Titling Your Works

Ummmm... I usually think of my titles all of a sudden, and then write, but there have been times when I can't figure anything out (like this one shot I'm working on right now). My titles are usually simple, and like you said, makes sense if you read the story. I had the task of figuring out a friend's fanfic title, but I couldn't think of anything (granted it was a subject I was not into :/), so if you're really interested and more knowledgeable in a certain topic, that helps out a lot more.

 

First thing I do is write the story. To me, a title is an after thought. First get the story down then edit it until your ready to publish then think of a title. Unless a good title idea comes to you mid way through. After I have written the story, I think of an idea, concept, character that encompasses the whole story and try to weave it into a few words that best describes the story. I also try to have double meaning for my titles so the reader can have fun interpreting for example a title of one of my chapters is "Rocky Roads." This both means that the mountain trail itself is unclear but the relationships are rocky in this chapter too. To me, a title shouldn't be more than five words long. I know that's hard for some people including me but that is the best way to get a good title. This is how I do titles. Hope it helps.

 

For me, I spitball things to my friends and then usually a few hours later I come up with something or sometimes immediately it just sinks in when my friends spitball back at me.

 

I at least give any long-term project a placeholder title, just so I have something to call it while ranting about it. My current project (Me Against The World) went through a total of three titles, one of which I plan on using for something else down the road, before I settled on the one I'm using. I mostly just use whatever sounds right.

 

I adopt a practise by titling my work either right at the start (if I know the general idea of what I want it to be about), or right at the end (if I'm not sure at all, and won't know what theme I have in mind until I'm done). It's very rare I'll change a title in the middle, if at all. If I feel I have to change my title in the middle, it's because I'm unsure of myself in some way, and I was faulty in either the planning or the execution of my idea.

I'm also not a particularly flashy individual when it comes to titles, either - most of my titles are 1 or 2 words, at most. This keeps it simple, and doesn't prematurely force a concept or image into the user's mind. And with the right combination of words, you could create a lot more mental imagery with 2 words than even an entire phrase. A lot of books I've read or seen seem to follow this methodology as well (I've been doing this tactic long before I knew about that), which I found an interesting coincidence.

 

Well, I usually start out by tilting my stories and such as things like, "PMD STORY" or "THAT COOL IDEA" or "OH GOD WHAT AM I DOING."

Yeah.

Then, I eventually find a title as the story goes along. My one story, Legendary Chaos, was named because... it's about chaotic happenings in stories surrounding the legendaries. As you can see, I normally title things as it is. Occasionally, it's nice to think of fancy titles, but then I think I'm being too dramatic.

 

So many different opinions on titling works and its wonderful. Now we just need a section on why you title your works the way you do.

 

Isn't that essentially what this thread is about? It's incorporating a few different factors at once, yes, though that's definitely part of the umbrella. Not sure if it'd need to be spun off into a totally different thread.

 

I title my stories from the main theme or plot point of the story. For example my story Judgement Day is a story about Arceus ending the world.

 

I can safely say I don't come up with very good titles. A title is usually the last thing I think of after the story's written. I usually make a simple description and label it done. It can be obvious or more on the vague side, but I'm never particularly witty.

 

It all depends on the story. Sometimes, I think of something and it just fits, simple and easy. Other times I make up something on the spot, which isn't very good. I tend to get attached to my titles, though, no matter how awful they are. Generally, my titles are simple, but can't be understood without reading the work first.

 

I used to name a lot of my works by giving them a describing word followed by a noun or verb, e.g. Silver Flight, Poisoned Water, etc. I now tend to name stories after an idea that is focused on, a significant quote from the text or a singular word.

 

I use the titles to shape what the story is about. For example, my first posted Pokémon fic is called Fire, Time, and Truth​. This hints to my character, Hannah White, strange and unusual abilities given to her by Arceus, Diagla, and bloodright in that order. Sometimes I do a title drop within the story itself.

In my second posted Pokémon fic, ​The Death-Bringer and the Life-Giver​, it's based off of Xerneas and Yvetal and how they are the aspects of Life and Death, with their own chosen humans to boot.

In my third Pokémon fic which is not even finished and was prompted off the death of Jason Gaviati, who was Lindsey's touring Keyboardist, ​Creation's Kingdom​, is based off of a fantasy-like kingdom that is Arceus's special place for selected humans, the centralized power of the Children of the Gods of Creation reside which has been sealed off from the rest of the world because of a war now long gone that took place 3 thousand years ago (around the time of the great Kalos war and the War of the Twin Dragons) and the Elders want to A) Prevent Hannah from ever leaving to rejoin modern society and Stop her and the Spark of Life from releasing the seal that has protected them from this now nonexistent war and prevented their society from moving forward (They are a manipulative bunch).

And now, in Autistic Truth​, it's about how Hannah White tries to move forward after what she has done all while dealing with her form of Autism, with her Team Galactic-induced PTSD and her Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder making it harder than it should be. The title means that while Hannah has a form of Autism, she stands by her truth unwavering, all while completing her dream. She knows that "When the World falls into Darkness, and People fall into Fright, I will not Fear the Darkness, For Truth shall be my Light!" It's suppose to be a story about coming to terms with the Truth of she did accidentally to Ghetsis while trying to get her real personality back after being afraid for so long.

 

I like creative titles, but usually I use (title pending) as a placeholder until I can think of a creative one.

Greyscale went through three or four different title changes, the former title being Shades of Grey, which was grand until 50 shades of grey came out and I didn't want any connection between that and my fic.

The Demon King is a Part-timer is a rather obvious rip off "The devil is a part-timer" especially since they have almost the same premise. But that was intentional as a reference.

For my nanowrimo novels, I'll use nano novel [enter year here] and that works until I can think of a clever or creative title.

 

I usually make some confusing private-joke title that you can't understand until you read the story. It usually gets some sort of mention in the actual writing or at least the summary. For example, I'm writing a sequel to my current LunarEdge ship fic (that may become a trilogy, but don't hold your breath). The sequel is called Crash And Burn, and it's all about the idea that the sky is falling. Aether is another name for heavens or skies, and the idea that the Gladion's past, both in Aether and the events of the first fanfiction are getting destroyed. And now I'm never going to live up to the expectations...ha ha! Regardless, I try to do some sort of drama and theme like that.
#MissingNo

 

I misread this as tilting your works and thought it was going to be a discussion about how you tilt your page whilst drawing certain things, ooops haha

 

I always have a title for my story at the beginning of writing, and I've found that it typically doesn't change, because I know what my story will be about when I write. I typically title my stories to include something thematic, dramatic, and immediately relevant to the story.

For example, "Beyond the Sky", the pmd fiction I'm writing, is named thusly because it references the game I'm using as a foundation, because it alludes in a grandiose way to mysteries beyond, and because it speaks of climbing higher and learning to improve oneself, go beyond the sky.

I have an original novel that I'm working on entitled "Heavenly Spheres". It's a sci fi, and the name references Copernicus' scientific book about the revolution of planets, as well as ironically calling the planets involved in my story "heavenly".

What I'm saying is, thinking of something thematically relevant. That makes the tittle more endearing and meaningful.

 

I change my titles so much during the writing process that I have trouble finding something that sticks. My first real fic was titled Delta Emerald, after the Delta episode in ORAS seeing as it was a cross between the Emerald Story and the updated ORAS one.

 

Unless the idea of a story came from a single word (that will most likely become the title), I painstakingly read over my work several times before deciding on something that sounds decent at the minimal (which usually is actually weird).