I've been trying to come up with a working title for months and I've still got nothing

Am eternally envious of those who start off a project with a working title and then zoom off into the literary distance. I'm literally calling it 'Book 1' and I hate it, because Book 1 is actually made up of three parts, which are technically all 1 book each, and so Book 1 is really Book 1, 2, and 3.

Here's hoping that God comes down to smack me in the face with an epic title that suggests timeless and hugely influential yet poignant and ultimately loveable literary classic.

How did you all come up with your titles/working titles for each project?

 

saaaaaaaaaame!

And just when I thought I had a great title.... months later, i decided i didn't like it anymore and now i'm back to the drawing board.

I don't really know. I have 4 main WIPs and only 1 of them has a title that I 100% stand by, and its the MC's name

 

Omg. Are you me? Literally I have the exact same thing. 4 WIPs spinning. One named after the MC. *X-File noises*

 

I keep coming up with god-awful names, too. Like, I try. But it's always some horrific thing like 'wHEN THE REST HAVE FALLEN' (cue dramatic eye roll) or '[MC's name] and Friends'.

Every single one leaves the wrong impression. The title ideas I've come up with make the book always sound like some monster hybrid of Crime Novel (which it is not), Romance-that-you-would-pick-up-on-the-forgotten-shelves-of-a-gas-station (which it is not), or something sitcom-like or so dramatically turgid in its meaning that it's not even worth picking up to read the back page.

You couldn't make it up.

 

I normally have an idea of the plot, from beginning to end, and that helps me come up with a working title. Most of the time that title sticks, and becomes the eventual title.

I know some authors get a title from a phrase of significance used within the novel. Think Mindy McGinnis's books, such as Be Not Far from Me or Not a Drop to Drink.

 

in the book im reading, 40 something pages in, and there was the title

 

I dont know your plot, but this looks like a really good title!

 

My working titles tend to start as just the overall theme of the book. The first working titles of my three active projects were Victorian Pulp, Pop Nostalgia and Haunted Mansion. Only the very nearly completed one has its final title, the other two have evolved into middle stage, being now a song phrase and the name of said haunted mansion respectively.

 

Dude, it's amazing, I know literally every scene in the book -- and yet!! It always stresses me out to hear Tolkien being like 'I start with a title' . Like, man, I would looove to start with a title like 'lOrd oft he fUCKING RINGS' oh my god

 

Haha! I hate it DD

 

I just counted.... i have a list of 33 possible titles for 1 WIP.... 2 of those i sort of/kind of like

 

I always hate those titles which are like 'No Way Home' or 'Homeward Bound'. Like, excuse me while I go and uncurl my toes.

 

If it's just a working title you can literally use anything. Here: Mister Happypants Goes to Town. You're welcome. Or—

• Cool New Story
• The Epicenter of Reductivist Evasions
• Vampire Story
• The Dark is Scary
• Hand Me my Other Shoe Braithewaite

 

Loving the last one. Braithwaite, hand me my other shoe, you fucking imbecile wreck.

 

typed in the 2 titles from my list into amazon to see if there were other books with that name. so far, only 1 title popped up that was a variation of the title i have on my list