How do you create a capturing title?

[Green eyes]

:Shrug: I've been nearing the end process of finishing my fantasy literary work, but what has been tickling me to death is how to create a title that fits. I want something powerful, something that will hopefully urge the onlooker to be captured with intrigue. Everyone tells me that my titles sound too close to Tolkien, or C.S. Lewis's books. I want to tell them to give me a break, but I'm not one to discredit criticism. What's the best way to come about a title? And is it possible for a title to be too long or too short?

[Cleopatra Jones]

Good question. The titles of my article often end up sounding too practical or too cute.

[Stressed]

:

Everyone tells me that my titles sound too close to Tolkien, or C.S. Lewis's books. I want to tell them to give me a break, but I'm not one to discredit criticism. What's the best way to come about a title? And is it possible for a title to be too long or too short?

Sounding like Tolkien and C S Lewis might not be a bad way to go considering their recent success! ;)

[JuliePgh]

I'm not trying to self-promote here, but I did write an article on creating the best title for your piece. The name is "What Every Writer Needs To Know About Titles." The article takes you through the process. If you're interested, you can find it on Writing-World, http://www.writing-world.com/basics/titles.shtml

[aka eraser]

Every title for an unsold work is just a working title anyway. Unless you're self-pubbing or going with a vanity, the publisher usually titles the work, (sometimes with input from the author - if you've tweaked your contract to reflect this).

If I understand correctly, the OP is talking about a book-length work which would make this thread more appropriate for the Novel Writing board. I'll punt it over there.

[kikazaru]

Here's a "Fantasy Title Generator" site for you. You may not find what you are looking for, but it is kinda fun to do.
http://nine.frenchboys.net/novel.php

[maestrowork]

Picke three nouns and two verbs that describe your book, then mix and match. :)

[Vuligora]

This is an interesting question, since I usually do the title first, based upon the idea. It sort of floats to me from thin air. In addition, I actually have come up with titles without a story attached that had a sort of mystique that allowed me to come up with an idea. Anyway, as for finding a title, it should fit the "feel" of the book. Example:

If you "feel" your book as sort of a juicy secretive being hiding behind the cover, you may want a title that will leave the reader having no idea what the hell you mean and so they pick it to figure out what on earth such a strange word has to do the book. I have this alot. And a sugestion. Don't tell the reader too much in the title. Personally, I usually don't like to read books with titles with this little symbol ":"

Ex: MyRON:lORD OF THE uNDERWORLD

It feels too much like those lame video games and bugs me alot. I try to use simple, mysterious titles that explains very little but catches the novel's "feel"

[TwentyFour]

Picke three nouns and two verbs that describe your book, then mix and match. :)

Good advice, it works better than some off name title with nothing to do with the book. I hate those.

[Pike]

I feel naming a piece is similiar to naming a child. You try and find something that echoes the story, whether it be a simple word or a phrase that you, and the reader, can relate to. R.A. Salvatore's dark elf books have titles that hold meaning to the story's theme. In Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, she uses a prominent place in the book where a majority of the action takes place. To each his own I say.

[Rambling]

Here's a "Fantasy Title Generator" site for you. You may not find what you are looking for, but it is kinda fun to do.
http://nine.frenchboys.net/novel.php

Curse you. I tried it, and now I want to write books that match *those* titles, instead of my current WIP.

"The Stone Child"
"Rune's Empire"
"The Sword of the Spell"

[Albedo of Zero]

Let yourself finish the work...the title may just come up and bite you in the ----

[Jarsto]

I don't generally put a lot of thought into my titles. That may change once I feel I've polished something enough to start sending it out, but for now I give titles using a relatively simple system. Generally the title for me is a couple of words describing something or someone in the book.

My current WIP has the working title Lightning, and the alternative title The Abyss. Lightning is the name of the spaceship aboard of which most of it takes place. The Abyss is the unofficial name for a region of space that will be home to some major plot points. My last WIP (up until a few days ago) has the working title Flame Dancer, which describes both the MC and the magic users in that particular fantasy world in general.

I'm not as familiar as I probably should be with recent work in other genres, but in science fiction and fantasy a lot of titles seem to be short descriptions of:
a) the MC
b) the setting or an area of importance
c) some central event, quest, or theme.

[Ronni]

Let yourself finish the work...the title may just come up and bite you in the ----

I agree here. As I'm writing, title ideas usually pop up. I don't sweat it otherwise--just call it UNTITLED or name it after one or two major characters.

[Mike Coombes]

And don't get attached to your title - the publisher may decide to change it.

[Jamesaritchie]

I can't write anything, novel, short story, or grocery list until I first have a title I like. I generally use a trick that came from Ray Bradbury, which is a list of nouns and a list of verbs. I don't usually like long titles, but have used a few.

I also take titles from poems and the like.

I'm not sure how important a good title is on a manuscript, but it can't hurt. Anything that attracts attention in a positive way has to be good.

Fot me, since I always have a title I like before I start writing, the story reflects the title. In fact, the title itself often generates the story. I've found it helps.

I think knowing a good title when you find one is probably a knack. Editors generally leave my titles alone, so I must be doing something right. It may be that because I have the title first, and because the title often generates the story, and never fails to influence the story in some way, the title is left alone and is considered good because it's always appropriate to the story.

[Julie Worth]

I've read an interview where an editor couldn't get past a title. And for sure, if you sent something titled An Even Smaller House on the Prairie, Also in Kansas, most likely that would make a bad first impression. Best to come up with a name that's got winner all over it. Doesn't matter if it's not the final name, but at this stage you need all the oomph you can muster.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I am awful at titles. It is my weakest link. Most of my titles are either the name of the protagonist, or the name of a significant place in the story, or some such blather.

My current WIP is titled after my main character's "profession" because I couldn't come up with a better title. I'd love to call it, "The Dragons of Atlantis" except for the fact that that knowledge isn't known to the reader until near the end of the book and it's supposed to be a surprise and a mystery up until then. It would be like naming a mystery, "The Butler Did It."

[Ronni]

I can't write anything, novel, short story, or grocery list until I first have a title I like.

I'm that way with names. I HAVE to like the names of the mc/narrator before I can continue. It has to be the RIGHT name.

The grocery list thing is kind of weird, though. ;)

[kikazaru]

Curse you. I tried it, and now I want to write books that match *those* titles, instead of my current WIP.

"The Stone Child"
"Rune's Empire"
"The Sword of the Spell"

Hee! Sorry about that. I'm also very fond of the random name generators. You can set the generator from common to obscure, and it comes up with some real doozies.

[Green eyes]

Thank you for all of your suggestions!:snoopy: They work, and I feel that I have found a title that matches my book. But what I should have been more clear on, is that the title must be able to fit three books. It's actually...a series or trilogy, as you may call it. Sorry I was so vague, but still your suggestions helped. I just need to find a broader title that fits all of the books that I am writing. Sorry. Could you still help me out on this one?

[James D. Macdonald]

The title should be neither hard to spell nor embarrassing to say aloud.

Beyond that: Consider shorter titles first.

And remember, the book gives power to the title, not the other way around.

[narselon]

My current WIP has a working title Myth, as the story is about a world ruled by Gods of myth. I've recently thought about changing the title to the name of the first chapter. Marginal Prophet. It is catchier and refers to the two main characters. The protagonist is a struggling stock broker while the other character is a false prophet. The only reason that's keeping me from changing it is that you have no idea what it means at first glance.

[Jonny Ryan Mac]

I built my whole MS around my title, it was a bit easier as I had an idea of what it meant to the story. I think that if you have an agenda in mind when you begin, it becomes a lot easier to formulate the title at that momment. But god only knows, perhaps it will change.