A to Z Challenge: Yes!

The primary job of a book title is literary seduction. It should beckon, in an irresistible fashion, until you have no choice but to read the first line, and then the first paragraph, and then just one more chapter. . . and cripes, now it's time to devise a plausible excuse for missing work because you stayed up all night reading.  

But which comes first? The title? Or the story idea?

A lot of times the title shows up to me first. It's a phrase I've heard, or read, that has such intriguing story potential. Every Maiden's Dream, an upcoming book, started as a title. These words are used by the hero's best friend, in a semi-sarcastic way, to describe how the hero has been forgotten by the ladies during his year-long absence from Society. It is also meant to be ironic, since the heroine seems to have no use for our dashing hero, to his great surprise (and distress). Yet it also ends up being an accurate description of him as he becomes a vital part of the heroine's happily-ever-after. That is one hard-working title!

Another title I plan to use, A Short Step to Crazy, was part of a phrase I recently read in an online article, and it was an instant winner. I knew it could be part of a trilogy, so I brainstormed other "crazy" titles, and then set out to find a story to go with the titles. That's when I thought of three sisters and, "if they lived anywhere else, they'd be normal". It's been a lot of fun working through the story possibilities that emerged because of an unexpected title dropping into my laptop.

Sometimes the story comes first, and the title requires some effort. I have one book that I've re-titled so many times I'm not even sure what it is anymore. I'm still digging in my brain for one of those "Yes! This is perfect!" titles for it. I'm not sure why it's so hard to find the right fit either. Perhaps I will have to ask someone to read the book and ask them what titles come to mind. (It's a process that could be fraught with peril, or the advent of genius. I'll let you know how it turns out.)

Lately it seems too many book titles have NOTHING to do with the story. I find this aggravating, especially if the book is part of a series. I have to read the cover blurb to see if I've already read the book, because it sounds like they just shuffled the words in the previous book's title. This "title disconnect" seems to happen most often with romantic suspense, so I guess there's only so many romantic ways to say "Danger Ahead! Ye Be Warned!" 

Sometimes it's obvious the title is solely meant to be titillating, even more so than the cover model's chesticular qualities. That can be disappointing as well, because then I feel like I fell for a Ponzi scheme, and I'll grumble for the rest of the day. It's my own fault if I buy a book just because I was mesmerized by a spectacular set of male pectorals. But if I buy a book with a title that promises one thing, yet delivers another. . .well, that makes me unhappy, and do we really want that? No, we don't.

Another trend that's fun, but can be a huge stretch from what the story is about: titles which are actually a pun on OTHER titles, especially TV shows and movies. I definitely appreciate the humor and wit involved, but it feels as if it's meant to be clever wordplay for its own sake rather than an indication of the storyline. Again, I've been promised one thing, but given something else. And we know how I feel about that (see answer at the end of previous paragraph).

So this is a reminder to me, when looking for the perfect book title: the answer is "Yes! This is perfect!"

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The next to last day of the A to Z Challenge! Did that go fast or what?!

Comments

[Mae Clair]

I have a love/hate affair with titles. Sometimes they come really easy for me and I have them before I start a novel (as in the case of Weathering Rock and Twelfth Sun), and other times they're as elusive as leaves in the wind. I actually took a vote on my blog before deciding on Solstice Island for my romantic novella. Eclipse Lake went through three title changes and the current ms I have out in submission was called something else for half of the story. I still have all of my notes saved under "that name." I do agree with you though that titles are so critical, and when they're in a series they need to complement each other. Love the titles you've got planned, especially the "crazy" series! :)

[Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)]

I love this post! Titles are so much fun to think about. Sometimes they seem to have nothing to do with the story though. I do like the new trend of pun titles. If you have time you should stop by and check out my Y Post.