Titles are NOT important

[Ludera]

Zechs Merquise

Ludera

Don't feel bad, it could be worse. You could have made a "plz hlp me with my title its rely hard 2 come up w/ them" thread as a newbie. And at least you've made one, I've been here four years (collectively)--scratch that I've been here since early 2004--and I have not one topic--I am also lying about this, since I forgot I trolled Life Issues that one time--to my name. Er, many names.

I've been her since '03. xD The last line was poking fun at myself and far from being serious.

Daaamn you're old.

[A Madness Shared by Two]

I agree. Even the most famous works have unimpressive titles. I tend to look at the cover art more.

[ColliJik]

Sometimes I think of a phrase that sounds pretty neat to me and I base my story around that and make it my title. If that's not the case though, my title generally doesn't come until after the whole story is complete.

[Nothinghead Disease]

I usually don't name them until the end, simply because I can never come up with them until I've reread and edited - in other words, after I've thought about it an awful lot. It's not a priority to me as I'm composing. I usually make a folder named for the main character while I'm working, and call the documents "Chapter X" or "Full Story So Far" or something.

Only once or twice has the perfect title just come to me randomly. That's always nice, though. smile

[Dootsie]

It's almost guaranteed that whatever title you choose, a publisher will try to convince you to change it.

Why? Because unless you're a marketing pro, your title is probably not going to sell your book.

You may find it clever or cool-sounding, but it's probably either already been used or not good enough to draw in someone who isn't already intimately familiar with the characters and or plot.

[edward_sledge]

Dootsie

It's almost guaranteed that whatever title you choose, a publisher will try to convince you to change it.

Why? Because unless you're a marketing pro, your title is probably not going to sell your book.

You may find it clever or cool-sounding, but it's probably either already been used or not good enough to draw in someone who isn't already intimately familiar with the characters and or plot.

I've had two novels and two short stories accepted by publishers, and have not had a title change suggested on any of them. Just saying.

I don't worry about titles until the story if finished, and then I pull my hair out trying to think of something that isn't stupid. I prefer one or two word titles with double or triple meanings, so it's not like I have high standards. </sarcasm>

[Insane_Flamingo]

I fail at coming up with titles just as I fail at coming up with character names.
All my stories are "01", "02", "03", etc.

[meggiewes]

I have two reactions to titles.

When I am writing myself, I feel the same way. I know the title will change over time and I don't stress out over it at all.

It is just, during school, your teachers seem to obsess over the title of your work. You need to have it titled or else you will get points taken off. It annoys me to death but I have to play by their rules for now.

[Desi the fuzzy fluffhead]

Titles and you.

My titles when I first start writing my story are always just little bits of the story that I think will catch attention:
EX:
What Mr.Fluff Doesn't Know
The Fear of Cats

How you feel about titles: before, during, and after writing.

My first serious attempt at writing something actually was the result of writing down random titles. ( Quick to Laugh: Quick to Kill.) I eventually hated that title and went on to title it The Fear of Cats.

After I've chosen something I think might work I continue writing.
After I despise the title and wait for something to pop in my head.

Why my first topic on gaia ever is a stupid one

Is this your first topic?




.

[Mel2288]

Congrats on your first thread. It's not as stupid as you think. And I agree with you. Titles are not anywhere near the most important thing about a book, at least while you're writing it. Sometimes I have a title right at the beginning, sometimes one pops up while I'm writing; I don't worry about it much. I'll have a title when I have a title. No rush.

[The Original Jbird]

Agreed.
I have a list of awesome titles, but I can't ever come up with a story for them.
It'd be working backwards.

[Raincrow]

I'm s**t at titles, so I just don't bother. I used to agonize (to myself, mostly, thank the Powers) over what to call a story (and characters, too), until I realized it was a silly thing on which to waste my energy. These days I only title things when I absolutely have to, usually when a professor demands I turn in a project titled something other than "UNTITLED." I got through my entire senior year of high school using irrelevant show tune lyrics as titles for my essays. (The one on the evils of the meat market titled "Who is the Scarlet Pimpernel?" got a written comment from the teacher: "I've been wondering this since the first day of class." ) And the journals I had to turn in concerning my experiences as a library aide were "The Scientific Journal of Dr. H. Jekyll."

On a more relevant note, I've been calling my novel "My One Story Idea" for nearly five years. The original filename was "The Actual Story," and now that I'm re-writing it with each chapter as a separate document, it's all just "Chapter 1" and so on. My friends have nicknamed it MOSI. I do have a proper working title for it, but it kind of feels unlucky to use that name until I've finished a full draft. Like how actors aren't supposed to practice their bows until they've earned it.

Also, I like to use C.S. Lewis as an object lesson: He was crap at titles. If his publisher hadn't demanded something else, The Horse and his Boy would have been called either "The Desert Road to Narnia," "Over the Border," or "Cor of Archenland," and The Silver Chair would have been either "The Wild Wasteland," "Nights Under Narnia," "Gnomes Under Narnia," or "News Under Narnia." Think on that a while.

[Surrosian]

In some cases, you're wrong. More than one book I've written was inspired by a title I came up with off the top of my head. Without that title, I wouldn't have had a book.

xD

[xX1Haruno_Sakura1Xx]

LOL yeah that's why i earased the title of my story. maybe i should do the same with the chapter titles...? im not sure abotut that razz

[Sabner]

{Have fun with that...}

I end up choosing my titles once I think through the story. My titles are usually some word significant to the story in some way. I've never changed them afterward either.