I often base a story on the title. In other words, I come up with the title before I even have the idea for the story. Then, sometimes, the story takes an unexpected direction, and I need to change the title.
My working title is often merely "Story 15", or something strongly equivalent to that. Sometimes, I already have an idea when I start. Most times, I don't.
I usually use a terrible working title.. Just 2 stories where I've liked the title enough to keep it from the start. However, one of those was the story I based largely on dreams and spent the whole time building up to the one particular image I had from the dream where I got the title from, and since I was writing towards it the novel never changed direction. The other one, was a short story and so I came up with a title for that when I finished it, but then expanded it into a novel, sticking to the theme set in the short story. Since the title was thematic rather than plot-related, I could keep the awesome title fairly confident I wasn't going to deviate too far from it. Although I did change one of the words in it from a brand name to a generic word. Oh, and the novel I just finished, it was the 5th or 6th draft and I finally said, "I can't keep using the working title!" and came up with a new one and wrote the whole thing knowing the title I'd chosen, although for the most part every time a word of it came out of my mouth I called it by the working title.
I'm terrible coming up with titles that fit or aren't lame. I usually just write, and don't worry about a title until I absolutely need one.
I always use a working title because it helps me to distinguish between stories and it makes them easier to talk about with other people. It also makes the project as a whole feel that little bit more official and organised. A short story I recently had published had the working title Eternal which was later changed to Persimmon Daydream following the completion of the first draft. My WIP was simply titled Lamb but became Black Lamb at over 100,000 words in once I realised that not only had the symbolism of the lamb become a recurring theme, but religious symbolism had too. One novel was simply known as TheStoryWithNoName until it became Summer's Gone 30,000 words in.
My writing teacher from back in the day also said he didn't like giving a story a title until he was done, yet he couldn't really work without a title either. So he began everything he wrote, no matter what it was about, "A story about a father and son". Never has he written a story where he kept that title either. Personally I usually name my stories pretty early on, and rarely see the need to change the title. It has happened, but more often than not, I base the entire story around the title. It's what keeps it all together and in check.
I find that having a working title eliminates my preoccupation with finding one. If I don't have any working title, I find that, as I write, I'm constantly pressing to include something in the work that will make a good title. Of course, that never works, as whatever I write as such seems forced.
A title for me has to have a significant impact. It's the first thing they see about your book and one of the main aspects they remember about it. A good title has one of the most important jobs, drawing readers to take a further peek at your work. As far as working titles are concerned, I don't mind them as long as it can give you some motivation to keep writing. The only issue I have with them is when writers try to modify a story around what they feel is a decent working title and sacrifice potentially good plot/character elements to do so. Sadly, one of the novels I'm currently plotting has a pretty crappy working title and I've been killing myself to come up with something as unique and interesting as the other ones on my list.
Every title is a working title until you submit the manuscript. You can always change it any time until then, and you should always leave yourself open to doing so. I usually have a pretty good idea what my title will be when I start writing, but I know that isn't true of everyone. Even so, I have changed titles on several occasions late in the process.
I've changed a title after I finished an entire draft once. But I usually don't change it once I settle on it.
Interesting to see that most people use some form of titling. It's nice to see a differing methodology
I'm writing a series (and going well too ). So far I've settled on 3 titles (though I have more stories than that), but I'm still not sure about the third book. So far the other three I've named are called in a pattern of Adjective, Mythological Creature... Not brilliant titles, but for a series it should be pretty basic and follow a pattern if you're going for the long run. Anyways, I've got stuck between two titles, neither of which follow the pattern exactly: Midsummer Dance or Midsummer Hunt. The two events (a sixth form prom (shut up this is meant to be hilariously cliché ), and the Wild Hunt) cross over and are both integral to the plot. The dance itself becomes a fairy thing as well, so both fit a sort of vague connected-to-fairies pattern I'm not too worried about. I just need to decide which one. Thing is, I raised this on another forum and a smart guy pointed out one is a very passive title and the other is extremely active (dancing verses hunting) and the connotations are wildly different. (yeah I was just thinking about fairies as per usual and this never occurred to me ) Bearing in mind this is the third book in a silly fantasy series and if it is published and I do get to keep my titles unmolested by publishers with smart ideas, people shouldn't get the wrong impression of it because context has already been provided (they'll be saying "Oh, the third book in the whatever-Melly-is-going-to-call-it-one-day series" rather than just seeing the title alone with no reference), so I'm not worried someone will think it's, like, a crime novel. What would be better? Another flowery title in a series which sounds ridiculously saccharine and adorable, all fairies and pixies, no matter what actually happens in the stories (in short, this book is about a power-crazed teenager (who's the first person narrator this month) who sold her soul to resurrect a dead god she's in love with, but fate keeps stopping her so this is the 3rd book and her maddest attempt yet, so not exactly a cute prom love story, no matter what I might try to tell the reader continuously throughout )... Or a title which actually reflects that this is my most vicious and strange character of the series (there are 4 main characters who take turns narrating book by book), and the dramatic side of the story rather than the comedic side. I really don't know. I like how they both sound, but most people may not think the same thing as me about the hunt being the fairy one, even in the context of a series about fairies... But "Dance" does sound ridiculously twee in comparison, and has even less to do with fairies, being the boring mortal side of the story. Aaaand talking about it still hasn't helped so now I actually have to post this thread. Sorry for the ramble - I hoped it wouldn't come to actually posting but just typing this might help
I prefer Midsummer Dance because of the flowery and loveliness of it. But I think considering what you've said about the story, Midsummer Hunt would probably be more fitting. I guess you've got to think which of the titles will attract your target audience best.
Don't mean to be annoying, but why? Hearing reasons helps more than a popular vote. A single person in favour of it, against twenty others, with a really good reason could swing it.
Disclaimer: fantasy is not my thing, so if there are special considerations for fairy-pixie thingies that I've missed, please feel free to ignore. If the dance and the hunt are equally important to the plot, then I think you are making a mistake by giving one prominence over the other in the title, and my vote would be for Neither. OTOH, I suspect that you are thinking that there is a connection between the two - that the dance is a metaphor for the hunt, or vice versa. If that's the case, I would decide which is the metaphor and give the other prominence in the title (i.e. if you view the dance as a metaphor for the hunt, go with Midsummer Hunt).
I'm with Ed and Preston. Hunt. Because from what you've described it seems to fit better (to me) and because sweet, flowery titles just annoy me
I think they both sound too much like "A Midsummer's Night Dream". Maybe change to wording so that they don't like "A Dance in Midsummer." That aside, I like Dance better because Hunt seems to give to much away.
Hi, If you've settled for a format of titles why change it? Without knowing the actual titles of the first two books, you said your formula is adjective, mythical creature eg dancing unicorn. I would say stay with that form. Hunt is not a mythological creature, but there is always Hern the Hunter, Diana the Huntress, and Orion and Actaeon. Cheers.
Don't worry about titles. They're mostly out of your hands. Most authors have little to no say in what the title becomes.
I guess, but if you present an eight book series and the titles rock for at least half of them, they can't possibly re-title eight books for craps and giggles. I have no opposition to them coming up to a name for the series as a whole because my mind isn't the best at marketing and I can't think of anything that fits, but my pattern is good at simple and the titles I have settled on are great, if occasionally a little flowery If you're gonna use the word "Midsummer" in a book about fairies, you're going to have considered Shakespeare. Don't worry, I've got it covered Also within the first page the main character is told, "You are going to go on the Hunt whether you like it or not" so I'm not worried about spoilers - telling the reader she makes it to the Prom would be a bigger spoiler. Heh, funnily I can't use that because the MC IS basically Diana or something. In the context of the story if I want to mention a goddess of the hunt it's her, so bringing up Actaeon or something would just confuse things. Ah well. I was thinking I could always call it Midsummer [whatever monster she ends up hunting] but I don't know what the monster is. I was going to have a wyvern but the next book is all about a dragon. I've been studying Medieval beasts but I'm still not sure which one to go for. Considering maybe even just having a traditional hunting beast that isn't a stag, such as a boar or something, but that's even less faerie than hunt or dance.
