your theme, find a good line in your manuscript, make sure it fits the genre. But this is still something that gives me trouble. I think it gives a lot of people trouble. Is there anyone out there who is good at coming up with titles? How do you go about it? It's so important but it's often the last thing I think of.
I frequently go back and change the title after whatever I'm working on is finished. Ideally, I want my titles to first and foremost grab attention. Because I know that when I'm on the other side of it, a snappy title grabs my attention. So now I'm trying to think of some snappy title examples and can't...
My titles tend to change and evolve with my writing. I think it's good not to be too attached to a title because there's a good chance a better one will come along as you continue writing. And in many cases editors like to change titles anyway. It's really not the most important part of a story. Stay away from anything cliche or overused. I wrote a story in graduate school called "Happy Birthday." My professor said there were a million stories that could use that title and my story was too good for something so generic. I'm not saying it was the best story, but a title like that wasn't doing it any favors. I honestly don't give titles too much thought before I have to. Something good aways pops up. Something better usually comes later. Then a good editor can often have an even better one. Titles are usually the last thing I think about when it comes to my writing. I didn't always feel that way, but after writing and publishing a good amount I just sort of trust the process.
I would think it should spark the potential reader to read the first page. With my first book I was naive about what sold and I presented it as a memoir. I decided that wasn't working for me because it was so much more than a memoir, so I kept a pencil and tablet next to my bed and as I thought of a good one I would roll over and scribble the idea on paper. After a while I came up with Deceitful Survival, hoping it would make the potential reader look inside. Of course this was after the book was finished. I do think it's good to have a working title like my WIP which started out as Sting of the WASP has become Daniel Fights Bio-since Genocide with a subtitle of Sting of the WASP.
It is a frustrated ironic mis-quote from my MC as he is compelled to take the reigns of power. Originally, he said, "...that wasn't an election. Now I'm just the next tyrant." He is mis-quoted as saying, "... The New Tyrant." He sarcastically quips, "Welcome to the New Tyranny."
I've had to choose a lot of names for my shorts, if for no other reason than to say 'The short where Tadji sets his group up as independent entity' is a mouthful and may summarise the content adequately, but it doesn't tell about stakes for my MC. That said, the best titles reflect the 'best' stories, the ones which have a clear theme and are written concisely. In those cases I don't even have to think about a title. It jumps out.
I'm not very good at coming up with titles. In fact, I often struggle with it. For short stories not intended for publication, I usually go with something arbitrary; and as far as novels are concerned, all of mine still wear their working titles. Some titles that I'm quite happy about are the ones of my two-part "Bogwater Mythos" (my one and only Horror franchise). They are The Dolores Finnegan Yuletide Massacre - a Musical and it's stand-alone sequel, The Ballad of Donnie Loinsigh. I like the first one especially (though in retrospect I might have dropped "a musical") because it has a nice ring to it, it's descriptive (it's Christmas, the leading lady is Dolores, there's a massacre of sorts, and I use music for various effects) and I personally find it titillating. The second title sits equally well on the tongue, and is thematically consistent with the first. For what purports to be my debut novel, I went in a different direction. I still consider them working titles, but I like them well enough that they will probably stick. I've named the series The Yggdrasilium, from the setting where it takes place (Yggdrasil, of World Tree fame). The three books are The Face of God, The Day of Wrath, and The Angel of the Pit. Short, descriptive, straight to the point, and following the same template. They're named after an artifact, an event, and a character respectively. They are a touch generic, perhaps, but I think they work quite well for a Fantasy trilogy. So really, I just wait for something in the narrative to jump out at me as a juicy title. If that doesn't happen, I brainstorm, if I feel the work in question warrants the effort.
I try to capture the heart of the story with my title. I think carefully about what the story is about and what main idea I am trying to communicate to the reader and then I search for a title that fits in that narrative. For example, the current story I am writing explores the limitations of a two party system in a representative democracy. I wanted to communicate irony in the title. So the title I have chosen for my story is "The Great Democracy".
I just let the title idea sit in the back of my mind as I was writing, I didn't try to force it. Mine is a fantasy story. I was calling it Beast Riders in my head as a working title bc it is about this main warrior group called...you guessed it...the Beast Riders, lol. Well, another major theme of my story is the arc of the specific warrior company my MC joins. They are called the Wild Roses, and the first book is them rising back to power/respect from a slump. So Beast Riders: Rise of the Rose is my current planned title. If all goes well, it will be a trilogy. So, based on planned events involving the Wild Roses, the next couple titles will be Beast Riders: Thorns of the Rose and Beast Riders: Might of the Rose. Point being, find a major aspect of your novel. Mine was easy, with the Beast Riders thing. But then think of a specific focus, or goal, of that aspect, and brainstorm ways that can be expressed. What are you temporarily calling your novel? Can that be expanded or developed into a title? And be open to change! By no means are my titles set in stone. They work for right now, but I may not end up keeping them.
