How do you come up with a title?

I see that you (cayenne) managed to resurrect this thread after I thought I had put it to bed nearly three years ago. Actually, I hadn't remembered this thread AT ALL, and so thought it was a new one. I was about to post almost exactly the same thing I wrote back in 2010... but... never mind.

That's a really interesting question. I usually start with a working title that just serves to distinguish it from other stuff in the folder. The choice of the title comes after the story is written. I like for the title to do two things. First it should be one that identifies the focus of the story. It could be a character's name, it could be a phrase, it could be a place, it could be an event. But whatever it is it goes to the essence of what the tale is about. If possible it's a clever play on words, like "It's About Time." Second, if possible it should be suggestive but not descriptive. I'll never use a title like "Naughty Spanked Schoolgirls." It's overly descriptive. OTOH a title like "The Puritan Museum" contains a couple of suggestive elements and hopefully intrigues the reader. Puritans? A museum? What's that all about?

Titles and I are not friends. I find it very hard to come up with a title for work. I get around it with the Spank Shops and the PGBs by titling the Spank Shop with the number and the name of the chief spankee/s in the story and I simply number the PGB's. Otherwise I try and make the title fit the story, give a brief explanation in a few words as to what the reader is going into. It generally seems to concern the setting.

I'm with Seegee. I have colleagues who come up with witty play on words titles for the driest papers imaginable, but I just can't. The few times I appear to have a clever title it was always someone else's idea.

Ah well. Books, covers etc, right?

That's probably why authors very rarely have much say in the title of the book and the cover art.

I read you post from 2010. Thank god you caught yourself. That could have been 5 or 10 minutes you would never get back.

Thank god, indeed. That's 5 or 10 minutes we ALL wouldn't get back if we had to re-read Rick's ramblings again!

It's comforting to know that I have the unfailing support of my readers.

I am terrible at coming up with a title, but once I do, it is almost impossible for me to bring myself to change it, even if it doesn't work any more. I really need to get over that.


Of course you do. I have reading and commenting on something of yours on my to-do list every day, right after feeding the dogs and scooping the litter box. Oh, but it's not a chore.

I like titles that reflect something essential, such as the underlying theme of the story or the pivotal moment. I actually prefer titles that do not make much sense until you have read the story, although I realize that this may not be the best way to attract readers. I think my favorite title among my own stories is "Who am I to know?" because I didn't really understand what the story was all about until one of the characters said "Who am I to know?", and everything became clear (to me at least!) When I can't think of a title of this kind, I usually go for something fairly neutral — something that just indicates the mood or the setting of the story. Only occasionally do I have the title before I start writing, and only when the title "is" the theme of the story ("Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes" is an example — the theme came when I was listening to the song and was clearly influenced by it). Some titles I don't understand myself: "Laughter on Elizabeth Street" is (almost) a Dylan quote, and for some reason I have always associated this line with the setting and the atmosphere I was writing about — but don't ask me why! (The title of the song is "Where are you tonight? (Journey through the dark night)" which clearly is relevant for the theme of the story).