Story Titles

[browngirl]

I can't believe I never asked this before.

So, how do you title your stories?

amanuensis1 wrote a fascinating entry here about the process. For myself, I usually come up with the title when I do the story idea, are occasionally the title *is* the story idea When I don't, I usually go for titles that play on a theme for the story, but those rarely satisfy me as well as the more organic titles I arrive at with the idea.

Some examples:

"The Chief's Day" is an example of a story where the title is the story idea. I was thinking about an "ordinary day" challenge from ringprov, and came up with that.

"Dream Blossoms" is an example of a title that came with the plotbunny. I was riffing off of hobbit naming customs; if the reader realizes that, that fact plus the pairing will tell them what the story is about.

"While We Raise Our Hearts in Love" is a title I had to work to find, and it's longer and clunkier than the other titles above, isn't it?

Comments

Now with closed italics!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. *gazes in fascinatuion at your creative process*

On "Ground Glass": I was hoping that the title conveyed the feeling of grating, scraping awfulness and it really does. It's a shivery title for a shivery fic.

"Shortpants" was originally -- and, as JamJar has observed, much more amusingly -- "Holy Doppleganger, Batman!" Bee hee! I think, though, that "Shortpants" works a little better, due to whose POV the story's told from.

"I thought she liked me" --- I shall have to go read this ASAP. I know what you're referring to, WRT Batgirl: Year One, my favorite Year One I've read so far. So I take it the story involves a crossdressed Robin? I am looking forward to *this*.

"Thigmotropism" --- oh, so perfect. I think I'm going to fragment in giggles. And yes, "Take Our Kids To Work Day" could oly have been named that.

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

My creative process is very catch-as-catch-can when it comes to titles.

I'm not sure about Shortpants, still. And "Holy Doppleganger, Batman!" just -- yes, that's just wrong. Just plain wrong.

On further navel-gazing -- Gonna forget that just happened (http://www.livejournal.com/users/petronelle/95738.html) is another Dixon quote. Dixon: quotable! for all your slash pairing needs! Er.

Will you be me when I'm gone? (http://www.livejournal.com/users/petronelle/107740.html) -- oh petra, what a clunky title. Though I think I stole it from Sandman: The Kindly Ones, I never did bother to check, so it may be misremembered.

My favorite of all the titles of my stuff is still "How to Marry a Millionaire," and we may steal that title from the first story and apply it to the whole series. And Jamjar came up with that one.
Er, yes. The title of "I thought she liked me" -- yes. I did that entirely on purpose.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Actually, I *love* "Will you be me when I'm gone?" as a title. It's wistful and evocative and full of so much stuff for just seven words.

Go fig. :)