Re: Titles
Quote:
What it would do would be ask you a number of questions about your book, then ... you click on the "Title" button and it ignores what you just typed in. It just prints out a random line from Hamlet. (Coleridge, and the various Restoration poets also give good title.)
The bible also gives good titles, if you know where to look. But if you want to use Shakespeare, Coleridge, the bible or poets to generate a title, then you're going to have to read them...
As to titles: I started writing my novel under the rather boring title of "High Queen of the Elves," which was good enough for me at the time. My beta readers weren't given a title, and neither asked for nor suggested one.
Now that I know what the novel is about, and that there will be two more to finish the complete series, I have two possible titles. The first, "A Time to Seek," comes from Ecclesiastes. The second is "Y-Manit," which is the title of the main character in the book (elvish equivalent of empress).
My question to Uncle Jim is this: I read in a writing book that when choosing a title, one should not use "made up" words. However, I've also read Steven Brust's books: "Jhereg," "Yendi," etc. He obviously doesn't agree with this particular author. What is your take on this? Is it a more acceptable practice in fantasy than other genres, or should I stick with the biblical title when submitting the ms.?
Ruth