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Titillating Titles The dictionary says titillating means "to excite" or "arouse." Writers want their work to excite or arouse the interest of the editor, whether the work is a story, essay, poem or article. Therefore it stands to reason that the more intriguing the title, the more interest an editor will bestow upon the piece. This is true of e-mail as well. Think of the subject line as your moment to shine, to get your foot in the door, to pique the interest of the editor enough to open and read your story. Imagine that you are an over-worked, under-paid editor. On your desk sits at least two zillion and one manuscripts that you must go through, searching for that elusive gold straw in the haystack of mediocre writing and terrible syntax. The title is the first thing that catches your eye. Would you rather read "Untitled, A Story by A. Scribbler" or "Wild and Wacky Weekends with Wilma by F. Amos Author"? "The Silk Robe" is much more eye-catching than "My Mother’s Story." Titles that tease the imagination are much more likely to get noticed. Over the last few years I have been writing and submitting short stories, essays, poems and articles. Many editors have complimented me on my writing and my inventive titles in particular. One commented "clever title" about my still-unpublished story "The Devil’s in the Rewrite." How do I choose titles? Sometimes the story will suggest the title, other times I try several before hitting on one that flawlessly portrays the piece. "Blood Relative," my first published fiction story, tells the tale of a possibly murdered young woman. Her brother’s ghost returns to give her the second chance he was never given. Thus, the title suggests to the reader that perhaps the ties of blood are stronger than the grave. Another example is "Rain on Vacation," a poem about the adventures of a little girl and a tiny frog. Calling it "The Frog" would give away the surprise. Alliteration has proven highly effective for me. I choose words with the same beginning letters or sounds, especially for articles, such as "Garage Sale Guru," "Confessions of a Coupon Queen," or "Kudos to Kindergarten." Take the subject of your story and list possible words with the same beginning letters. You could come up with some surprising combinations to catch the tired eyes of the next editor who sees your work. Other titles are a play on words, like "The Purr-fect Pussycat," "Oops! My Dot-com is Showing!," or "The Write Path." Your spell-checker might tell you it’s wrong, but sometimes ya just gotta break da rules. On occasion, a great title will pop into my head before the story. Then I try to devise a story around it. This happened with "Broken Hearts and Falling City-Girls," a variation on a line I heard in a song about broken hearts and falling stars. Another title was "Shadow Illusions," which Dark Angel Rising recently accepted. This story started out as a definition in my Roget’s Super Thesaurus. [The phrase it defined is just as beguiling: Spectre of the Brokken.] If you are lucky or poetic enough, rhyming your title is a sure attention-grabber. My article about finding an inexpensive wedding dress is titled "Spend Less on Your Dress." It is currently making the rounds. There is no great mystery to producing a stupendous title. Lots of practice and following these hints will hone your skill at choosing the superlative handle for your latest masterpiece. A story with a titillating title will definitely stand out in the sea of submissions and, with any luck, earn you a sale. "Bypass Blunders, Improve your Prose" by Shaunna Privratsky is a new e-book packed with real-world advice. Stimulate your writing and join THE WRITER WITHIN, your FREE source for immediately applicable articles and lucrative links. http://shaunna67.tripod.com |
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