I've got over four thousand words of this story (novel) written but it's still untitled. Here is like a back of the book synopsis: Anastasia Barns is a single mom of a pair of twin teenagers and overall just a very unorthodox family situation living on the outskirts of Salt Lake. She's just trying to teach history at a local prep school and raise her kids but she bumps heads with some of her neighbors, in particular the closed-minded, ultra-conservative Mormon mother of her daughter's BFF as well as the birth parents whose daughter she's trying to adopt. As the three families try to find their place in the small neighborhood where they are forced to coexist, it brings up both beautiful and painful memories from her past and forces her to examine parts of herself she thought she put away long ago. Then, tragedy strikes where no one saw it coming, will it bring them together, or will their squabbling cost the ultimate price?
Call it "work in progress" until you know what you want to call it, it's probably still early days to really worry over the title.
Assuming that you're planning on a full-length novel to be traditionally published, you've got about 86,000 words to go, as well as multiple rounds of critiquing and editing. Pick a plain working title for now - "Single Mom", maybe - and revisit the title issue when you feel you have a better one. Odds are the publisher will change it, anyway. The novel I'm pitching now, a historical about Cuba - had the initial working title of "Cuba Historical". Once I decided on the name of a key character, I changed it to "Rosa". Then, when I fleshed out Rosa's situation a bit more, I settled on "Rosa's Secret", which it's been ever since.
That's not my writing process, I usually have a solid working title that may or may not end up changing, long before now.
It's the least of your worries. Get the thing written and then chose a title. You'll probably have a better idea what to call it by then anyway. And in all honestly, do you really want a title that someone else came up with?
How about "The Other Neighbours" as a work-in-progress title? You can change it any once your story evolves. I found this sentence a bit long: She's just trying to teach history at a local prep school and raise her kids but she bumps heads with some of her neighbors, in particular the closed-minded, ultra-conservative Mormon mother of her daughter's BFF as well as the birth parents whose daughter she's trying to adopt. I've written a few non-fiction books. Having a working title suited me, as it appears it does for you also. I found it worked great for filing away ideas in a space in my brain, that I could recall when I returned to my PC. I also think if you're going to spend a lot of time with something, it needs a name. Best of luck, your synopsis sounds interesting.
"Rubbing Salt into the Wounds" or "Salt in the Wound" Only until I read S Raven's comment I thought worrying about a title seems unnecessary but that comment makes some sense; some.
So why did you abandon your usual writing process on this occasion? Why do you need, and what do you define as, a "solid working title"? What's wrong with just calling it 'Anastasia Barns Novel', just for now? As you write, something more obvious, and much better suited, will likely spring to mind.
I didn't let the title slide this much on purpose, it's not usually the very first thing I come up with but it us one of the first. This time though, it just so happened that the story kept coming and a title never came.
If you wish ongoing support, some feedback from what has been offered already will do much to encourage that support.
Single mothers can adopt? That aside, I often pick titles from the text, so from this text I've lifted: unorthodox family and painful memories. They're not great title options I admit.
It really depends on where your adopting from, different countries have different rules and within the US so do states. Some places you have to be married. Others are ok with single parents as long as they can demonstrate that they can arrange childcare. Sometimes I take my titles from the inspiration for it, which is usually a poem or a song, the problem is that the song that inspired this one isn't giving me any titles that make me snap my fingers and go "Yes! that one!" ya know?
The future is History. I can only be 100% sure that's already taken. Getting past the paint Its a simple pun that throws in history and also getting to know your neighbor, i'd throw in some line about how the paint is a divider between neighbors. Learn, Teach, Preach. You might have to turn the ultra religious one into a preacher, but hey... you asked for help. Churches like to center around one book or so but i'd guess that someone else interested in the subject might have already thought this one up. Three's Company Totally kidding with you right now. The Good, the Bad and the Lonely. And that's why you'd be a horrible person if as a writer you didn't let them adopt. Good fences make Terrible neighbors. Make it about how everyone needs to forget their differences and come together? Might have to fight the ghost of Robert Frost to use it though. Alright, well mostly i used this as a way to combat boredom, but if any of that helps you're welcome! Last thought: If nothing works no matter how you try and you still need a title, there's always "Sir book" You can say the queen gave you the go ahead.
Then my advice is to keep it purely functional. Single Mom. Mom Against Mormons. Utah Novel. Right now, it looks like you're just letting it hold up your writing.
I agree with Ed. Even though you say writing without a title isn't your method, this time you've been forging ahead without one for four thousand words. Don't let not having a title stop the work you've been doing up to now. Keep going in the knowledge that the right title will appear. I personally would only start fretting over not having a title if the final manuscript was sitting waiting at the press to get published.
