What's a Good Story Title?

A new one shot I'm working on is called Backburner, because it's more of a monologue than a story and the central theme is about people regretting things they never did when they had the chance. Like, leaving things on the backburner.

& What Would We Have to Sing About Then? got it's title from a line in the story that is a thought of Z's.

Life's one ironic disappointment after another. If it weren't, we wouldn't have anything to sing about.

I just realy liked that line and I thought it sort of summed up the story, so I twisted it to fit as a story title.

I just found this, and it seems it would be really helpful to A LOT of people on this site. I figured this would be the best place to post it...

grammarbook.com:

Rule 8.
Always capitalize the first and last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech. Capitalize other words within titles, including the short verb forms Is, Are, and Be.

Exception: Do not capitalize little words within titles such as a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.

Examples: The Day of the Jackal
What Color Is Your Parachute?
A Tale of Two Cities

Hopefully people will read this because there are a few stories that aren't that bad, but have awful capitalization in the title. Titles reflect the entire work you put out there, and is silly as it is to judge books by their covers, we all do it. Poorly capitalized titles reflect negatively on the story they're for, as well as the author who has posted it.

Please, please, please check title capitalization. Spare us all from your humiliation.

...I'm such a snob...

^ That's a really good tip. I'd post that on the Story Q&A thread too, if I were you.

I, honestly, love using song totles as story titles, because I honestly cannot think of good titles myself. but I usually chose a title relevant to the story, for example I've used Outsiders (Franz Ferdinand(, Welcome to Hell (Sum 41), Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? (Fall Out Boy) and Infected (Rides Again), but all the titles attach to the story in one way or another.

Often, I start a story by thinking of a title. There are maybe two stories I've ever done that I made the title after the plot. Coming up with titles to fit already formulated plots is the hardest thing in the world for me, and I'm stuck in that situation right now. Is there anyone who might like to help me think of a title?

Nevermind, although I'm still debating.
How do you think Flight of the Lotus sounds? It's an Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction, and the main OC's name translates into lotus, and she runs away...
I think it fits.

Almost There was such titled for two reasons. One, it presented itself quite clearly about three fourths of the way through. Secondly, after presenting itself I loved how obviously it tied into "Almost Here", TAI's first album. (Which is why the lyrics are included in the summary.)

"Irrevocably Forever" (an unposted story) was named for two reasons, it's about a girl who is changed irrevocably by a friend and I thought it sounded cool

I really had no idea what to name Valencia. It's the name of a town in the story where Ryan does something that has a major cause and effect reaction. I really like the name of the town. (I picked that town because we have a Hyatt there and I always thought the town name was pretty.)

Recently I've started a story tittled Decembers. At first, I was just going to call it "December" but thought it'd be better with the s added. Decembers is also a title of a song by Hawthorne Heights, but it fits my plot perfectly, that I had written out before I came up with the title. And when I say "it fits my plot perfectly", I mean that the title does, not the song itself.

I have one question concerning story titles: If your story is also a song as well, even if it wasn't intended to be, are their legal issues with that if it were ever published? I mean, 'cause even in the music world, different bands have songs with the same titles.

^
No, because song titles aren't copyrighted. Otherwise Ryan Ross would have gotten in some trouble with Fever.

^ Oh, okay. Thanks Dru.
I always put credit to the band in the summary, though, but I s'pose it isn't necesary.

Bite the Hand that Feeds was not a natural title at all. But I was looking at pictures for banners and it just popped into my head. At first I didn't think it worked, but then I thought it did. I think it helps describe the feelings Ryan has toward the men and vice versa.

I often name stories very soon after I start to write them, if they had no name before I started, which alot of them do. However, while writing Unhuman I had no idea what I could call it.

Eventually, I decided on the title in order to relate to Remus' detatchment from the scene, and also to to signify his fears for his child. I also played with the ideas of Anti-human and Inhuman, but something about Unhuman seemed more appealing and more relevant to the story.

A Year and an Ocean of Distance is from a line in the story. I came up with the line while I was walking and smoking and thought "hey, that might be a good title, too".

I just want to mention some of my favorite titles that I got from other sources:

Aeons Ahead and Ages Back was a line from the poem 'Microcosmos' by Siegfred Sassoon.
The Heart Asks Pleasure First was from the Micheal Nyman song of the same title.
You Put the Sun To Shame is from the Spill Canvas song 'Lullaby.'
Our Endless Numbered Days is from the Iron & Wine album.

And now the ones I came up with myself:
There Is No Enchanted Rose is a reference to Beauty and the Beast.
The Stars Don't Know My Name is a reference to scenes in the story where the characters described the stars in the sky as freckles, and also because it's about what would have happened if two people never met, hence 'stars' = celebrities.
Call Me Red actually just came to me, because it's a story about a red balloon and I decided to make the main girl a redhead, even if no one's actually named Red.
Sons of Daedalus was a reference to the Greek myth. Daedalus was the father of Icarus, and there happened to be two characters who display Icarus-like characteristics.
A Handful of Maybes because the story starts with a question, and is open-ended.
Love Like Home... I actually have no explanation for this one. It just fit.
A Planted Kind of Sadness because it made sense.

That said, I am also fond of one-word titles.

I really didn't know what to name Marked. I didn't want to romanticize the title, make it sweet and romantic. Marked just popped into my head and it seemed to fit with both the injury and the emotions.

I have an unfinished/unposted story entitled A Bene Placito, which literally means "at one's good pleasure" and is considered synonymous with "ad lib".

It's pretty much just to go because the characters (Ry&Bren) are making it up as they go along.

Ageless, Ageless is from a Buckley song, but it was originally gonna be titled 'Faceless Days and An Ageless Face.' That ended up in the summary.

Keeping Score is because of all the 'games' implied regarding love. And somehow alludes to something being unfair.

Pillages because I wanted something simple and blunt to describe what happens, but all the alternatives, 'plunder', 'penetration', 'violate' just seemed wrong. It also gave me an excuse to make people think of pirates and put a pirate in the layout and give them something completely different. Unsuspecting~

If I Should Die Before I Wake is from 'No Air' by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown

One Thousand Quicksilver Smiles is for the exactly 1000 word count, and for how I described a character's easy smile.

The Way:

Ageless, Ageless is from a Buckley song, but it was originally gonna be titled 'Faceless Days and An Ageless Face.' That ended up in the summary.

That reminds me of "A Dangerous Face and an Almost Illegal Taste" for some reason.