Do titles drive you crazy?

When some people encounter the dense and complicated maze of book titles, they break into a sweat? Once upon a long time back, I was tormented and tortured by title trouble. I love writing, but when it used to come to choosing a title for my work, then, I would end up tearing my hair in frustration.

The titles of my stories and features would be a complete mismatch with its contents. My journalism lecturer in college constantly urged me to choose better titles for my articles and features. According to her my titles never did my writing justice. They were not catchy enough. This habit continued  even when I started writing for newspapers. Often the titles of the features and stories I sent were changed. And changed for the better.

I constantly wondered how other writers came up with such amazing titles. Jealousy and envy stabbed my heart whenever I read their titles.

To become title savvy, I plunged headlong into the world of titles. It couldn’t be that hard, I thought.  If few writers could achieve wonders with it, so could I. Whenever I read any articles or books, I pondered over the titles. Did it suit the story? What did it highlight? Slowly I transferred this detailed attention onto my work. What was I trying to tell my readers? What was the article/book all about? How could I sum up the work in a few words? What was the best way to convey what I had written? 

It was a tedious task, but eventually  I got the hang of it. Nowadays the title trauma no longer affects me. For the past several years, the editors have thankfully retained most of my titles. In my title quest, I have learnt several things about them.

           1. A title should  be like a teaser. It should arouse curiousity. Based on the titles readers  pick up books, or, read the articles and stories in newspapers. 

           2. Diving into the heart of the story to emerge with a suitable title is a great idea.

           3. Short and snappy titles have immediate attraction.

           4. Popular and catchy phrases work better than long and boring ones.

           5. Titles that have instant recall are seldom forgotten.

What about you all? Do titles trouble and torment you? Or are you the lucky ones who come up with winners? Do you have any title tips that you would like to share?

Tackling title trouble

I always have a title in mind, whether it’s a short story of 1000 words or a novel of 50,000 words when I start writing. Without a title in place I just cannot write. It’s like the titles open the flood gates of my mind and unleash my creativity.  With a title in place I have a clearer image of both the story and the characters. So far I have been lucky as none of my titles have been changed by either the editors or the publishers.

For my current WIP, about half-blood angels and devils, I do not have a title, not even a working title. I find this pretty restricting. I think I am spending more time brainstorming a title than working on the story.

Last month while exercising, a lovely title popped into my mind ‘Forever More.’ I spent the entire day basking in the warm glow of peace and happiness that the title had filled me with. I even decided that my title will have the words followed by ellipsis: ‘Forever More….’

The next morning unable to believe my luck at coming up with what I considered an awesome title, I googled it. My heart broke into a million pieces. A book by that name already exists. I even checked on Amazon. There are two books by that name.

 Now I am back to square one, unable to think of a title. This title trouble is driving me crazy. I know that the need of the hour is to write the first draft and not worry about a title. In good time a decent title will appear at my mind’s doorstep.

Are you all like me where titles are concerned? Do you all need to have a title in place before the words start spilling on to the  computer screen? Or can you all write an entire story without having any clue regarding its title? Does anyone have any suggestions for me where my title trauma/trouble is concerned? Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

             

           

How Do Story Ideas Strike You?

Story ideas strike me at the most unexpected times and in the least expected way. Whenever, anyone asks me how  do I get the Inspiration for my stories (in this case I am talking of the short stories I have written; around 60 stories ranging from 1000 words to 4500 words, which have all been published in newspapers and books), I wonder how do I explain to a non-writer how does this happen.

The Inspiration for my first book ‘The Lion Who Wanted to Sing,’ jumped into my mind while I was meditating. In that brief moment of calm, an image of a Lion gazing at the sky flashed into my mind.  The title too just popped into my mind as though someone had whispered it into my ear. The story idea just unspooled from that brief vision. And that vision became the book cover image.

Sometimes, I just see an image of a character or maybe two characters and the story starts frothing in my mind. Many times, I even start with a title which acts like a prompt and the story starts building around the title. I know it sounds strange, but that’s the way my brain gets its dose of Inspiration.

At times even a conversation with a writing friend on Facebook can trigger a plot point or unleash a story idea hiding in the back of my mind. At those times I am extremely grateful for the distraction provided by the internet; it becomes a blessing more than a nuisance. And I secretly bless the writing friend for her indirect inspiration.

Most of my chapter outlines fall into place with chapter titles that just pop into my mind as though someone was urging me to write about it. I just adore these flashes of Inspiration moments. I just wish they were more frequent and occurred at least once a day.

That’s why veteran writers talk about jotting down everything that is churned out by our mind: both the conscious and the Sub-conscious mind. We never know when these nuggets of gems may turn out to be the cues that can propel our writing to greater heights.

I know it’s different for every writer. We all have our unique ways of tackling our writing. Many writers I know see their stories in their dreams. I would love to know how story ideas approach you? Do characters come begging at your doorstep pleading with you to write their stories? Or do the story ideas fall into your head fully formed and you all just start writing? How do ideas strike you?

               

               

Does Choosing Titles Drive You Crazy ?

Has the dense and complicated maze of titles made you break into a sweat? Have you like me been tormented and tortured by title trouble, then, this post is just for you. I love writing, but, when it comes to choosing a title for my work, then, I end up tearing my hair in frustration. In the initial stages of my writing, titles use to drive me crazy, they would tie me up in tricky knots.

Right from my college days, my journalism lecturer (the first person to notice the complete mismatch of title and content) constantly urged me to choose better titles for my articles and features. According to her my titles never did my writing justice. This habit continued even when I started writing for newspapers. Often the titles of the features and stories I sent were changed. And changed for the better.

I constantly wondered how other writers came up with such awesome and amazing titles. Jealousy and envy stabbed my heart whenever I read their titles. Days later when I discussed this with a writing friend, she agreed. She too was tortured by titles. But her advice was something I just loathed. “I never give titles for my stories, the editor will anyway change it. So why waste time?”

I was extremely firm about not letting someone else choose titles for my hard work. It’s like allowing other people to name one’s children. That privilege should solely rest with the parents, and in the case of titles it’s the duty of the literary parents: the writers.

To become title savvy, I plunged headlong into the world of titles. It couldn’t be that hard, I thought. If few writers could achieve wonders with it, so could I. Whenever I read any articles or books, I pondered over the titles. Did it suit the story? Was it a perfect match? Slowly I transferred this detailed attention onto my work. What was I trying to tell my readers? What was the article/book all about? How could I sum up the work in few words? What was the best way to convey what I had written? Which words correctly described my story?

It was a tedious task, but eventually I got the hang of it. Nowadays the title trauma no longer affects me. For the past several years, the editors have thankfully retained most of my titles. In my title quest, I have learnt several things about them…

1. A title should be like a Teaser. It should arouse curiousity. Based on the titles readers pick up books, or, read the articles and stories in newspapers.

2. Diving into the heart of the story to emerge with a suitable title is a great idea.

3. Short and Snappy titles have immediate attraction.

4. Popular and catchy phrases work better than long and boring ones.

5. Titles that have Instant Recall are seldom forgotten.

What about you all? Do Titles Trouble and Torment you? Or, are you the lucky ones who come up with winners? Do you have any title tips that you would like to share?