As was said, tying the series of books together with: "The Order:" is a solid idea. Tarvoss isn't that bad. Easy to say. Alptraumkatze, on the other hand, might move folks away...click on something else. Remember, the title is a marketing tool. You're novel will often be selected for a closer look based upon the title and the cover. While an author's name can be a major influence as well, not so much if you're not well known. If a reader sees Alptraumkatze and is a bit confused, maybe they'll look closer, but my gut says they'll move on to another thumbnail or click to another page. As it's early in the project, just select one as a working title. You may come up with something better, or begin to narrow it as you near completion.
Alptraumkatze is a name! lol. Or to be precise an Alas. So the title is in a sense. Return of Certain Character. So your counter suggestions don't really fit the current theme. Yeah you make a point. Funny enough though that point may work as a plus not a minus. That project title is probably the least stand alone. Not to say it isn't stand alone. Rather much of my work references the character codenamed Alptraumkatze. So it may have a lot of appeal to someone familiar with that character and less appeal to someone who doesn't know the character. This could work in my advantage. And of course you make a point. A title can change at any time. If publisher goes. "We accept it if you change the title" then the title is a changing. lol
Hi there, Thank you in advance for opening this new thread! I am currently in the early stages of writing my first book... But I've fallen at the first hurdle! I cannot think of a good title?! I will write a brief plot summary below and if any of you can comment some titles you think is suited to the plot summary, that would be fantastic! Thank you. (insert title here) is a heartbreaking tale of a small town teenager with big city dreams. Tristan has always dreamt big, and he is desperate to achieve. After a brutal breakup, he abandons his dysfunctional family and his education and heads for London. In a city where he knows no one and faces each crushing setback after the other, he slowly begins to spiral further and further out of control, and is forced to make some devastating decisions. With his friends & family pushed away, can anyone save him from self-destruction?
@BayView is correct, though for me it helps to have a working title so I know roughly what I'm writing about. It also helps to clear up clutter and potential confusion. "Wait, is this document labeled 'untitled' my fantasy or my gripping historical drama/thriller?" From what you've stated here, here's a title you might consider: Broken London.
Find a metaphor. Preferably something used in your book. Harper Lee did this with To Kill A Mockingbird. Hemingway did this too, in a rather elaborate fashion. He wouldn't decide on his titles until he was done with the manuscript, then he'd go through books of quotations and grab titles from there. The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom The Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not, etc. These are all adaptations of quotes he found in books. But I agree with @BayView and @Link the Writer: It's perfectly okay to use a working title for now. You do not have to settle on a final title when you're just getting started. You're trying to write a novel, and that's a thousand-mile journey. Don't let a minor stumble on the first step stop you!
Thanks guys! This is great. I haven't done any writing for a while... Just so I can check before I make any mistakes... If I am writing the contents of a text message, how would that be written? With speech marks? For example, let's say the text says "You look lonely" How exactly would that be written on paper?
Titles and first chapters are often easier to write once the book is already well along. Welcome to the forum. I can't tell from a synopsis if I'd enjoy a book. I need to read the first few pages (and sometimes more) as well. Don't worry if people like the synopsis. If it's the story you want to write, write it and make it enjoyable to read.
I like the idea. It's my kind of story. As for title, don't worry. I'm up to my fourth for my WIP. They come and go as you write. Something will occur to you eventually. For now, just call it something simple like London Blues. A shit title, but something.
Definitely. If anything else, it'll prevent confusion on where a specific story is in the sea of WIPs.
That's a tough one that I've had to confront myself, because historically typed dialogue hasn't played as large a role in people's lives as it does today with text messaging. I've been treating them like I would written letters - separate line, block quote indent, italics, no quotes. (Granted the block-quote indent doesn't really make muck difference as a text message usually isn't going to run you more than one line). But I'm assuming you could do it with quotes too - but that could be a bit confusing, like when I had a scene when a character was receiving texts from another character while talking face-to-face with a third character.
The text thing - I have no idea. I haven't seen it in novels. But I read a lot of vintage stuff. If you could find a novel that does it and the publisher is a big name then I'd just follow what they're doing. YA might be a good place to browse for the technique. As for the title issue. I either come up with a title right away or I stick on a temporary title. I used to stress little things like that but the little things can drive you nuts and waste your time. The worse thing to do is force it. I've forced some and they always left me unsatisfied and wishing for something better yet, at the same time reluctant to let them go because their was so much time invested in them. No I just wait until something pops out at me. I've found some in lines of dialogue, slang, and verbal twists.
All my speech is in double quotation marks so for text messages, I use single quotes, bold type and a font which is sans serif, such as arial. (My main body of text is in a font with serifs) As for titles, give it a working title, anything you like. Tristan's Journey, anything but as you write and work on it, a title will come to you. Probably when you least expect it.
I just use working titles: Coriolis Effect, Tulips and Butter, Shuteye, and That Nonfiction Thing I'm Going To Write. Yes, I have too many projects, and yes, that last one really isn't very catchy.
I loved the synopsis. I would say throw down a working title for now (who cares what it is) and just write. That type of story is going to end up giving you some great modern day talismans as your progress through your tail and those will end up being fantastic inspirations for titles. Does he have a pub/bar he licks his wounds in after all these setbacks? Does he have a road, or a tube stop, or park that features heavily? He's leaving a small town, can you use that in the name "Casting off Clovelly" "Winchester Wanderer" As for the texting thing, John green did it a bunch in A Fault in Our Stars which was very well regarded. So it may be a place to look at how to lay out text messaging. (that book also give an example of how naming can come about naturally as you write. That title is based on a shakespeare quote that gets used in the book).
I always have a working title for my projects, but they are just functional until something occurs to me, and I often go through several iterations before I hit upon something I like. So, for example, the historical novel I am currently querying started out as simply Cuba. Fairly early on, I decided that the focal character would be named Rosa, and I immediately changed my working title to Rosa. I finally settled on Rosa's Secret.
This can be a title for a novel, short story, poem, etc. I was just interested to hear everyone's personal favorite they have created. I think the best title I've ever created is either Tough Crowd (a book about a comedian) or Marching Orders (my current WIP about the Vietnam War). Both are double entendres that make sense once the book is read in its entirety. Anyway, let's hear yours.
I liked the short story I won one of the flash fiction contests with, "Severance Package." It was about an employee that showed up naked in front of his boss and his family.
Only have one trilogy planned, so can't really claim my best title there, however I came up with (what I consider) a cool name for some cycling coaching +/- utility software: Velonium.
Whenever I offer people some of my stories to read, the title they always seem to pick is Jeremiah Crowlock And The City Of The Clockwork Sun, so I guess that's got to be up there.
