And the manhuas and webtoons with the title, the villainess.........., I became the........, The martial......., I'm the........ It goes on🤷. Sometimes I wonder if they ever give any thought to it.
manga and anime titles are like Homestucks troll world which is so old all short titles have been already used for media so recent titles are 90 words long
it's a novel i'm reading right now, it's in arabic and it's called "انا السمو اللي يناسب سموك". which means "i'm the grace that match your grace". and the main couple in the last published part named their newborn girl "سموّ Grace" and it all made sense and i'm soo happyyy
fun fact, words "World" and "Peace" in russian are represented by the same word ("мир", in latin "mir") but in the past people would specify what they're talking about with a letter 'Ъ' (which doesn't make any sound of its own) so world would be "миръ" (which, depending on the context, may also mean "high society") and there are very old prints of War and Peace that are actually titled "War and the World" (or "War and the High Society", which makes a lot of sense for its content) so the title itself is somewhat of an enigma
My middle grade novel is called. 'The land of lost things' (not yet published) It was originally a working title not intended to be finalized but somehow it stuck and as the book 📖 advanced, it became more and more relevant to the story.
My working title for my WIP is "The Devil's Mirror Shattered," since it sounds noir-ish, fits a lot of the themes and symbols, and, like the rest of the book, alludes to The Snow Queen. My other potential titles from the exercise are listed below. I wrote more than one for some of the prompts. - In Search of James Fuyu - The Five Vessels of the Woman in White - The Fallout of the Astral Warriors - Sunny in the Snowy City - Darling, Dead Hoshiko - The Woman in White and Where She Led Me - The Star - The Warehouse Under the Bridge - Grief in Temple City - A Fine One Tramping Around - Grown Up, Yet Children at Heart - Cracked Reflections - The Dark and Dirty Mirror - Unforgivable - The Self-Imposed Damnation - But She Knows Better - This Cold, Concrete World - Do Nothing, Change Nothing, Are Nothing - Hate Hurts Only You
I love titles with more than one meaning. I personally have two WIP titles with various meanings. To Untrained Eyes (Initially it focuses on mages. They are banned from society and they are hunted down by a kind of inquisition called Prorai. At first the title resembles the difficulty of identifying mages, as they look similar to humans in appearance. It also refers to a literal third eye being planted in someone’s forehead, realising one’s blindness as one sees magic itself is not evil. The fact that the eye of a giant is [in comparison] far better at spotting small details. The blindness that ensues after all events will inevitably fade into history’s nothingness). (Fantasy) The Shadow World (As I was making up a Sci-fi universe I came up with my first relevant planet, one full of crime syndicates that trade weapons and cause chaos. This makes it [figuratively] a world in and of itself. Now it stands for more things: A society in which people live more and more in the dreaming world, the shadow of large transport ships transporting refugees of a planet. The shadow of responsibility. The shadow of guilt looming over those who betrayed their friends. The shadow of the everlasting impact of a dynasty long gone. A clone standing in the shadow of her donor and her sisters. The impending shadow of doom itself. Doom for the people and their planets, as in their comforts, complacency took root, which allowed the seeds of destruction to bloom. The story focuses on many different characters and planets, which in one way or another, go to waste due to humankind’s [and aliens too] false sense of comfort). (Sci-fi)
Coming from someone who doesn't read, but writing a book, your content is immeasurably thorough. It's helped me really hammer down my story idea and turn it from a fading pipedream to a reality!
Being a Lovecraft fan, I enjoy punchy tiles that lend an air of mystery, like The Lurker at the Threshold, The Thing on the Doorstep, The Call of Cthulhu, etc. The working title for the novel I've been working on forever is "Shadows Reign" it is an urban dark fantasy based, among other things, on the Jungian concept of The Shadow and each of the characters represents a different stage in shadow integration from from total denial of the shadow to complete domination by it. The main character represents individuation, or the person who accepts and integrates the shadow, achieving harmony with it.
I'm on Title #4 now, but this video has got me thinking about "New and Improved" Title #5. Another thoughtful, and thought-provoking lesson. Thanks DC. You're the best.
I want to try writing a title before writing a book (not necessarily before coming up with an idea) and see what I can come up with. I've always loved vague title ideas like 'Trees don't smile', 'Quiet never runs' or 'Rain bleeds only once'. I don't know if you understand, but it's a specific feeling. Who knows, maybe I can inspire anyone who's looking for a title. FYI, I've only ever given informal titles to my few works. 'Unseen Cherry Blossom' and 'Snowed Under/Words Don't Speak' are the only ones. The latter is still up for debate
Can't believe I'm a week late in seeing this, but that's the great thing about these videos, you can watch and rewatch them whenever you need inspiration. They are always a great resource, full of useful examples and in-depth analysis of what makes, in this case, a title a great title. Love it. And of course, "Whatever you do, keep writing." The heart warms at those words.
i love poetic titles so muuch like search for the lost times, the flowers of evil, l'écume des jours. the sound and the fury, as i lay dying wonder idk something like associating two commun words that do not comes together usually sound so cool to me
I just had an agent ask me for my full manuscript, along with 2-3 alternate titles. This caught me off guard a bit, and I came up with 2. I wish I would have seen this video!! Lol
I love it when you show the content throughout the video instead of digital face to face interaction with viewers. It makes the content easily understandable. Thank u for your valuable videos!
I have been binge watching your video all week. You inputs has made my book 200% better.... I am writing a children's book, that tackles with adult topics like freedom, destiny and death. Will love your inputs on writing a children's novel.
A nice Christmas gift from Diane Callahan! I used a biblical allusion explained in the epigraph in my novel, "When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller." The subtitle helps clarify that this is a work of religious fiction, specifically Catholic, that goes to extremes and can be read for the thrills, but explores much deeper themes. The epigraph, "Jesus turned to them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and your children...For if these things happen when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" --Luke 23:28, 31 Well, it's a little heavy for Christmas and goes better with lent. For Christmas, you might try my novel, "Merry Friggin' Christmas: An Edgy Christmas Comedy." Unfortunately, this one is a bad example of titling since the title is very close to a not-so-great Robin Williams movie, "A Merry Friggin' Christmas." If you are self-publishing, be sure to Google your title to avoid this mistake...
I have a different reason for seeking a new title: my book is too long for a first-time author's work. Luckily, its structure enables me to split it in two and each half is satisfying (hopefully). However, now I have to find two new titles, as the original title will now be the series title, and since I don't want the first book and the series to share a title, I have to find titles for both halves.
You may never know how much this video is useful to me. I have never thought about half of the things you said. Instinctively I think I picked one of the best names for my book and put it as my 1st temporary name but I have just started to work on your suggestions and may find something better (i have done 7 names so far and the 1st is still the best). Thank you
WIP titles for concepts of mine are: The Euwian (Euwians are a special human race [quite similar to Numenorians from the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien]. The main character is one of those Euwians. Quite self explanatory). (Fantasy) To Untrained Eyes (Initially it focuses on mages. They are banned from society and they are hunted down by a kind of inquisition called Prorai. At first the title resembles the difficulty of identifying mages, as they look similar to humans in appearance. It also refers to a literal third eye being planted in someone’s forehead, realising one’s blindness as one sees magic itself is not evil. The fact that the eye of a giant is [in comparison] far better at spotting small details. The blindness that ensues after all events will inevitably fade into history’s nothingness). (Fantasy) New Seasons (Don’t know if this one is a keeper. At first, the homeland of the main character is occupied by foreign forces. Winter. Said main character has been given a crucial role in their Empire, as he cooperates with them. Things are looking up. Spring. Members of the royal family (the one he serves) are either assassinated or captured. Fall. I could basically tell the whole story but the point is the seasons represent how much hope there is for the main characters. Unfortunately for them, no part of the book will be considered summer). (Fantasy) The Shadow World (As I was making up a Sci-fi universe I came up with my first relevant planet, one full of crime syndicates that trade weapons and cause chaos. This makes it [figuratively] a world in and of itself. Now it stands for more things: A society in which people live more and more in the dreaming world, the shadow of large transport ships transporting refugees of a planet. The shadow of responsibility. The shadow of guilt looming over those who betrayed their friends. The shadow of the everlasting impact of a dynasty long gone. A clone standing in the shadow of her donor and her sisters. The impending shadow of doom itself. Doom for the people and their planets, as in their comforts, complacency took root, which allowed the seeds of destruction to bloom. The story focuses on many different characters and planets, which in one way or another, go to waste due to humankind’s [and aliens too] false sense of comfort). (Sci-fi) Eternal Day (Concept I haven’t really worked out yet. I’m not sure which concept to use and which one to discard [I have two concepts that are quite different, but share the same setting]. It would be a thriller, though. The main character finds himself on one of the Earth’s poles. It is pole day there, hence the name). (Thriller)
Untrained eye and new seasons sound like stories I would read 😄 I had so much trouble finding my book title! I finally found it though. I was going to have it as something like crypics or something like that but very quickly changed it lol. I ended up with "SANCTIONED: RENEGADE COALITION" Tbh I had to make sure those were actually words. I just thought it sounded cool and the last brain cell said "wait! make sure that's no a slur or something" wile eating sand and found out that it actually fits really really well! Sanction is to cause penalties or punishment to have obedience with the law. The group in the story is a group of people with powers who are basically seen as animals because of their powers and are only allowed to exist under government control. They are banned from doing most anything (for good reasons that wouldn't be a problem if laws were put in place to protect them) And renigade coalition would be a temporary group formed by people who rejected the principles of the government that have formed their own society. And that is what the group sanction is in my story! Blew my frigging mind I swear 5 am no sleep is when I get my best ideas lol.
An absolutely excellent compilation of examples! Lovely graphics alongside a thorough list of considerations on the importance of titling. Definitely recommending! Thanks!
Title for me can sometimes turn out to be a nightmare. It's frustrating when you've written a whole book or story and you can't think of a title.. btw this video was amazing..I was wondering when you would upload a new one :)
Been hoping for something like this. I like my title but my editor thinks it's misleading. Doing the excise I think I have a winner. The suggested excises are a good thing to have, keep up the good work.
I named my first two books after a central event/point in the book (Project Open Europe, Battle Of Phnom Penh), while the third is a play on an existing title and a reference to the mental state of the central characters (The Tears Of Winter). In a nutshell, my books are alternate history with a continued Cold War and an ambigous timeline.
Working on a Trilogy called "Legend of the Fallen Prince." This video is the first time I've considered naming the individual books anything other than what I had before. Originally, book one was just "The Knight" (triple meaning, main character is a knight, main BBEG is a knight, and it's homophonic with "The Night," which is a key element in the story). Now though? Ideas... "Apotheosis." "Death and Dreams." "The Death of Darkness." "Kinslayer." "Where No Light Shines." "Under a Dark Sun." "The Tailor." All relevant to the plot. Most stay within the theme of darkness/night. Course there's a couple in there that I'm sure have people scratching their heads, but I *assure* you, they make sense in the context of the story!
I took the exercise to the letter, including the fun of some goofy results. Here are all the answers (that apply) in relation to a novel that exists only in my head. I thought it was cool that some of them were repeated. I wonder if that's a good sign and if it happens with other people, too. Try out the full exercise, too, and post it as replies! Also, can you guess the genre? 1- The Other Side of the Sea 2- The Weaver's Gauntlet 3- The Other Side of the Sea 4- Lily 5- Pearl 6- Lily's Lilies 7- Defiler 8- The Other Side of the Sea 9- A Hole in the Water 10- ... 11- The Throne Was Empty 12- Mother of Pearl 13- Mother of Pearl 14- Creation and Loss 15- God Was Tired 16- Eclipsed Exodus 17- Lily's Lilies (or) Eclipsed Exodus 18- The Death of a World 19- Emergence 20- A Hole in the Water 21- The Emergent Genesis of Emotion 22- ...
I'm impressed! My first thought was that it was a philosophical novel with a speculative element of some kind, a story akin to Dune or The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I'm especially drawn toward The Other Side of the Sea (reminds me of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and T.J. Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea), along with The Weaver's Gauntlet and The Death of a World, which sound epic in tone. I hope you'll put the story to paper someday soon! :)
@@QuotidianWriter Thank you for the thoughtful and encouraging reply. You nailed the speculative and philosophical vibe. That'd be the intent, as opposed to something more epic. The story would be about a village that harbors some outsiders of the same religion. But the outsiders are actually there to rapture them away from impending doom. Cheers!
Brilliant, Diane. Thank you. I'm struggling to finish a novel (the wolf pack scenes are kicking my butt, because emotion and communication with no dialog). The story is inspired by the varied tellings of "Little Red Riding Hood". The title to my story is similarly titled as *"Little Red Feather."* But it's the wolf who's the protag, and who ends up saving the girl. It was supposed to be a shape-shifter romance, but it grew quite dark, then became as much "save the world" as romance (plus too many POVs for romance), so we'll see. My heroine's name is quite good as a title and will probably stand. It should be commercial enough for traditional publishers. I'll pitch it at the "Pikes Peak Writers Conference" this April. My next novel, in the planning stage now, was inspired by a Dido song. Once I got into the plot I realized the events of the song are only the setup--the first 1/8 of the novel. *Working title is the song's name "Sand in My Shoes,"* but that will never do as the novel's title. Should be tight, with only a single POV, but more of an anti-romance. It starts romance, but she dumps the guy at the end to embrace her new-found role. The heroine slowly discovers she's a shape-shifting jaguar, then has to deal with the problems that causes, and eventually embraces who she's become. Anyway, *I've got no title for this one.* My first attempt at a novel was also inspired by the Dido song "Life for Rent" (using the general concept). The plot became far to complex and so I've set it aside. I'd decided on the tile of *"Instinct and Intellect"* because it's the exploration of the non-human protag's internal battle. It's a weird genre and may not appeal to a traditional publisher. No shape-shifters, but a combo of sci-fi (genetic engineering) and fantasy (Japanese mythology). I have a story that's stalled at the working-out-the-details stage. A shape-shifter romance with selkies, and having the theme of freedom. I originally called it *"The Old Man and the Sea Maiden,"* but I think *"What Shape the Sea"* may be better. Finally I'm kicking around a concept based on Greek mythology about a tragic platonic love triangle. In my notes I've named it *"The Iron Rose,"* but that name kinda sucks. May just go back to the *working title of the two main character's Greek names.* However my story could be any genre, set in any time period, with the traditional tragic ending or an upbeat ending, and using any names for the characters. The critical element is the relationship between the two main characters, how that evolves, and how the third character reacts to the relationship. I'll worry about bringing it into focus once I get to writing the Jaguar novel--unless I decide to do my selkie novel next. I just realized. I steal titles. 😆
Thank you for this video. I was stuck on a finding a title for my book but this opened a world of possibilities for me. I was wondering if books written by African authors would be in the analysis when I saw you used 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe. That felt good. Thank you.
Great suggestions! Thank you so much for adding text and using less stock photos. Some of your other videos have a lot of distracting photos, so I have to listen to the audio only and not look at the screen. I've got ADHD, I have trouble focusing.
I'm glad that this video was a better viewing experience for you! Have you tried the Writing Excuses podcast before? They have great fifteen-minute episodes without visual distractions. Also, many of my video transcripts are available as text articles on Medium, and these newer ones will be on there soon. Thank you for watching. :)
Hello! Love your work, I just wanted to suggest a topic: comedy writing. I'm not naturally a very humorous person, I'm better at writing drama than comedy. However, I recently watched Fleabag, the show by Phoebe Waller Bridge. She made this amazing mix of comedy that we feel guilty laughing at, and then she punches us in the gut with a bout of strong drama! I'd love to hear your take on that, and maybe a few tips on how to do it?... That is if you are amiable... Thanks a lot!❤️
Oh man, I've had a half-written script on "Writing Better Humor" in my drafts folder for years, but it's a hard topic to pull off, especially in the fiction world. But hopefully one day soon I'll have the confidence to finish that video, haha!
This is a very helpful video! I love the way it's formatted and the narration is pleasant. I'll definitely be using this advice to name the middlegrade Contemporary fiction I'm working on. It's the only one of my stories that doesn't have a title. Which sucks because it's the only one I'm planning on pursuing publishing for. Some favorite book titles of mine are from short stories and are interesting or clever. "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," "The Most Dangerous Game," ect.
The setting on the title is also very popular in historical fiction : a gentleman in moscow, mexican Gothic, the Violinist of venice, the Paris wife, the most beautiful girl in Cuba, meet me in Monaco. ..
I'm going to write a book called "Dragon's Shadow in the City of War..." Oh no wait, how about "A Shadow of War at the Gates of Dragon City." Or, "A City of Shadows and a Dragon of War."
I'm A High School Boy and a Successful Light Novel Author, But I'm Being Strangled By A Female Classmate Who's A Voice Actress And Is Younger Than Me is obviously a perfectly fine title right?
in my novel that i am writing, there are races of half-human half-animal beings, built like centaurs but with animals besides horses, so i named the novel "six of limbs", since i didnt like just "six limbs" and i liked how it sounded like a card in a deck of cards. i also made some sketches of a posisble cover for the book, and i structured it a bit like a card from a deck.
This actually helped me a lot. I was stuck on what to title my book series but I brainstormed and I think I know now. The first book will be: "Memoirs of a Monster: Of Blood an Blue Skies" Though I'm still open to suggestion.
I used to want to become a writer, about 15 years ago I started writing fanfics with my favorite bands, then I moved into original stories, but for the last year I stopped writing completely, like I lost my muse, I don't know what to do now 😩
I've been stuck on a title for my piece. It's a dark fantasy in the vein of spaghetti westerns/samurai movies. I was thinking something like "The Butcher's Bill" or "The Butcher".
*Tell me!* is a story I once wrote. Inspired by Edgar Allen Poes "The Raven". It is about a being chasing a girl down the halls and rooms of his house, to find a box in the basement. The title frase is said, around three times, in the story. Answer if you would read it, I would love to know.
I'd love to read it! When I first read your comment, I thought the title was interesting enough, but it was the exclamation mark that piqued my interest. I can't say that Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" was the first thing that came to mind, but it does come to show how much you thought of your title before coming up with it. It fits the synopsis of your book and it rolls off the tongue quite easily.
I had a title for a novel come to me the instant I woke up one morning, along with the first line of the novel. The title didn't survive, but part of it remained in the book.
The current title i hold is "Just Hunger". The story follows a man justifying his cannibalism by targeting Criminals. I thought the play on Just for Justice would work but idk
Wow. Love your voice. I don't read or write anything. I'm a ditch digger. Kidding. But with your voice, you could talk me into writing cookie fortunes. Or Ikea directions.
I think William S Burroughs had the most fascinating titles Junkie, Queer, Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, Nova Express, The ticket that exploded..and the hippos were boiled in their tanks.
I always give some consideration to Questlove's titling method for all those Roots record he name. Should capture the album in particular, the band at that moment, and the times the album is released into. I personally want my titles to apply in at least two ways, or two characters but usually theme and character
