For me, I’d have to say that book titles or short story titles are more difficult to create. Titles are the nicknames of story or plot. They are essential to grabbing a reader’s attention to purchase or actually read the story.
Can I come up with a perfect nickname—or title—right away? Nope! Sometimes a title comes to me as I start to create a manuscript, but more often than not, the title changes by submission time.
Titles need to be clear, concise, and direct to be of any use to both readers and writers. You want to make a reader stop and consider the subject or topic in your writing from the title. You are enticing the reader into your story, your pages, your book. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, titles need to encompass the meaning of your writing.
*I realize some literary titles may not conform to these ideas.*
Have you noticed that non-fiction titles are usually longer than fiction titles? I feel this is because non-fiction writers want to be clear about what is in their pages. Let’s take The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown as an example. This historical non-fiction title lets the reader know exactly when, where, and what will transpire in the pages of the book. [It’s a great book, by the way!]
I realize that many writers feel a short title is easier to remember than a long title. And that’s basically true, as long as the short title captures the essence of the story. Here are just a few titles I plucked from my shelf to show you how the titles encapsulate the story.
Louis Sachar’s YA novel Holes encompasses the main thrust of the story in the one word title. The reader [or maybe just me] immediately wants to know why the youth are digging all these holes in a desert. Is it just punishment or is there a deeper secret?
In Elizabeth George’s novel What Came Before He Shot Her, the whole story is literally about the days before the protagonist supposedly shot someone. In essence, it explains how the whole situation came about.
Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You is thematically a story about communication. In it the reader discovers the inner thoughts and lives of the characters that, unfortunately, they can’t seem to communicate to each other in the story present.
For my short stories, I tend to create shorter titles: Brotherly Love, Natural Instincts, and Emerging from Darkness, to name just a few. In those titles, the editor felt the story was encapsulated: brothers struggling to listen to each other; a protagonist understanding and thereby surviving in nature; a protagonist finally coming to grips with her past to be able to live her present.
In one of my non-fiction titles: Pedalers’ Express: Ocean to Ocean, the title tells the reader how [on bicycles] and where [from ocean to ocean] the journey takes place.
I could go on and on, but I’m sure you have thoughts on the purpose of titles and their construction, too. Please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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I struggle with titles. If it doesn't come to me right away, I'll need help finding one when I finish writing and editing.
Hi Victoria Marie – titles are so difficult … I struggle with posts sometimes … titling a book must be really difficult. Cheers Hilary
Titles so far have not been terribly difficult for me but the real test of is if the ones I pick will sell the book and draw in the reader.
I'm not sure why, but titles come to me more easily than names – as part of the initial concept or plot. Is that because the title is a starting point? However, your excellent IWSG post demonstrates that most successful authors choose very good titles.
I definitely struggle with titles. The manuscript I am working on now is just called New Story. I think that says it all.
Great explanation and examples of the importance and construction of titles, Victoria. They are so important, and I feel we need to get it right as writers, without knowing what “right” is. I have a hard time coming up with the perfect title, which I still haven’t decided on for my memoir. But, I do have about 100 options in my notes by now. 🙂
I find it frustrating that both MG but mostly YA books have titles that don't give me an inkling to what it's about. Sheesh. And they aren't mysteries either. And several over the past year all have the same word/s in the title. Talk about confusing!! 🙂
You're right that the best titles somehow encapsulate the entire book in a few short, engaging words. I don't have that gift, so I stand in awe of the authors who do! lol Holes is a perfect example.
Wouldn't this question had made a great poll so we could see the results at the end of it? 😀
Titles come to me when an idea pod plants itself in my brain. It sort of solidifies the crux of the story. But I write in the mystery genre, not literary fiction, so maybe that helps. It's the easiest part of the process for me.
My issue is that you want your title to be unique, and in this day of abundant publishing, that's truly difficult.
I think a good title definitely expresses the inner workings of the main them, in some way. Nice post on this! It helped me think through why my current WIP is having title issues. 🙂
I tend to keep my titles short as well. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Great insight into titles, Victoria. One other challenge is to make sure there is no book with the same title already in the marketplace. The shorter the title the more likely duplicates are going to happen.
I find titles important in short writing with a word count. The title can add information to the story without adding words. A reader starting off a short story already knows something about the story just be reading the title. Sometimes, after I finish reading a story, I go back to the title and have that ahh feeling because of the meaning the title highlighted.
I'm the same – mystery writer; idea + title. I start to struggle if there's no mystery.
Titles are hard, Alex. It's making sure they relay the proper genre, tone, and content that make them so difficult, I think.
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Make no mistake, creating titles to blog posts, essays, or short stories or books is extremely difficult. Like I explained to Alex above, the hard part is making the title match the writing.
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That is definitely the real test, Juneta. Bravo to you to even come up with ideas.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Roland. I truly appreciate them. Yes, successful authors do choose good titles. However, we are never sure how much help they had in creating them. I only know, like you, that my titles come to me as I begin a story, too.
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Yes it does, Natalie. Like I said, sometimes my initial titles change as the story grows. Like I told Alex and Hilary, titles are difficult to create.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Liesbet. I truly appreciate them.
Titles are tough. Bravo to you for having at least 100 options for your memoir. And no, we writers never know–beforehand–if our titles are "right" until after we see if the book is a success. Here's hoping for both of us!
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Titles can be confusing, Jennifer. It's just like they say about plots, nothing is ever really original. It's the spin writers put on both plot and title that make them unique. And searching the MG and YA book titles, I think you have a point. I'm all for interesting titles, but I like to have an inkling of genre or what the story's about.
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Thanks! Oh, and by the way, I also stand in "awe" of authors who can come up with the perfect title to make their books a success.
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Yes it would, Chrys. I'm enjoying other writers' answers to this question as well.
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Bravo, Roland! I love mysteries, or maybe I should say cozies. I can't do blood and guts. I think most mystery titles encapsulate the premise of the story well.
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Good for you, Lee! I also like how the "idea pod" plants itself in your brain. That's wonderful. Like I told Roland above, mystery writers have titles that truly capture the plot.
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It is certainly difficult, Crystal, to come up with unique titles with thousands of books coming out all the time. The trick, I think, is to keep it clear and true to your specific story and work like mad to market it.
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Thank you for your kind words, Tyrean. They are greatly appreciated. I'm so glad my post helped with your current WIP.
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Short titles can certainly help readers remember them, Anna, especially if the word or words get the reader thinking.
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When it comes to titles, it's understandable that they differ from fiction to non-fiction.
Having read both Holes as well as Everything I Never Told You, I have to say that both titles capture the story theme… perfectly!
I struggle with character names. My characters remain Mrs. B, Mr. X and Miss Y for a very long time.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Erika. I truly appreciate them. You are absolutely correct. After creating appropriate titles, writers do need to check to be sure the title isn't used elsewhere. Writers should always try to tweak shorter titles to make them more unique.
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This is so true, Dawn. Titles aren't included in the short story word count restrictions, so it is important to offer insight, mindset, genre indications, location, or any other information to help set the reader up for the story. As a writer, I like to ponder the title AFTER I finish reading a piece or book, too, to see how the writer came up with it and see how it connected to the story.
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They are great books, aren't they, Michelle? Fiction and Non-fiction titles are quite distinct in their construction, but both need to capture the story or information of the text. Character names are truly difficult. In fact, I think this whole writing gig is difficult. Maybe I should have been a doctor… Wait a minute. I don't like blood and guts. I almost forgot. Oh well, writing it must be.
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