Picking a title can be the hardest part of writing that novel or story. Some writers hang a story off the title itself, but more often than not a working title will be found and then the final title selected when the work is complete. I’ve met plenty of writers who are still not convinced by their title even after publication. And if the writer isn’t, the potential buyer won’t be.
The title must say something about the content, what the reader can expect, and even the genre itself.
Take the book The Devil Wears Prada. What a fantastic title. The ‘devil’ speaks not only of the boss, but also the industry and what the junior must become to be successful. The ‘wears’ tells the reader that the story is going to be about clothing, while the ‘Prada’ describes the piece as about high class fashion. The title wraps around the tongue and plays havoc with the imagination. It has several possible connotations. Superb. But how do you get to such a level of completeness when titling your story?
Use description
Think about single words that might describe your story: nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Write them all down, jumble them up and coin different phrases with them. See what works best. You may even find something alliterative that rolls off the tongue: The Devil Dresses in Dolce, perhaps?
Nikki Dee used this to great effect in her first novel about the disappearance of a young girl with underlying themes of giving up and retreating confidence of ever coming out on top: her chosen title, Losing Hope, speaks volumes about the book.
Copy great ideas
Look at current bestsellers in your genre. Notice how the title says something about the story, and how those titles have been constructed. Now think about your story, think about the overarching theme and write down words that track that theme. What might work on the cover of your novel?
Look in the shadows
Your novel may have underlying themes and subplots that you’ll be able to use in your title. JK Rowling fans are used to seeing such obscure titles. The Prisoner of Azkaban, for example, tells of a theme that grows throughout the book. Does your work have something similar?
Look at your pivot point
Read through your novel, and identify its turning point, or perhaps concentrate on its conclusion. Write what you know about this on a piece of paper, and then choose a couple of key words from your description that will do the job you want your title to do.
Cheat
Go to Google, and type in the search term ‘title generator’. Have fun!
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