My brain refuses to rest with a good title. It scrambles about until it finds the best one. That perfect fit. And searching for the best is not easy. Often times, for me, it either comes or it doesn’t.
When it comes, what a glorious feeling. But when it doesn’t? No fun at all. My brain turns into a stubborn donkey. The harder I push, the more it refuses to budge.
Which is exactly what happened these past couple weeks as my editor and I discussed potential titles for my debut novel. My brain refused to cooperate. Sure, I came up with a few suggestions. And some of those suggestions were okay. But none were great. None really resonated. None fit my idea of a strong title.
Which for me, involves three criteria:
It has to represent the story.
It can be the most poetic phrase I’ve ever read. But if it feels like the author forced the line into the book just to make the title fit, I don’t like it. I want a title that is unique and meaningful to not just a line in the book, but to the entire story. Some great examples would be Thin Places by Mary DeMuth, Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan, and of course, The Help by Kathryn Stockett or Room by Emma Donoghue. These titles not only sound cool, but are chock-full of meaning.
It has to be intriguing.
I don’t want it to sound like a million other titles already published on Amazon. I look for something different. Original. Not cliche. Something that elicits a sense of intrigue. A great example of this is Summer Snow by Nicole Baart. The juxtaposition of snow in summer catches my attention. Makes me curious. It’s what I aimed for when I came up with the working title for A Broken Kind of Beautiful (which isn’t my debut). We don’t often describe beauty as broken. If this book ever gets contracted, I hope the title stays the same.
It has to sound good.
Titles shouldn’t make tongues twist or noses wrinkle. They should be pleasing to read and say. I’m a big fan of alliteration. I love When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. Not only is it intriguing, it’s poetic. The repeating C sound works really well. I bought this book because I fell in love with the title and I haven’t even read it yet. Talk about an effective marketing tool.
So I had these three criteria in my head, but my donkey of a brain could think of nothing. Yet despite my inability, my debut has an official name. One I’m very pleased with. All thanks to the talented editorial team that’s been brainstorming on my behalf.
The title is very meaningful to the story. It has a contradiction that will hopefully intrigue potential readers. And I like the way it sounds.
An added bonus?
It goes really well with Wishing on Willows, which is the official title of my second novel, scheduled for release in April, 2013. I like when titles go together. A great example of this is Jody Hedlund’s The Preacher’s Bride and The Doctor’s Lady. Or Rosslyn Elliott’s Fairer than Morning and Sweeter than Birdsong.
So….what is the official title of my debut novel?
You’ll have to come back on Wednesday to find out. In the meantime, here’s a hint.
Let’s Talk: How important are titles to you? What are some of your favorites? Have you ever bought a book just because you loved the title?
