I often start with a title then come up with a story
I'd love to hear how you guys created your titles,
Famous last words there
HH (not to be confused with Jazz's Harmony Hill) is a great case-in-point -- decades ago, I came up with the title and then thought up a story.. but later massively changed the story, genre, etc, while keeping the title. The name refers to the central creature/mystery.
LH uses the same "H". Again, it focuses on the central figure/mystery. I might've come up with the title first, but I already had the idea for a major reveal prior to that and I *think* the villain was added after the fact.
HC also uses the "H". My original plan was for the title to refer to a series of mysterious events, but by the end it would take on a different meaning... but then I changed a few things so it's mostly just that other meaning. I think this title might've been a bit harder because it sequentially felt off and less distinct.
KC is a bit on the nose. Can't remember if I had the title first, but it alludes to the magic system, among other things.
HHH I had the title for relatively early, but I might've had other story elements first. It started wanting to write a horror novel and then deciding on a ghost story for that novel. Although I'd wanted to write the thing within a certain time-frame, I missed the target but it still wound up being my fastest draft (88k words in 19 days)
LV (or TLV) was a struggle. I had the idea back around the time of either HH or LH (along with the idea for KC). However, the idea started with the magic system and slowly grew from there. The placeholder name was V___ Saga (or Song?), but then I think Saga would work better for the series... which I probably won't ever finish because I hate that book.
SLS started its life as HG, which I'd thought would go from the singular HG for book 1 to a plural HG for the series, a la The Hunger Games. However, before posting the query here, I began to think about alternate names again (because the book was inspired by a premise/concept rather than a title) and settled on SLS, which both sounds more YA, kinda alludes to the concept, and -- perhaps best of all -- it has a "Seven" in the name while being the seventh novel I drafted. So a good name I was attached to became a far better name.
GD / D I had the idea then needed a name... and the names will likely change. The original was a pun, but it looks like a typo. The other thought is used by a much more famous author. The core name works in terms of conveying the concept, but... eh.
STMHB is an example where I had the idea years earlier but no name attached (and couldn't remember what I'd meant to call it). I'd been tempted to name it for the previous home from which the werewolf was banished -- which would be a fine name -- but it didn't suggest werewolf. Instead, I worked the title into the book at places, which gives it a somewhat upmarket feel... although the prose is less poetic.
FJ is one I've referred to as "X-Mas Slasher" or "XMS" (where the X is fitting since it was the tenth book overall). The concept is decades old and it wound up being aged down, among other changes. Another change is the title, which was going to be longer and refer to something the town crank would say, a quotation that became the club's slogan. Within the book itself, the teens goof marking a scene and the press seizes on it as the perpetrator's name, which is the name then associated to the serial killer... and I just went with that for the title.
Speaking of ten, jfc, have I only got through ten names so far?
RRWARB was something that I just liked the sound of. The idea for the setting was older, but I just had an idea for the setting and I liked a particular word that really embodied that setting. Then the title is an ominous-sounding reference to the central mystery around whether or not the titular character existed.
RDIAA the story was had years ago, with the set-up coming from a dream. The name was somewhat inspired by stuff like John Tucker Must Die where it references the character and describes what the character is like... as well as the amount of cursing in the book. However, it'll possibly be changed down the road.
MMCC / MP had the idea begin with a cartoon pig (and a concussion). Although it was always meant to involve a kids show and mascot costumes, the cartoon portion was going to played up. However, just CC because the name is used in other things, so I had the MC's name added to the front so it'd be MM *in* CC. But the cartoon element kinda got small so it needed a different name. I finally settled on the name of the fictional kid's show, which *sounds* like it could be a kid's show and there might be a dark undertone.
FGI the inspiration came a little before the name. Basically, I had the setting long before the story and the story wound up influencing both the world and setting. The title sounds magical and ominous, but it might not be a great fit for MG fantasy.
BB Worm has two names. One seen in QLH which makes sense as a standalone and the BB refers to the town for the other. Considering the story is based (loosely) on a legend, there was really nothing else that made sense... and yet it might wind up having "Worm" tweaked to something else.
MM was settled on because "Mazes & Monsters" was "taken" by a movie. So, being the clever cookie that I am, I thought "What about Mazes and Minotaurs?" but that, too, was taken (this time by a RPG system). As you've probably guessed, the name is inspired by D&D (which inspired both things that took the names I wanted). What you might not have realized is I wanted something I could potentially trademark and use for an actual game (for either merch or marketing). Anyway, the final name stayed within the ballpark but had to lose the "& / and"
TTHM is the first book I really struggled to title. I wound up asking for advice on the brainstorming board. Unfortunately, several titles I'd considered either had a book out by that (which, while not a deal-breaker, kinda showed the book's title was associated with other genres) or had logistical issues. However, it's about trees that eat people, so I kinda went with something that made it clear while somewhat referencing a campier horror movie.
CCC I went back and forth on. I'd wanted to do one with an evil circus, but during planning I came up with a central figure and built things around her. The name kinda sets expectations.
WWWRH was an example of having the name then coming up with the story. It's tied to RRWARB which *also* didn't really really have a story until around the time I named it, except this was just the setting. And it's a title I really, really love -- once that might inspire curiosity... although it's probably not closely aligned with the genre.
MMM! was really the first thing I could think of when naming this mannequin-themed horror story. Again, it kinda says what it is. Also, as you've probably guessed, I'm really into alliteration.
...alright, that's twenty down. Only a few more to go. Not going to do the short stories because this is already taking a minute.
LP refers to the titular location. Back when I was coming up with ideas for HHH, the idea of a horror story involving an old west theme park came to mind (possibly as a novella... or maybe I later thought of it for a short story?). This may or may not have been before seeing the stuff about Action Park, but the park's name was inspired by the nature of Action Park and its nicknames. However, if I just did the nickname, people would think I meant Action Park.
DH / DHSDH - It's literally about a girl who has recurring dreams about a house. In that sense, it's very much on the nose. However, it might need changing because it doesn't necessarily scream horror. (Meanwhile, nightmare would be both cliche and kinda inapt.)
For the last two, I'm just saying the damn name.
Mister Nobody was POSSIBLY an example of me having the name before the idea. The two were very close. This was supposed to be the second book in my YA anthology series (an hour that went to MMCC) but kept getting delayed because I was daunted by the large cast. In fact, I'm reasonably sure the idea goes back earlier than that, but it wasn't fleshed out. The story's poem was different and played on a pun between "nobody" and "no body." At any rate, the title refers to the antagonist. Although it's horror, the name doesn't strongly signal that.
The Way is my WIP, which right now just consists of a small amount of free writing to get an idea for the voice and a bunch of planning. It's the name for now and it's a good name. Within the book's context, it's tied into both the cult and the books the MC is reading. The alternate name -- which might be catchier -- involves two key elements from the story which have a stark contrast.
...and, in hindsight, I guess I could've just highlighted the YA ones. However, all but 6 are YA.
or any tips you may have for coming up with a good one!
Generally speaking, you'll want to look at your genre and prevailing trends.
A good title should:
-Signal genre and/or tone
-Be descriptive in some way
-Be memorable
As a general rule, titles imply promises. If somebody picks up a title that sounds like horror, they expect it's going to be horror. If they pick up something that sounds like a romance, they expect romance. For instance, if you hear "Silver Bullet," your first assumption is likely either werewolf or western. Blood Runs Cold? A thriller or horror set in a cold environment. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Something insanely quirky. A Cure for Wellness? Take a guess
(Also, that's among my all-time favorite titles)
Personally, I'm also a fan of alliteration. It's a shortcut to making something a little more memorable and helping it stand out. Many great works of fiction have used it. However, if everything started doing it, then you'd blend in.
