How to Make a Story Title

People say not to judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard when the cover is the first thing you see. It’s especially hard on a site like Mibba where there are hundreds of thousands of stories floating around. The title is the first thing people notice about your story, so it is important to have a good one! But, having a good story title is easier said than done. It is hard to think of a good, creative story title that isn’t already taken, but hopefully these tips will help!

Title Ideas

It’s important to remember that, with the millions of stories that have been written, chances are your title has already been taken by someone, somewhere. Even though originality is fantastic, don’t be put off if your title is already being used. Check to see what the story is about, and if it isn’t similar to yours, feel free to use it. Unless there is a copyright on the title, it is free game, and chances are there is already more than one story with that title. For example, I found four pages of stories with the title ‘Forget About It’. The important thing to remember is that you don’t want your story confused with someone else’s, so try to make sure the stories are about different topics or are in different fandoms.

Theme

A good first step in coming up with a story’s title is to think about the story’s theme. If you are writing a story about abuse, you may want the title to be dark. If you are writing a love story, you will want the title to reflect that, as well. It is very important that your title follows this theme.

Quotes

A good way to think of a title for you story is to look through it for promising quotes. If one of your character’s lines is “our relationship is falling apart”, Falling Apart might be a good title for that story. Remember, you want it to be a quote that reflects your story. If in one scene, your character wants to go to the toy store and says, “we’re like kids in a toy store”, even though Kids in a Toy Store might sound like a great title, if the rest of your story is about her running from a ghost in a cemetery, you may not want to make that your title. Following the theme is very important.

Word Play

Making your title a play on words is always a good idea. It adds a unique element to your title and makes your story seem more interesting. If your story is about a pianist who is trying to discover the truth about his parent’s old home, Keys might be a good title for your story. The title plays on the pianist character, because there are keys on a piano, and plays on the secrets, as well.

Nouns as Titles

Another idea for a story title is to use a noun from your story as the title, whether it is a proper or improper noun. For example, one of Dru’s stories, titled Milk, takes a noun from the story that is central to the plot and uses it as the title. If your story is about a football player, Field Goal might be a good title for your story. Or, if your story is about a rock star, Set List might be a good title. You could also make the story's title one of your character's names or the town that they live in.

Plot as a Title

Another way to come up with a title is to make one that plays up on the plot of your story. A good example of this is The Lion King. Chances are, you’ve heard that title so many times that it means nothing to you, but if you go back and look at it, it tells you exactly what the story is about. If your story is about a girl who is trying to become a professional hockey player, Earning My Skates might be a good title. Or, if it is about a Hollywood socialite, Climbing the Ladder might be a good title.

Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to find the perfect title to get your story noticed!