What's a Good Story Title?

For me, story titles can be a big turn off. If it doesn't look as though the author has put a lot of thought in to it, I probably won't read it. If it's all decorated with stars and such I don't take it seriously. If I can't even take the title seriously how am I supposed to take the story seriously?

Mr.Whirly!:

For me, story titles can be a big turn off. If it doesn't look as though the author has put a lot of thought in to it, I probably won't read it. If it's all decorated with stars and such I don't take it seriously. If I can't even take the title seriously how am I supposed to take the story seriously?

Well they CAN'T be all decorated with symbols and stuff... we submit a report for the author to change it ;)

sampalletband:

Mr.Whirly!:

For me, story titles can be a big turn off. If it doesn't look as though the author has put a lot of thought in to it, I probably won't read it. If it's all decorated with stars and such I don't take it seriously. If I can't even take the title seriously how am I supposed to take the story seriously?

Well they CAN'T be all decorated with symbols and stuff... we submit a report for the author to change it ;)

Then all is well.

Damn, I wish I read this before I titled my story. I called it Demolition Lovers (please don't hit me) because I was dedicating to my wife and that was kind of her username. And there are other reasons but that shall give away the plot and I can't be doing that.

BUT this has really helped me because I've started writing another story and the title I had sucked and this will help me decide how to go about titling it.

Thanks muchly!

I also have to admit that when people give away like, the whole complicating incident of their story IN THE TITLE, it's SUCH a turnoff. Like, if the story title says something like...

I Love Him, But I Love You Too...

I won't read it. Because that's the WHOLE story, right there. I know what's gonna happen, right? I don't need to read it, so I don't.[/rant]

Princess.:

I also have to admit that when people give away like, the whole complicating incident of their story IN THE TITLE, it's SUCH a turnoff. Like, if the story title says something like...

I Love Him, But I Love You Too...

I won't read it. Because that's the WHOLE story, right there. I know what's gonna happen, right? I don't need to read it, so I don't.[/rant]

How about the ones that say," Boy shmex, I love you Gerard.." Shoot.me.

Maybe we should rate titles. :P

I only have three stories, and they were all thought of after I finished the story. Like, I was gonna submit it already, then I just sit there waiting for a title to hit me. Then they do... haha.

I went through the first five pages of the "Stories" forum.

22 titles that are song lyrics or titles.

Those are just the ones I recognize.

I mean, How We Got Here [or Time of Your Life] and How We Stay Here [or Waiting] but they have other titles.

The one I most regret is How Could This Happen to Me?

Even when I name my music videos, I use lyrics as opposed to the song title.

Me too. Parts of lyrics that relate to the storyline that even might give you a hint of what's gonna happen in the story are awesome.

I find titles fairly difficult. It's hard to sum up an entire story in one or three words. Some stories are easier than others, though. It really all depends.

I've realized that it's hard for me to title stories before i've written them, or even after the first chapter.
Unless it's something like Sleeping Beauty: A Modern Retelling or How We Stay Here [or Waiting].
My newest story I had to really concentrate on something that mattered a lot and then show what it was. Kimberly's Daughter vs. Kimberly's Daughter: A Modern Day Romance seem to be completely different things to me.

I don't really take them seriously. Or pay much attention to it.
Basically, the books that catch my attention with their titles always seem to be the ones that get left in the attic, unread. Bearing in mind I much prefer to read than write [at least when it comes to novels] anyway.

Titles are hard to think of though. Sometimes they come really quick and sometimes you have to sit and think for an hour. I'm actually agonizing over a title for a oneshot right now.

lyrical_mess:

Titles are hard to think of though. Sometimes they come really quick and sometimes you have to sit and think for an hour. I'm actually agonizing over a title for a oneshot right now.

I think I thought for ten minutes for a title for Kimberly's Daughter.
But things like House of Mirrors and Wrong is Relative were simple.
Titles are tricky.

The one shot I mentioned, I threw around about ten different titles for that. First "Mine" then "Mine, All Mine" and "Blood-red" and "No One Will Disturb Us Now" and "Asleep" and "Tiny, Vulerable, Asleep" and "Peaceful" and some others before settling down on "Calm and Quiet".

That was the hardest title I ever came up with. The second hardest is a discontinued Billie-Adie stalker story called One Way or Another.

"Dousing the Phoenix" took me two weeks to think of.

Then again it also took over two months to finish editing...

I sometimes have very little problem with titles, sometimes it takes me a very long time to come up with them simply because I don't have the whole plotline planned out yet. I also have a list of titles that I like, and sometimes my inspiration just comes from them. Like one of my new stories, the title came from the list.

I end up thinking of a really good title sometimes...and I will practically base the story around the title. I did that with a story we had to write for school. I was listening to 'A Modern Myth' by 30 seconds to mars and I thought...what if that was a story. I ended up having 'A Modern Myth' on the very last page of the story.

But yea story titles are hard to think of and it does annoy me when people have titles with bad grammar. I see that and go 'ewwwww'

*peace*

The thing about my current story title is that "Sain" is spelled wrong intentionally. Does anyone think that's real bad? I know I hate mispellings, but the character talks about going "insain" as apposed to "insane" the entire time.

Fish Camp:

The thing about my current story title is that "Sain" is spelled wrong intentionally. Does anyone think that's real bad? I know I hate mispellings, but the character talks about going "insain" as apposed to "insane" the entire time.

Nope. There's nothing wrong with that- I think they are plenty of professional authors who misspell words intentionally to intensive the story or something. It's just part of the creative liscence we writers get :)