how to title a Writing Piece

One struggle that writers face isn’t the writing itself, but coming up what to title their piece when it is done. And this is for good reason; the title is what sets the mood and ideas for the piece before people begin to read. So, how do you actually come up with a good title for your writing piece that doesn’t feel forced?

Places/Names/Objects

Although it’s slightly basic, plenty of stories are named after the main character, the places that are featured in it, or central objects. These characters, places, or objects are usually central to the plot, so it makes sense for these things to be the title. An example that immediately comes to my mind is ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley. If there isn’t an extremely important character, place, or object in your piece, I would refrain from naming it like this, though.

Events/Plot Points

Another fairly common way for people to title their writing is by naming it after a central plot point or event. This can help build anticipation about the plot point or event, as the reading already knows as soon as they read it that it will be a turning point and main focus in the story. An example of this would be ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins.

Themes

Your title doesn’t have to be something physically in your story, but rather reflect the meaning or feeling of your story as a whole. If the piece has an important message to it that you are trying to communicate to your readers, make this your title. It shouldn’t be extremely explicit, but this message should still be given across to the reader. An example of this would be ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen.

Quotes/Songs

I see this a lot for fan fiction stories, but you can always use lyrics from songs that have inspired your work, or quotes that you have read that you think apply to the themes of your work. I named a short stories about a man who switches places with his younger self ‘With Kinder Eyes’ in reference to the Schitt's Creek quote, as the story focuses on him learning to make peace with his past. If you are naming your story in this way, I would advise you to not make it extremely obvious, though. It may cheapen the message or bring the readers out of the story.

Description

For my shorter pieces, I enjoy, instead of using a central object as the title itself, to use a description of the object. For example, I titled a piece I wrote about the ocean ‘Deep, Dark Navy’. If you are writing poetry, you could bring out a phrase that your piece centres around. For longer pieces, you could also this can be used to describe the book as a whole, such as ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ by Jeff Kinney. Though, you don’t have to be make it that meta.

Miscellaneous

A guilty pleasure of mine are titles with wordplay and/or is excessively long. I find these witty, and they give the piece a bit of character that I enjoy. Long titles also let the voice of the character shine, which I particularly like. One example of this is the children’s book ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ by Judith Virost.

Tips:

1. If your piece has an extremely strong and distinct voice, try to make sure the title reflects this. Doing this can help hook the readers in, and it makes it so the voice isn’t jarring when the story is read.

2. Try not to make your title too generic. Avoid using extremely common words or phrases that you see in titles all the time, as this makes it harder for your work to stand out.

3. Make it emotional. Be impactful. Give the reader a gut punch when they finish the story and realise that the title (subtly) revealed the ending all along. Leave the reader thinking.

4. Make sure your title fits the tone of your piece, and if you have one, your genre. If I picked up a book titled ‘Lord of the Rings’, I certainly wouldn’t expect to read a fluffy romance novel.

5. Titles don't just have to be about something physical. Think about any worldbuilding, themes, your characters, their fears, and the stakes.

6. Titles can be anything, so you don’t have to follow a specific formula for coming up with them. You are a writer; if you can put together a whole story or poem, you can put together a few words to describe it all. Use your creativity!

7. Don't let the fear of it being 'cringe' or corny stop you from choosing a title that you like. It is your work, and you can name it whatever you want. 

Remember, you can always change what you title your piece as you go along. Currently, most of my WIPs have random nouns as the titles that are either words that I repeat a lot, or where the story is set. Most ideas come to me while I am writing, or when I’m supposed to doing something else. Patience is key, as the title will come to you eventually.

(Writing advice from Lily, Editor-in-Chief)