Interesting ideas on titles

Subject: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:25 am

A weeklong discussion of titles has been taking place on that site I recently recommended; www.criminalbrief.com
If the subject interests you, check it out.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:46 am

The first post was pretty cute. Funny guy.

The last post I saw, that the OED is the measure of English is kind of shocking, actually.

I'm always astounded that American writers think they need to "obey" the OED in their work. (Or Strunk for that matter)

You look at new, hip American books and every fifth word is something that the OED never heard of and probably didn't exist firve years ago.

Offshoring, speeddial, sexting messages, cuz, drinkin forties and shootin nines. These are unlikely to scan from the viewpoint of the Dons.

So?

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:15 am

Dick,
it certainly gives one reason to think more about the title.
Sometimes the title does reflect the story. Sometimes the title is misleading, and that ticks me off.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:25 am

Good point, Abe.

I had to kill a title I LOVED for my book that might come out this month.

It's set in carnival and the working title was "Feast of Flesh, Fast of Ashes". But it's just to heavy for the book, and might sound like horror or something.

It's now "Sweet Spot"

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:54 pm

That's a great title, Lin. Not if it doesn't fit your book, but you can file it away for the future.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:07 pm

Sweet Spot normally means one turning force cancelling out another to give a clean shot (baseball bat, tennis racquet, golf club). How are you using it, Lin?

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:54 pm

Exactly and precisely like that, Shelagh. As a metaphor for a similar reversal of direction in a man's life.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:19 pm

The author of that article brought up an interesting point. Do you come up with the title first, or after writing the mss?

I get some of best story ideas from thinking of the titles first.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:12 am

I knew the titles of my books before I started writing but the stories were already in my mind. The Power of Persuasion is taken from Jane Austen's novel, Persuasion, and the power (or lack) of persuasion gives a twist at the end of the story.

Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine is about a man who wants to build a scale model airplane but he dies before completing the task. Three years later, his children try to find the missing aircraft kit. When they locate the kit, they go on a journey into space, not by flying in an aeroplane but in a space craft -- a flying machine.

Subject: Re: Interesting ideas on titles Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:43 pm

Phil Whitley wrote:: The author of that article brought up an interesting point. Do you come up with the title first, or after writing the mss?

I get some of best story ideas from thinking of the titles first.

I get my titles after I write the story ...

I went through a dozen titles before "A Bridge in the Forest" got its name.
And I had book four half way written before I finally got the titles for the rest of the series.

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