Most of my books start out untitled. I save the manuscripts to my computer as something bland and obvious. Angel Eyes was saved as Shield for the longest time and Broken Wings was called Book 2. My upcoming novel (which I should be able to announce NEXT WEEK, fingers crossed) kept its working title longest, but still, it too got a makeover in the end.
I know some authors start with a title and work from there, but that’s never happened for me. Of course, it’s possible I’ve just never come up with the perfect title at the start. Mostly, I think I need to live in my story for a while before I have any idea what its ideal title might be.
But sometimes that kind of time isn’t always available to you. Sometimes you have to accommodate the schedules of others.
Which is exactly what happened when I was drafting my third novel in the Angel Eyes trilogy. I was marketing my first book, editing my second, and drafting my third. In the thick of things, I received an email from my editor asking for a synopsis of my third book to take to a titling meeting set for the next day.
Yeah. The next day. Nothing like a little pressure to get you cooking.
For the uninitiated, a titling meeting is when industry professionals from different departments within a publishing house–Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Sales–toss around ideas for book titles. See, just because YOU come up with a title for your book does not mean your publisher will stamp it on the cover. All sorts of opinions are taken into account at this stage and, even though I had little notice, I did not want to disappoint them.
The problem was I didn’t really have a synopsis for book three. All I had were some ideas and a vague sense of direction. I was still playing with character development and voice and trying to decide who got to live and who had to die. The idea of sitting down to sum up the conclusion of a trilogy with only 24 hours notice was daunting.
You know what I did? I loaded up my littlest rugrat in the stroller and I bought myself a Mexican Mocha and I walked the mall until I knew that I knew that I knew what I was writing about.
It took several hours but when I got home I had a synopsis. A short one, mind you. Very short. One page, actually. But it was the one page that changed everything for me.
This barely adequate summary brought my writing into focus. All the OTHER STUFF that I would need to later sort out, fell by the wayside, and I focused only on my hero’s journey and on the things that would prevent her from reaching her destination. And by the time I finished that single page, I KNEW what my title should be. What it had to be, really.
I sent my editor the synopsis and a handful of title options–because I’m a good little soldier–but I put a big fat star by my favorite. And when my editor emailed me to say that the titling committee agreed wholeheartedly with my first choice, I was not surprised.
I was ecstatic but not surprised. It was the RIGHT title. It was the ONLY title, really. And, to this day, when I see Dark Halo ghosting across the cover, I can’t help but remember those hours at the mall and a frantically scribbled synopsis that shaped an entire trilogy.
Now. It’s not always that simple. But even if my publisher had vetoed my title idea, the time I spent working on that synopsis and the time I spent thinking about my story would not have been in vain. See, I needed to think about my title far more than my publisher did, and their quickie deadline forced me to do it at just the right moment.
Not long after, I was flipping through Betsy Lerner’s writing book, The Forest for the Trees, and I came across a passage I’d forgotten about. Lerner tells the story of how author Amy Tan changed the title of her first book from Wind and Water to The Joy Luck Club. Here’s what Tan said about it:
Lerner says that after Tan settled on The Joy Luck Club, “the club and its members became increasingly vivid to her.” The title pulled the story together.
Of course it did! A good title will do that. Even if it’s only YOUR title. Even if, down the road, a publisher changes it. A good working title can focus you and shape your story and while it is perfectly normal to not have a title when you start drafting, I wonder if, like me, there will come a point when your story could benefit from some hard thinking and some title pondering.
Tell me, have you thought about titling your story? At what point in the process do you do that? Do you change your title often? And have you found that titling your tale helps pull your plot together?
Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.
Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.
It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.
To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.
For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
I’ve observed that what makes a good title is one that intrigues and grabs the attention of someone even just browsing the book at a bookstore or library. A good title also lays out the important theme or character of the book, telling you what’s important to take away from the book.
I usually find a good title toward the end of my story when I’ve worked on my resolution and I’ve decided the main thing I want the reader to remember when he puts the book down. And once I have that perfect title, it really makes my book feel complete!
Yup! I’m work very similarly.
I generally use the MC’s name for the title, “The Jane book,” “Phil’s story,” until something magically appears. I’ve never before thought about how the title can shape the focus of the story.
I’ve done this too! Simple to start, yes? I wonder if titling it will help you? When the time is right, you’ll give it a go.
TITLES ARE THE BANE OF MY WRITING EXISTENCE.
I absolutely love a good, clever title, but I struggle SO much with coming up with them. I love your Dark Halo story of pulling out the stroller and getting to work. Mom life and author life are hard to combine sometimes!
It’s an act of desperation: whipping out the stroller and getting it all done. High fives to all the mamas out there making it work and finishing things.
I have my book titles (mine is a trilogy) but what I struggle with is a series title. I have one that I have used for the past 5 years and I can’t seem to change. But I know there could be a better title than what I have; one that ties both story lines together.
Sometimes the best series title is just a basic one. Mine is The Angel Eyes trilogy. Or, it’s sometimes referred to as The Angel Eyes novels. Book Ones often define what follows for readers and it keeps it simple. So, if you’re worried about simple, don’t be. Simple is often clear to the reader and that’s what they want.
Thank you very much. That actually helps a lot. Luckily for me, I’m not worried about publishing for many more years (I’m only 16) so I have plenty of time to figure it out.
Honestly, I can’t really start writing a book without a title, partly because it feels too unfocused and partly because I often come up with story ideas from phrases which become the titles. For instance, my current work sprang entirely from one phrase I said in passing one day: “The Last Pyromancer.”
That being said, one of my other works has evolved into something that is far more than its original title can encompass, so I’ll have to change it sooner or later.
I knew you guys were out there! Writers who start with titles. I have a very good friend with a very big book hitting shelves later this year and she too started with a title. She created an entire book based around it. I can’t even imagine.
Tricky, tricky business. I usually come up with mine after a few drafts. That’s when I’m starting to grasp what the heart of the story is.
I like the idea of brainstorming titles sooner though. Can see how that would help keep the story focused.
Yes and yes. It’s easier to do it later, I think. But doing it earlier than anticipated can have some definite benefits.
My book started with the idea of this cursed box filled with different people’s belongings from over the years. I thought “The Lost and Found” would be a good title, but when it came time to give the box and the curse a backstory, “The Lost and Found” just didn’t fit the history I came up with. Now I call it “The Lockbox”. I like it and feel it goes with the story well, but who knows what my eventual publisher will say… I guess we’ll have to see…
Super cool title! And it’s much more specific. I like it a lot.
Thanks 🙂
I actually really struggle with coming up with titles! I usually come up with one after I finish the rough draft. Once I find the “right” title, though, it does somehow complete the story in my mind.
My current manuscript has a placeholder title I will most likely change in the future. I’m doing a major rewrite, so my working title doesn’t fit well anymore.
Finding a title for my self-published book (Reintegration) was much easier. The title, and the titles for the remaining two books in the trilogy, came to me very quickly and “clicked”.
Thanks for the post!
You’re welcome! Wishing you luck as you write.
I used to come up with titles before writing, but now I’m not able to do that. I wish I could sometimes, but at the same time I think that I can come up with a better title once I finish my story (or at least know pretty well where I’m going).
Currently, my project has the title “Fantasy Book.” ? So…that’ll be a title late in coming.
You’re in good company!
Ugh, titles! Sometimes they pop out obviously, but sometimes they take *forever*, and I’m never sure I got the right one. It’s even worse because I like to title my chapters, so I have to pick something (usually something pretty lame) for every single one.
Oh goodness! Titled chapters would take me FOREVER!
Titling my stories have always been a super major part of the process. I change titles a lot, but often the right one will give me the settled sense to get me started on spinning the tale. Great post!
Yes! Me too. I find it can help with overall tone as well.
I love titling!!! Most of the time. All of my books have funny stories about how I came up with the title (some of them changed about five times because I couldn’t make up my mind xD), but I ALWAYS have to have a working title. Even if it’s boring and lame, I can’t write a book if it doesn’t have a title.
I normally don’t get a title for my story til after I have finished it. I think about titles so much!
I am super struggling with a title right now! It frustrates me because like I saw someone else comment, my story just feels unfocused. It doesn’t help that I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on my plot, but I can’t help but think that if I just had a title…everything would start falling together. Now that I think about it, I’ve always started with titles for my stories and gone from there. They’re not fancy or even eye-grabbing, but they were enough to help me get a grasp on what my story would be about–something I can’t seem to do with this one.
Yeah, my book was called “Violet the Wolf” for a really long time, which is about the most boring title out there. For around a year, it’s been called “Fourlegged” The book is about a girl who turns into a wolf, so it
I had to change a character’s name with this change too! His name used to be Threelegs, but I changed it to Threepaws because having Fourlegs and Threelegs in the same book is really strange.
*Edit* The book is about a girl who turns into a wolf, so it tells more about the story. I had to change…