Monday, March 28, 2011

You Shall Be Named . . . What?

Forgoing my regular Monday post full of catchup stuffs and nothing in particular, I'd like to move Writery Wednesday to today since Wednesday will be for Michael's HP Blogfest. You're welcome.

(Feeling much better this week! Thanks everyone for the well wishes! Got some pampering from the sweet hubs, lots of rest, and bunches of movies this weekend! ((Crazies, Red Riding Hood, Sucker Punch, Eat Pray Love, and the TV series Eureka!)) so feeling better.)

My damn-near finished novel has always had a name. It's what I have called it since I changed the main character's filler name(anna) to her permanent one. (My characters always have a filler name in the beginning until I settle. It's weirdly, usually always Anna. Except the newest idea's character is Annalee, for some reason. Weird, right? I don't even realize I do it when I'm furiously putting down a new idea before it's lost!)

ANYWAY, naming characters has never been a problem. I love the name hunt, actually.

But...book titles? Not so much...

I'm to the point that the title is becoming a problem. I know authors don't have the final say in titles, usually, but it's still important to have something good, appealing, attention getting, curiosity evoking, and memorable in the first place when you approach and agent. Can't just call the damn thing...My Damn Thing.(can I?)

So how do you do it? What is your method? Where do your titles come from? Do they just show up or do you have to brainstorm?

I'm not worried about finding my title. I know I will, I have some plans and some very creative and smart people with my back. I was just curious about how you guys do it!

 Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend and have a great week!

44 comments:

  1. For me book and story titles just pop up in my head, sounds easy, doesn't it. But, then I work hard on the stories. So, it kind of evens out.

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  2. I totally brainstorm for title ideas. You know I'm open to more brainstorming with you as well, should you need it.

    I wonder what your fascination is with Anna. Hmm. Do you know anyone named Anna???

    Wasn't the crazies creepy as shit??? WEIRD!!! And the ending...so.... UNHAPPY/UNFINISHED!!

    PS. I'd be okay with Faith's Damn Thing :P

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  3. Sometimes I get a title from a turn of phrase within the text. If there's a scene where something important is said, I'll take two or three words from a sentence to make up a title. I'm pretty crappy with them, and plan on coming up with snappier ones in the future :)

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  4. I feel your pain. I hate coming up with titles. HATE. I waited till I was finished with a 3rd or 4th draft before titling my novel. During one of my read-throughs of it, I pulled out words I used that fit the theme of what I was trying to say and came up with a title that way. I decided that, in the future, I will give my book a title before I begin so I don't get to that point! That's what I did for my current WIP :-)

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  5. For my first novel I actually had the title in my head before I had the whole story figured out. But for my next one, I have no idea. I have the idea (the dragon one) but I don't have a title. I guess every novel is different. I'm hoping one of us will have this super cool revalation about your title. Crossing my fingers!

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  6. Like Rachna titles come easy to me. Like Jess, sometimes they suggest themselves from the text.

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  7. I have a really hard time with titles. I feel they never fit what I've written.

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  8. In my so-called novel (in progress), I have borrowed all the character names from the member list of the San Antonio Rotary Club (don't tell them if you know anyone in that club that they may be bad guys in my story)

    Haven't got a title for the novel yet, but I have a couple of ideas >:)

    Cold As Heaven

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  9. I love the name Anna! It's one of my favorites.

    I get really stressed out when it comes to titling things. Ugh. My method is nothing special. I just write down as many words and phrases I can think of that pertain to the story. Then I wait a day or two and come back to it. Usually something from the list will be the one.

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  10. I have no advice, I have the hardest time thinking of titles and I do that to with characters. I always use the same names Kate and Oliver, until I settle on different ones. - Funny.

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  11. I usually use song titles. And then I google to make sure no one else has that title. I never have a problem finding any. Good luck!

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  12. I was told by a successful author that the title is often in the first paragraph. So give us your first paragraph and we could suggest some titles :O)

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  13. I can only get so far without a title... I don't know why. It's like the damn thing refuses to be written without a proper name, the same way you can't bring a baby home from the hospital without one. They usually just pop into my head out of nowhere - though I can't tell you if they're actually any good!

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  14. My first book title is a description of the MacGuffin. (Should I be telling you this?) My second book has a title related to the theme and location. I had to think about the first one for a week before I got anywhere. The second came to me while I was researching something else. Blog post titles just formulate themselves as I type. So I guess I don't have a real method. :(

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  15. Glad you're feeling better.

    The book I have out now, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, went through half a dozen names. I was never happy but couldn't think of a good name. Then I brainstormed, with my children and my critique group and new it had to be the title it is, because the flute, when played by my heroine, empowers the Treasures. What I didn't realize is how many people would have trouble pronouncing the name, Carmelidrium. But hay, it's a fantasy.

    The sequel was easy, the antagonist is Lord Sinon and it's all about his rise to power and how he gets there. What does he want? The Rise of Lord Sinon.

    I have a short story title: The Magic of Windlier Woods. I just had to invent a fun name for the woods since its a fun little story.

    The two novellas I'm working on are currently with a useful title that identifies them but will change.

    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium.

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  16. I did a post on this topic that you might find helpful: http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/2010/09/tempting-titles.html.

    I had to change titles once because I'd queried too early. Sixteen months later, after doing two major rewrites, I wanted to re-query at least a few agents. A new title was in order to make it clear this was basically a new project.

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  17. Ugh. I WISH I had any advice to give on titles. Too bad they're pretty much the bane of my existence. I mean, I do love brainstorming them, but coming up with that PERFECT one? Yeah. It has yet to happen for me!

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  18. I use filler names AND filler titles. Dark Forest? Pulled that one out of my ass. Truly. Not sure if the assname will stick. Prolly not. I have read soooo many things on how to come up with your title. I have spent hours on exercises. No. Help. Names? They come eventually (usually before the end of the first few chapters), but titles? Meh.

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  19. I wish I had better book title advice, but I pick mine by whatever comes in my head first that seems to fit. Or sometimes I have a song title from the playlist I write with.

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  20. I usually try to think of things that relate to the story in some way, whether literally (as in, objects in the story) or abstractly (what the characters are after, forces influencing the characters, etc.)

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  21. I write down phrases, themes, and ideas of my book to come up with a title. I just start mixing them around until they come up with something interesting but relevant to the book. Figuring out the title is one of the hardest parts for me.

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  22. This is so me. I have a really hard time coming up with them. I have no method and perhaps that's the problem, but I figure the title will probably change anyway. And I'm okay with that. :)

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  23. I read once where there's no copyright on song titles and they often have great resonance when looking for a book title.

    Denise<3

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  24. Look to see if there is a word or phrase that is continually repeated throughout the novel, say LUCIFER'S ORPHAN. Or look to see if you can think of a hook to grab the agent's weary eyes and attention : YESTERDAY I DIED. Hope that this helps in some small way. Roland

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  25. I am TERRIBLE at titles. My novel has a working title but for the life of me I can't come up with something that I'm 100% happy with. I'm trying not to worry too much until it's closer to being done. :)

    Funnily, I have a small list of "cool" titles, but no stories to go with. Figures.

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  26. I'm TERRIBLE at titles and names. They seem to be something I just naturally suck at. In an early draft of my book, I had almost every character name start with an 'M'. And I wondered why readers were confused!

    Why 'M', I don't know...

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  27. The titles usually come to me easily, but there have been a couple that have been more elusive. I had to brainstorm about the theme, important words in the story, important concepts, etc. and play around with the phrasing until I got one right. And...then I changed it. And...then I changed it again. Still kinda scratching my head on that one. Good luck to you!!!

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  28. It’s true it might be changed, but your right that we still need to come up with something intriguing the meantime. I’m the same way as you with character names – I do the same thing for the title. It’s called TITLE until something just hits me. It’s usually when the overall theme and mood come together.

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  29. Sometimes a title just comes to me. But my current WiP has no title, and I don't know what to do about it. I think My Damn Thing is a totally valid title. :)

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  30. Stopping by to thank you for your almost-vote today. My strategy backfired on me LOL!

    I'm on both ends of the spectrum with titles. Sometimes I know what it is before I even start. Other times it's WORK. I take phrases I like, themes, or scenes. Then, if need be I branch out and find synonyms of those words and mix and match until something catches.

    Good luck!

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  31. Sorry you were sick. Glad you're better. If I didn't have a specific name I picked out when I started a novel, I think my "Anna" would be Kate. I'd name every protag Kate. Titles? Well, since I've only started two novels I can't say I have a method. The first novel's title I'm sticking with. The other...not so much. We'll see. I haven't spent nearly as much time with that one. christy

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  32. I am bad at my own titles, but better at other people's. How about "Damn-Near Finished?"

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  33. I am catching up on commenting since I've been out of town on me and hubby's anniversary trip and he made me promise not to bring a computer.

    Yeah, names are hard. I make a list of key words for the important themes in the book and then mess with them until I find something I like.

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  34. My titles don't show up straight away. I sit down and do mad brainstorming, just writing down every word I can think of that relates, then words that relate to those, then keep going and going until I've got a ridiculous list. Then something usually shows up!

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  35. I usually have a filler title that I use as a filename until I find something that feels right. And even that is subject to change. Good luck finding your title, and let me know if I can be of any help. =o)

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  36. I stink with titles. I have a temporary title for my MS. Hoping as I revise I'll stumble upon a new one.

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  37. Hmmm, loglines and hooks I have a problem with. Titles, for some reason, seem to come pretty naturally to me.

    I think what I always do is try to find something unique about the story, maybe even a phrase someone says, and that snaps into my brain as the title. Sometimes I even have the title before I have the story all the way thought through. Go figure!

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  38. My problem is the other way around - I find titles quite easy, but names are another matter!

    The titles just seem to come to me as I'm writing the story. They can be a snippet of a sentence or just something that captures the theme.

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  39. Titles can be very frustrating. I usually name my stories very early in the process, even before I start writing them. Something about a title solidifies an idea and helps me narrow down themes. But titles have a way of changing throughout the process. My last three novels all underwent name changes after I started writing them, for one reason or another. I usually have a sense of what the title needs to be - a word or an image that just won't go away. Then I'll doodle interesting words on a piece of scrap paper, until the appropriate combination surfaces.

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  40. Titles are tough. Sometimes the right title comes out while I'm drafting, a certain sentence or phrase that just clicks, but most times it has something to do with the concept of the book and I usually have to brainstorm to find it. Good luck!

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  41. I just had the following word verify: manduck.

    Now for your post. I have no answer to the book title thing. I'm the worst book titler in the history of book titles. I challenge you to a title-off. :D j/k. I'm now reading the comments above in hopes of finding wisdom. <3

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  42. Glad to hear that you're feeling better. :-)

    Titles are a problem for me too. No amount of brainstorming helps. I only get the title when it shows up randomly.

    The title Doorways popped up when I read what I had written in order to catch loose ends.

    Maybe you can try that? (Just remember not to worry about it.)

    ;-)

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  43. Sounds like a restful weekend! (How are you liking Eureka, so far? Love that one, too!)

    I've actually had a lot of titles come to me at random, and then I write the story. Seems totally backwards to me, but it works in a strange way. I know you'll come up with something perfect! :)

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  44. If I can't think of a title, I try to find it somewhere in the text. Some clever little line...

    So, what did you think about the movie Red Riding Hood? I haven't seen it yet, but curious.

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