Inexperienced writers pay scant attention to titles because they are under the impression that editors will alter them. The title is the editor's initial contact with your creativity, however, and should be treated with respect. There is a difference between a working title and a title that works, and it is a shame to miss this opportunity to display an interesting first impression.

The search for a definitive title often involves a variety of means. There is the explanatory title that encapsulates the piece in a few pithy words. It is wise not to divulge too much information however. The reader may be intrigued by My Mixed Up Mother whereas the more specific title The Day That Mary Ellen Came To Realize That Her Mother Was Actually Her Grandmother leaves little to the imagination.

There is the derivative title that spins off from some other source. Although titles are not protected by copyright, it is advisable to effect small word changes from the original. I used this method for several of the stories in my book "Rosie And Me". A tale about the young Rosie and her friend exchanging some bathroom euphemisms is Rosie By Any Other Name. Another story in which the slightly older pair skip Sunday School is entitled Sunday In The Park With Rosie and I called the sad saga of when Rosie fails her driving test Driving Miss Rosie.

Another method for discovering a title is the treasure hunt. Somewhere buried within the piece itself the title may exist and the writer has to search for it. When I could not settle on a suitable title for my article on the overuse of various literary tools I re-read the piece and this passage stood out:

"Some adjectives add to a piece, but in company with the abacus and the slide rule, the adverb is becoming obsolete. Modern writing should not contain excess baggage." The article became Excess Baggage and after significant re-editing to have the content reflect the title, it was published in Canadian Author magazine.

In fiction, titles must give potential readers some indication of the tone, setting or genre. It would not be appropriate, for instance, to have a science fiction piece entitled Georgia On My Mind, just as the reader of serious literature would not be attracted to The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Recently my writer’s group spent an interesting evening creating titles for various genre based on the fictional reincarnations of a William Drummond.

1. Family Saga - The Drummond Legacy

2.Old time Western - Wild Bill Drummond Seeks Revenge

3. Modern Western - Young Billy - Computerized Ranch-hand

4. Science Fiction - Captain Drummond Leads Planet Wars

5. Fantasy - Drummond Against The Unicorn

6. Adventure - Sir William D. Up The Amazon river

7. Biography - The Private World Of Mr. Drummond

8. Espionage -Was Billy Drummond A Double Agent?

9. Military exploits - Private Drummond Misses The action

10. Hospital Romance - Dr. Drummond’s Secret Love

11. Historical Romance - The legend Of Wee Willie Drummond

12. Harlequin Romance - Passion On Drummond’s Tropical Isle

13. Mystery - The Tenth Drummond

14. Gothic - The Wives of William Drummond III

15. Horror - The Headless Ghost Of Drummond Manor

As we tried to match the titles to the subject matter, we realized what an important part they played in the creative package.

Although humans tend to deny, denounce or distort the names given to them by their parents, the stories which are the children of our imagination have no choice, they are totally dependent upon the writer. The definitive title can prove elusive. This particular piece went through many stages, from the totally unimaginative Untitled to other abortive attempts such as Name That Piece, Intriguing Titles and The Titular Head before it became The Top Of The Page. But as a humble spinner of yarns I welcomed the opportunity to become a bestower of titles - surely an occupation fit for a Queen!

Good advice. The most successful title I've ever had was "This Ain't Funny!" I read material with lackluster titles because I have to as a (tiny niche) publisher, but what I choose to read on my own time is influenced by the title.

A writer has to snare the reader's interest, and I learned that when I studied the statistics for the magazine I'm involved in. Sometimes I change the title, or the "blurb," and the page gets more reads!

Like other readers, however, I am annoyed when the title promises something that the material can't deliver.

I think this title delivered! Good work, Brenda.

Stoney - Friday, January 04, 2002 at 20:43:06 (EST)

When I first began writing I didn't spend much time on titles. I was all caught up in my stories and supposed they were the main thing to worry about and that any old title would do. Then, as I began to write poetry I kept this same attitude, usually taking a few words from some line and slapping them on as the title.
It is naive to suppose that a reader will tolerate such a careless attitude. Titles are one's first crack at grabbing the attention of a reader/buyer. This is excellent advice, Brenda!
Lou - Saturday, January 05, 2002 at 12:33:44 (EST)

Hey, thanks, Brenda!
I may be able to come up with some titles now.
Now all I have to do is learn how to write!
I hope you don’t mind, I copied this article for future reference.

Lee - Sunday, January 06, 2002 at 05:47:23 (EST)