What Makes a Good Title?

[wordsmith1]

I’ve been thinking about titles a lot lately, and about what makes a good one.

I remember attending a fiction writing workshop for kids when I was in grade school. It was an all-day affair, and even though it was something I was pretty excited about at the time, I remember almost nothing about it now. Nada. I don’t remember what grade I was in when

Comments

[dinopollard]

Did you ever get Curtain Call or Mythworld published?

[wordsmith1]

Alas, no.

(Curtain Call will never be published because, frankly, it's not very good.)

[dinopollard]

You should see about at least publishing Mythworld through Lulu or CreateSpace.

[wordsmith1]

Hooking the reader's attention is probably the most important "rule" (and I would totally read Balloon Buster versus the Moon-Cats first, even if it was the last story in the book).

[ex_physician553]

Alexander McCall's "The Kalahari Typing School For Men" wins the contest for most unusual title I've stumbled across in recent years...

Sometimes, way out and unusual works for me. Take, "Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension" or whatever the heck the original title was on that film. But otherwise, yeah, I like the guidelines you have set up in this entry.

[skyape_radio]

Sometimes, way out and unusual works for me. Take, "Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension"

Ha! Beat me to it!

[wordsmith1]

Way out is good, and long can also work, as long as it's not overdone. The overly long titles also seem to work best on more light-hearted or satirical stories.

[skyape_radio]

I think here's something to be said about cumbersome titles when properly applied. The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension, for instance, is a great movie with a perfect title. It tells you right away "This is a goofy sci-fi flick that doesn't take itself too seriously".
On the other hand, a tile like Jaws with a picture of a big ass shark on the cover says just as much, really.

I've just had a look at my bookshelves and DVD shelves and there are very few titles longer than five words.
Perhaps it says something about me that my unfinished novel from a couple years ago has nine words in the title.

Notable exception to your "no made up words" rule (which I largely agree with) - The Hobbit.

[wordsmith1]

As I mentioned above, I agree with you on longlonglong titles working on occasion. I think they work best with light-hearted fare though.

I didn't think of the Hobbit, but you're absolutely right. Now that I think about it, the "no made-up words" guideline becomes a lot more optional when you're dealing with children's books.

[anonymous]

A good title that comes to mind is "Cell" short, sweet, and to the point. I seem to gravitate towards the simpler titles. I think it's because if a writer puts too much in the title, maybe they are trying too hard to pull you in? Like the movie coming out with Brad Pitt, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Rumplestilskin" or whatever. I lose interest halfway through it and already have decided they are trying too hard.

I do think that if you write a crap book and they publish it just because you are under contract, then they should have to say that on the cover. Something like, "Warning: this writer is under an 8 book contract and this is book 7. It may be crap, so please consider this before paying $7.99".

[chateau_noir]

Regardless of whether people like his writing, Stephen King is shit hot at titles. IT, Salem's Lot, Pet Semetery, Tommyknockers... even seemingly 'ordinary' ones like Christine and Needful Things just seem to have some weird resonance.

[wordsmith1]

Agreed about King's naming talents, with the only caveat being that he tends to fall back on "The fill-in-the-noun" a lot. The Mist, The Cell, The Plant, etc.

For some reason, and in contradiction of what I said in the original post, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" actually works for me. It's unusual for a western to have such a long name, for one thing, and it evokes an old-fashioned naming sensibility that I like in this context. Also, I seem to remember "he was murdered here by the coward Robert Ford" was actually a famous writing about the event.

[ex_physician553]

>" "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" actually works for me "<

Works for me, too - it evokes the long titles of the original penny magazine stories of the late 1800s - early 1900s, like the original Wyatt Earp publications and Buffalo Bill stories.

But your earlier comment that most long titles seem to work best with satirical or lighthearted bits does ring true for me, also.