Jul 16 2008
How to Write Titles
This article gives nine tips to writing a title that grips readers and sells your book.
1. Tell us enough about the book to make us want to read it. This is what separates bland, forgettable titles like The Dragon from classics like His Majesty’s Dragon. The more we can surmise about the plot, the better.
2. Do not use imaginary place names. Readers haven’t heard of Asgardia, Lukawanda, or whatever your fictional kingdom or city is called. Your invented words won’t interest us because they don’t mean anything to us. The only place names that will attract prospective readers are those that use English words, like the Temple of Doom. We can guess what a temple of doom is.
3. Avoid character names. For example, I once saw a story named Ekwamedha’s Children. I have no idea who Ekwamedha is. Why should I care about him? A character’s name will be the weak point of the title, unless the name is so well-constructed that it has an immediate emotional impact. The only time I’ve seen that actually work is Barbara Bloodbath.
4. If you refer to a character, we will learn more if you give us the character’s profession rather than just his name. Compare Ekwamedha’s Children (above) to The Chieftain’s Children. Giving us the profession means you can cut out an imaginary word from the title. It will also make it easier for readers to determine whether they are interested.
5. One-word titles are generally ineffective. Your readers are patient enough that they will easily make it through three or four words. By adding a few words, you will tell us more about the plot and will come off as less cheesy and formulaic (like Trapped, Them!, and Prey).
6. If you use an [adjective] [noun] title, the adjective has to be unusual. Compare The Green Dragon or The Tough Barbarian to The Hudsucker Proxy or The Homicidal Toaster.
7. Do not use any acronyms that readers will not understand. As far as titles are concerned, acronyms are the most dangerous kind of imaginary word.
8. If possible, identify any element of your story that sells itself. It’s fairly cliché for stories to use high-selling words like dragon, vampire and magic in the title. Many readers will give your story a closer look if you advertise that it has a plot element they are fond of. Even though this is cliché, I recommend using it if you are writing to sell. But keep in mind that you still have to distinguish yourself from other vampire or dragon stories.
9. The title absolutely has to be written for the benefit of prospective readers. If your title only makes sense to readers after readers have finished the book, it’s a poor title. If your title doesn’t wow readers that are completely new to your work, no one will figure out how witty your title was because no one will actually read your book.
What did you guys do with your naming chapters section? I can’t find it anymore. I’m just going to post this stuff here. These are some chapters in my story, I’m kind of going off the top of my head, but I think I’ve got the beginning skeletized.
The Daily Routine- Don’t think this starts off like “I got up, took a shower, ate breakfast etc”. It’s more so Adrian describing his hectic way to school, leaving the house an hour early to catch the crappy monorail, walking about a mile (of crude shortcuts), hopping fences, and running from dogs. I was going to use this chapter (and possibly the next) to establish the mood. Adrian would describe the dirty streets, murder scenes, and violent drama he passes frequently. I’d also use this chapter to establish Adrian’s undauntable positivity despite being in poverty.
A Haven in Hell- Hell referring to Adrian’s school, his haven being his friends in drama club (a few of which will be in the contest). Adrian’s personality is the highlight here. He goes throughout his school day encountering bullies, bitchy teachers, and the atmosphere of the school. Drama club is interrupted when a group of gang members break into the auditorium and start hassling one of Adrian’s friends over a bad drug deal. A fight breaks out and one of the boys is killed, and all the kids scattered being chased by the thugs. He is chased into a part of the city that is unknown to him, but he escaped.
Were Those Tentacles?- After his chase Adrian wonders around the dark inner- city. In an vacant lot, he sees a strange looking “car” and two guys with tentacles on their faces arguing. Adrian hears bits of the conversation, he hears that this city is the ideal place and that it would drastically alter the city. Adrian thinks it’s a plan for an alien terrorist attack. When the aliens leave they leave a “survey stake” that Adrian takes, alerting the alien counci l(but this is learned later, it’s first person so he wouldn’t know). He gets home late and describes a little of his home life (but this isn’t the chapter highlight).
That’s the very beginning, I’d post more but I’m blanking right now. I’ll be able to come up with stuff once I write those three chapters out. Basically, Adrian tries to tell people about the events, they think he’s crazy. About the fifth chapter, mass alien contact begins, Adrian is one of the first contacted having the alien stake. Adrian is terrified, Jimelly having Adrian trapped in a water prison tells him about the upstarting contest and gives him an invitation to apprenticeship. Adrian absolutely refuses, Jimelly lets him go but bus him so that he can track him, an aspect of his eccentricity. Something dramatic happens in Adrian’s life causing him to go back and accept Jimelly’s offer, by now Jim has already recruited his competitors but allows Adrian in as the last of his students. This is were the contest begins and Adrian goes into training.
Suggestions? Opinions?
I think the article you’re referring to is here. I’ll look at this after the Cardinals game.
Sorry, I didn’t break it up more.
Here are some quick thoughts before the Colts-Charger game (have you noticed that I rarely post very much on Sundays? Heh heh).
The Daily Routine sounds kind of boring (like “I got up, took a shower…” as you put it). Now, it may not actually be boring, but I think readers would be more likely to give your book a chance if the first chapter sounded more interesting. Something like “Smiling in the Ghetto” may be a more stylish way to convey what you’re looking for, I suspect.
A Haven in Hell sounds OK. I worry slightly that some readers may take “hell” literally, but hopefully that will be minor. More substantially, I’d recommend removing Adrian’s drama-club friends from the magical contest. First, it will seem contrived that the aliens just happened to pick one or two of Adrian’s friends out of the millions of people in the city. Second, it raises geeks-vs-the-world concerns like Soon I Will Be Invincible suffered from (well, drama guys in this case, but you get my point hopefully). The worst-case scenario is that some readers feel you’re a disgruntled drama guy writing to express your anger at all the other students (jocks especially?) I got a bit of that vibe off SIWBI. However, I like that he runs away into an unknown part of the city.
I’d recommend changing “Were Those Tentacles?” to make it something other a rhetorical question.
Okey Dokey!
I’m doing my stupid homework on single sex schools, it’s extremely difficult to find an unbiased recent article on the matter. Stupid AP Language!!
Let’s see. I’ll suggest two sources… This New York Times article strikes me as pretty easy to read, although it’s probably longer than you need or want.
I also have a more geeky and convoluted source that is probably better suited for a college term paper. However, I’d be willing to walk you through it so you could decide whether or not you’d like to use it. You can see the article here, but the main point that you’d probably draw on for your research is this table.
Even the table might be hard to read, so let me try to decipher it with you. They considered a number of studies that looked at how same-sex education and co-education stacked up on different measures of performance. For example, 9 of those were about “All-Subject Achievement Test Scores.” Of those nine, six (67%) found that same-sex education (SS) had a favorable outcome on ASATs. One found that coeducation (CE) had a favorable outcome and two studies found that neither SS nor CE affected ASATS very much. (That’s a null result).
So, if you were going to look at these results in a broader way, you could draw conclusions like this. If you wanted to argue that same-sex education improved the performance of students, you could say something like this. “Of the 43 studies on academic accomplishment surveyed by the Department of Education, 15 showed that same-sex education had a positive impact on student performance and only 1 showed that coeducation was superior.”
Alternately, if you wanted to argue that coeducation was superior (or at least not worse), you could spin your results like this. “When the Department of Education surveyed 43 studies on academic accomplishment, only 15 found that same-sex education had a positive impact on student performance.”
But I wouldn’t stress out about this very much. Like I said, I wouldn’t expect the average college graduate to be able to understand this stuff, so I am completely confident that your teacher would be OK with simpler sources like the New York Times article I linked to above. Maybe even simpler.
3. Avoid character names. For example, I once saw a story named Ekwamedha’s Children. I have no idea who Ekwamedha is. Why should I care about him? A character’s name will be the weak point of the title, unless the name is so well-constructed that it has an immediate emotional impact. The only time I’ve seen that actually work is Barbara Bloodbath.
Emma, by Jane Austen. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. David Copperfield. Nicholas Nickleby. Oliver. Branwen Urech Lyr. Anna Karinina. Marley and Me. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Jane Eyre. It. Cujo. Damia. The Rowan. Damia’s Children. Babar. Hell, Dracula. A Rose for Emily.
I think what I’m trying to say is that I respectfully disagree.
Notice that those are professional writers, not amateurs. People probably read those books because they were familiar with the author already. Amateurs have NO reputation, so that won’t happen. Exception: Frankenstein, but this was written in a period where books were rare and people were less likely to screen books by what titles seemed interesting. Point is, these are different times. People won’t waste time with a boring/meaningless name. At the very least, I wouldn’t.
I notice that the titles you selected tended to date prior to the 20th century. I don’t think that Anna Karenina, say, would be an effective title now. This is not to say that modern titles cannot use character names, just that such titles are very likely to be mediocre or poor.
Among the fantasy titles I can think of that used names well, usually the names were used to supplement a longer title. For example, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone* is OK, but just Harry Potter wouldn’t have had much curb appeal. If the character’s name is actually flavorful, it might have curb appeal. Barbara Bloodbath, for example. But generally I’d recommend that a beginning author avoid using names because he would probably be putting himself in a very difficult position.
*That was the original US release title.
While on the one hand, you have a point — most of those books are old, they’re established, and very few of us read them outside of school. They’re classics for a reason, though. They’ve stood out. And yes, I agree, none of those authors are considered amateurs now. But everybody has to start somewhere, even those guys. So don’t discount your choices.
I guess what I’m saying is I was providing a counter-point to show that there are a wealth of options out there, not just Barbara Bloodbath.
Which, frankly, sounds like a bad snuff-film. As the acronym goes, YMMV.
(I KNEW I should’ve looked up the spelling of “Karenina.” I thought it looked odd. Thanks for saving me that google search at three a.m.)
I’m also feeling tired. In lieu of an exhaustive survey, I glanced at the New York Times bestseller list for paperback mass-market fiction. Of the 35 titles, none include a character name.
On the other hand, the New York Times bestseller list for paperback trade fiction has 5 character names among the top 35 titles:
1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Ranked #6.
2. Loving Frank [about Frank Lloyd Wright]. Ranked #7.
3. The Children of Hurin (by JRR Tolkein). Ranked #22.
4. The Lady Elizabeth. Ranked #24.
5. Sarah’s Key. Ranked #30.
I’d discount #2 (because Frank is a real person) and #3 (because people will read a Tolkein book no matter what the title is). I was not particularly impressed by #4 or #5, although they sold pretty well.
I would interpret this as fairly strong evidence that the most effective titles (which correlates with but is not identical to which books sold the most, I feel) generally do not have names. Do you have any suggestions on using names to appeal to modern prospective readers that are not familiar with your work?
Hi, I’m a writer of superheroes. I love the site cause it covers everything from superhero teams to how to make them work.
Anyways, the title of my story and team is currently Hyper Hero Force. I sent you this a while back and you said I should change it to something more sober sounding. What did you mean by that?
As alternative names, I’ve got Hero Force, Team Hero, Justice Fighters and Team DCSS (Team D Chain Solar Silence). I personally like Team Hero, but if you can offer any more ideas it would help greatly. Also, your site said you review stories. Could I send in my story for review? Thanks.
I think Hyper Hero Force sounds a little like something from a manga or anime. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it depends on your target audience. For example, X-Men seems a lot more serious than Hyper Hero Force. X-Men would probably have a higher age group.
Team Hero could work, but it seems a little simple. Justice Fighters sounds a little like Justice League. What do you think of Team Justice, Justice Force, Solar Justice, or Silent Justice? Silent Justice would be good if they are a bit vigilante, dealing with the criminals themselves instead of handing them over to the police.
Other options are acronyms, for example CIA means “Central Intelligence Agency”.
If you ask B. Mac, he can set up a review forum for you. All you have to do is post a little at a time and we will leave comments on the structure and such for you. Most of the regular posters have one. Is this a short story, a book or comic book that you’re writing?
I personally like Justice Force, it sounds authoritative. I also like Hyper Force, but sounds like some type of Power Rangers
Yeah, when I’m suggesting names, it’s very helpful to have a bit of the story in front of me. That helps me gauge the target audience, the mood, the genre, etc.
As for story reviews, just e-mail one to superheronation[at]gmail[dot]com and we’ll get on it very shortly.
I have emailed my story to you. I like the names you’ve given me, especially Justice Force. I’m also getting it made into a comic format. Here’s part of it for other people to comment on.
The story begins in another dimension, with a 15-year old half-human girl getting cruelly beaten again. This is a daily event for her. It had happened from as far back as she could remember, for no reason at all.
She was barely looked after and her drinking water was a murky brown. The food she ate was cold, brown and in tins with funny sorts of animals on it. Dog food, but she took what she was given and did not say a word. She could not say anything even if she wanted to. She was a mute. Her name was Silence. After the beating that lasted a full two hours, her beaters got bored. After killing her three times her father always brought her back to life to be beaten some more.
Is this the actual story or a prologue? If it’s the story you probably need to put in present tense.
I think you could be more descriptive of her beating instead of just saying it, show it. Also, I think her physical appearance can be described in a more subtle way.
I’m not the best writer, but here goes:
“The [adjective] man kicked her to the ground violently, crashing the into the wall. She quickly looked up with green tear-filled eyes in fear. He took a lock of her blue hair into his hands, pulling her across the floor. He punched her in the stomach, forcing out a painful retch. “Please, stop” she mouthed forgetting gor a second that she was mute. The guard(?) was only just getting started. The beating went on for another 20 minutes until the beater got bored. He spat at her as he left the dark, confined space.
She lay there, in desolence, wondering if this would be the fourth time she would going to die from a daily beating. She stared at the dog food and brown water given to her, this was all she had. This was her fate, Silence’s fate.”
I tried to include everything.
What do you think?
The daily beating of a fifteen year-old girl will drastically effect the mood of your story. A publisher may question the marketability of the story.
[EDITOR: Agreed. I would have tossed the manuscript at that point.]
Does Silence have any powers?
Woah, David, I think your readers deserve a bit more description than that. The small portion you’ve just described could easily have been extended into a chapter or more. Also, I think these ogre-things deserve more imaginitive names than “Hack” and “Stab”.
Umm, well I guess I can work on extending the parts but I don’t personally don’t see what’s wrong with em. Mind you the comic’s already been started, so it could be hard to redo it all. And I liked Hack and Stab. But I dunno. It’s a tough comic world.
Exactly how far are you into making a comic? If you’re still making the script that can be easily changed, I should know, I’m writing a comic book script too. But, if you mean that production as in art and lettering has started then you’re right.
I think Hack and Stab are suitable nicknames for your ogres, you could also try Crush and Burn, Rip and Tear, Gore and Maul.
I’m interested in your comic, could I see some of the script?
I agree, it is a tough comic world. Generally, it’s a tough literature world as a whole. That’s why I’m trying to stop playing Guitar Hero and get to writing my script. I could be done with it by now.
Oh, wait, you’re writing a comic script? Apologies, in that case. Comic scripts don’t need to be descriptive.
I think he’s writing both. Comic book script vary by writer, you can be more descriptive than a book i.e. Sandman. Or you can be less descriptive i.e Teen Titans (and most other simple superhero comics).
I personally choose to be very descriptive about my main characters and such.
So I take it that this is the book and not the comic script. This is an ok, action scene.
By your description of your characters, it seems like they are anime based (a la outrageous hair colors and costumes) that’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. I’m actually a big fan of outrageously stylish clothes.
Do you have a comic script? It’s ok if you don’t, but you need one if you wanna get published.
I drew this, I love outrageous outfits, but I prefer patterns and trends as opposed to colors. Also, I don’t draw anime.
Just click the link.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/107445704/
[EDITOR: As much as I like links, I find this a bit more personal.]
Guy Raggz by ~Puzzeler on deviantART
To post a link to your pictures, copy the URL address and paste it in your next comment. It’s easy.
ok i’ll upload the pic on to photobuket then send the link
so what do u think of the chraters currently? and with Silence insted of useing speech bubbles iv used barakets for her
Admittedly, I don’t know much about your characters ad their personality. But I’ll go off wha tI’ve deduced.
Silence- She seems to have an otherwise lack of personality. She’s curious which is a very fertile trait, but other than that she seems bland. I understand that she’s a little withdrawn, but maybe you could play up her curiousity. Maybe, making her often wonder and mess with things. I think brackets could work, and I suspect that she would use alot of thought bubbles. Maybe giving her telepathy may help you. As for her design, I recommend a more sober hair color, maybe back with a blue shine.
Chain- He seems like a jerk with a compassionate heart, which is a workable personality. Negative traits are just as important as positive ones. I think his costume could use a little more flair. Maybe, a black leather vest over his red tank. Red and black bots with his jeans tucked into them. Maybe, black arm sleeves to go with his red gloves. With that he’ll have more of a badass look.
Solar- I don’t really know much about her, except that she’s a girl.
D- He seems witty and bossy.
Exactly what do they wear?
I have a mute character, Lonnie, but she chooses not to speak. She will eventually start, but not until the second book. I’m halfway through the first one.
It is now 42777 words long. I’m halfway in the storyline, but after some editing it will probably become about 45000 words. That means 90000 for the finished one, so it’s not bad, especially as I’ve tried and failed to write a book before. I might pick up my old one later, even turn that into a comic.
If you need a comic done, I recommend http://www.ifreelance.com. You can pay someone to draw a comic for you. I did, because I can’t draw.
I have a bunch of stories sitting in my literary scrapyard, but my personal faves are.
-My aspiring rock band/superhero group.
-Aadrello’s story.
Alot, maybe, all of my characters are essentially skinny artists. I’m really not a big fan of muscular characters although I do have them. I just feel that most superheroes are too buff and everyone isn’t buff. I’m an a very adament advocate of the skinny figure. It’s stylish, looks good in alot of clothes, and can fit in small place.
I’m not a fan of overly muscled characters, either. I’ve made Isaac and Tristram quite skinny, but with a small hint of muscle. It’s not good to promote anorexia! Haha. I have a few more muscular characters, like Klemente and Darrick, but no Hulks.
i agree huge muslels are a no no but i like say boxer size so it looks like they work out and that they look normal human lol
I think huge muscles suits some characters – although admittedly they’re normally villains.
Hey, David, I gave you a review forum here.
I don’t have a very strong opinion on muscles. I suppose if they’re taken to an extreme, they can look goofy and distracting even on a male character. Also, after a certain point muscles stop looking good. It’s a fine line.
I’d recommend modeling a superhero’s muscles on tough people (like soldiers, bricklayers, farmers, etc.) rather than professional bodybuilders. That will help keep you away from artistic catastrophes like the above shot of Captain America.
David, I mean this in the most compassionate way possible, but I don’t think you’re ready to get this inked or colored yet. I’d recommend holding off on the art stuff until you have a story that’s a bit more fleshed out. For example…
–Silence doesn’t seem to have much going on upstairs. I’d recommend giving her a few traits first. I’d also recommend giving her a bigger role and making her more active and independent.
–The rest of the characters are OK, if you’re writing for a young audience, but I don’t think they’re complex/developed enough to satisfy readers that are, say, high-schoolers or older.
–Hack, Slash and Silence’s father are cartoonishly evil and not very interesting.
–I agree with BM that it feels like Teen Titans. That’s not a problem by itself, if you have some twist. In what way are you improving on existing series like Teen Titans?
I wouldn’t recommend getting an artist on board, particularly a paid artist, until there’s more of a story. At this point it would probably be throwing away money.
After you go through some character development, I’d recommend following this format to get your comic script started. A comic script isn’t as fun as writing a book, but it is a necessity if you want to get your comic professionally published.
Here’s the format a la Darkhorse Comics:
http://images.darkhorse.com/darkhorse08/company/submissions/scriptguide.doc
Lots of writers make slight variations to this format, but they are essentially the same.
If you need examples of what a completed comic book script looks like, I’d recommend this site:
http://www.comicbookscriptarchive.com/archive/?page_id=3
Don’t just look at one. Look at a few as different writers differentiate between format and descriptiveness.
Hope this helps.
sigh and i thought i was doing well oh well up and onwards i’ll start work soon as i get home
well im make changes as said im putting Valkrigs words in bold insted of caps hope that works i will also work on Silences personality as best i can
i will say my insperrastion did come from Teen titans
also what do you mean by cartoonish evil what diffrent evils are there and how can i change it to make him so?
Cartoonishly evil mean that they are evil with no motive. They are evil just for the sake of being evil. I think Hack and Stab could work if they served closely under someone but as of now their personalities are too one-dimensional and to alike to be good villians. As for her father what purpose does he have of bringing her back to life, if he has none then he’s cartoonishly evil. If he needs her becuase she has some special gift or is a prodigy at something that he really need then he is genuinely evil, because he has a reason to bring her back other than to die again.
I think you’re doing well, I just think you (and I used to do this too) jumped into the story with a hat full of names. Meaning you kind of blew past character development and started the story this is why your characters come off as one-dimesional.
I think your story sounds interesting, I’d be delighted to help you in personality development for your characters. Let’s start with Silence.
Follow me, I’m going to character traits.
http://www.superheronation.com/2008/06/04/list-of-characteristics/
David, you might also find this article on characterization helpful. How to Develop Interesting Characters Easily.
ok done what you asked (i hope anyways) and to answer your question Valkrig (Silences father) as you know grows weaker the longer he stays on earth but when Silence turns 16 he can sacrafise her in a rituel and gain even more power and keep it in both worlds but he needs to wait till shes 16 and he can sacrafise her with in the year before she turns 17 (hope iv exspleined that well) also Valkrig can only bring her back in his own dimnction
also this is one one story there are sequels i have four others and im wrighting a fith after that theres one called the Sickness that will have Silence on her on near the end of it fighting her self
iv also worked outt here fighting styles D uses marshl arts mixed with energy blasts and well thought out moves
Chains more a street fighter/boxer
Solar is all about useing her powers she dosent belive shes got gd enough fighting skill
Silence is more acrobatice with a wepon “i was gonna go with a staff but i think thats to Robin i dunno what you guys think?”
Hmm, there powers are workable, if not a little generic. I think you could play Silence’s muteness into her powers. Because she can’t speak, maybe she has heightened hearing. Maybe you could give Chain an energy chain that he used as a weapon.
Ok, you’ve told me how they fight, but what exactly are there powers? All I know as of now is that. Chain has superstrength and Silence has super leaping.
Quoting David: “And I thought I was doing well.”
Don’t get discouraged. I think you have a pretty workable plot. And your characters sound a lot better already. So I think there are only a few barriers between you and getting published. These strike me as very manageable.
–Fitting the characters into the story. Right now, it seems like the Justice Force characters are a lot more active in this story than Silence. If Silence is supposed to be the main character (and gets important scenes like page 1), that could be a problem. However, I think it would be pretty easy to either turn Silence into a more active character that can handle the spotlight or (easier) make Chain the main character.
–Getting the story onto a comic book’s pages. The ability to show a story on a page with visuals and the right amount of dialog is usually acquired with a bit of practice. Fortunately, I think this is a skill that is pretty easy to learn. If this is your first comic book, it might take around a month of practice to get to a publishable-grade.
–Mechanical issues (punctuation, grammar and formatting). In the short-term, you can solve most of these issues by running your script past a trusted proofreader. The mechanics will take longer to learn yourself, but I feel that ultimately it will help you go farther with publishers. Fortunately, I’ve been really impressed by the mechanical improvement of a few of our guests here over the past few months. At first, I was pretty much beating my head against my keyboard when I did editing but since then I several authors have emerged here that could quite plausibly get published.
I hate throwing around arbitrary dates, but I think that you could probably get a publishable script ready within 3-4 months.
I’d like to add another barrier to think about: marketing sense. I think that a publisher may be put off by the strong emo-ness of Silence’s origin story. I suppose there are publishers that would be willing to go for a very depressing story (Maus!) but I see a strong disconnect between how depressing Silence’s origin story is when compared to the rest of the story.
Hmm. Emoness might be a problem, but I think that his plot adjustments should help fix it. What stuck out to me was that (originally) Silence’s father was torturing her for pretty much no reason. Indeed, the first paragraph went “This [cruel beating] is a daily event for her. It had happened from as far back as she could remember, for no reason at all.” That feels a bit cartoonish. I think that if the level of abusiveness is tied to some goal, it will feel a lot easier to read.
For example, Maus was intensely violent, but it had two reasons to justify that. 1: It’s based on the Holocaust, so it pretty much had to include a lot of terribly bleak material. 2: The Nazis/cats have some reason to justify their abusiveness to themselves, like the concept of ethnic cleansing. So, in their minds, there was a point. In contrast, in the initial version of David’s work, it felt to me that the villains’ violence wasn’t tied to a particular goal.
Yeah, I’ll tell you straight from this showhorse’s mouth. When I first here I was no punctuation, no grammar, no nothing just over-confident ignorance. I like to think over time I’ve gotten alot better. I still mess up sometimes but hey, kudos for improvement. If I can do it, you can do it too. Hooray for encouragement. Huzzae for motivation.
See I messed up twice in that last post.
I’d say the reason they beat her up is one for fun and two to stop her wandering around and escaping and having no confidence to do anything. As for powers, I shall list them.
D has strength of 30 tons, energy and eye beams, his jacket’s molecules have been bonded with electricity making it nearly indestructible. His jacket is slightly magnetic, drawing bullets. It’s also been infused with nanobots, so it can transform into a motorbike. It can be defeated with electricity, or if you can get close enough a knife.
Chain is superstrong, 20 tons. He’s a weapons guy and drives the car. Apart from weapons, he’s not a tech guy.
Solar can take in starlight and blast it though her hands and eyes but she can’t store energy. So if she doesn’t have light, she doesn’t have energy. Her irises have turned yellow as a result of this power.
Silence in blond mode can leap a mile in any direction, lift 15 tons, and run at 100 mph. Her skin’s also slightly bulletproof as far as standard guns go, but she’s still vulnerable to armor piercing bullets. Due to her genes, she’s immune to some diseases and more susceptible to others.
I think you need to diversify your powers way more. I think one super strength person is enough. I think Chain should be the strong one. Also D’s powers seem a little grab-baggy. I also don’t think their powers need to be specified by exact numbers. What’s fun is what left to the imagination.
I don’t mean to impose, you can take these suggestion however you wish, but here is what I think would work for your team.
D- Electricity, magnetic control, intellect, his motorcycle
Chain-Superstrength, Energy chain (his only tech), and his car
Solar- Light control when she takes in solar energy, flight.
Silence- Superspeed, superleaps, immunity, and enhanced durability.
I think those would make for a diverse and compotent team.
The way you have it now, D is a more powerful mix between Chain (strength) and Solar (energy). If you left it that way readers would feel that Chain and Solar are inadequate to D so the team would be unbalanced. With my suggestion you’ll have a team that can specialize in different fields.
Umm ok it’s cool. I meant to say electricity is D’s weakness, not a strength, and Solar can’t fly but I see what you mean.
No, I was suggesting you give D electricity as a power instead of a weakness. I think you should take D’s and Silence’s strength away and just leave it to Chain. One superstrength character is enough.
It’s very important that a superhero team has variety in its abilites.
Well, Teen Titans has two strong superheroes, Starfire and Cyborg. Beast Boy as well, I guess. And Justice League had Superman, the Martian and Wonder Woman.
True, but JL has seven members, so I think it would be a little more accepted. As for The Teen Titans their superstrength came off as more a secondary ability, I’m more likely to remember Starfire’s, starbolts and flight and Cyborgs sonic cannon and smart, before I remember they have superstrength.
If you have a four member team and three of them have superstrength as a primary ability it would definitely need more variety. If you absolutely have to have more than one strong character, I think Chain should be stronger than D and Silence seeing as that’s his only power.
OK, that’s fair enough. Well, to change subjects a bit, how do you start these stories?
I want to show building animosity between D and Chain. How can I show that? Because I’m doing sequels to the stories and at the end, Chain betrays the Justice Force in a fit of jealousy against D. It looks like D is getting better and better. When D returns, they fight again and they say a lot and kind of fix things. But in the confusion, Silence is kidnapped by Valkrig, who then sacrifices her in the ritual. As she is dying, D manages to heal her. A huge fight ensues between the Justice Force and a new, bigger Valkrig.
In the end, Silence realizes she’s connected to her father and sacrifices herself to kill Valkrig by jumping off of a building.
Your questions are contradictary, you ask me how to start the story and then asked me about how to write the end haha. Ok, Starting a comic is very different than a book, many openings that are made for comics can’t be used for book without being weird. Luckily, your writing a comic.
I read an article that said the two best ways to start a comic are 1)Starting with an action scene. This is a major no-no in books, but is widely accepted in comics. Maybe have Justice Force (without Silence) facing a villian and his henchmen. 2) Starting important dialoque and art. This is trickier, but just as effective. It’s advantage over the first option is that the reader will learn something about what going on in the story early on, even if they don’t fully understand it yet. The trick it to give just the right amount of information, so readers wonder what will happen next, but enough that they know what’s going on a lttle.
I’d suggest you start with the Force fighting a villian. I think you may need to hold off on D and Chain’s animosity, at least until Silence is with the team and the team has been fully introduced. I think issue two is a good place to start relationships. Issue one should be about getting to know the characters, their origins, and their goals.
For now I think it’s best you focus on the introduction of the story.
Question: Do Chain, D, and Solar have alternate identities that go to school and live normal lives? Or are they like the Titans superheroes all the time?
Giving them alternate identities will probably help you with your story.
I’m also making a superhero team. Mine is a rock band. It has four member like yours, but I made sure to make their powers not overlap. I was thinking of starting my story with them at a gig and as soon as the show is over, they have to hurry and get suited up to stop a villain. They all have object based powers. I think it’s going to be good.
Well, Chain’s real name is Edward Fog and Solar’s is Tina Lodge.
D and Silence don’t have other identities.
Oh, by the way, I may as well mention that I’m not from the US. I’m from Scotland.
I was thinking of studying for med school, like Solar. I can add that in to the first story as well. For the artist’s sake, I will need to start with Silence, but I can alter it from the desert onwards.
Well, I think Scottish people would still like a more relatable character and school is the easiest thing to relate to. Everyone goes to school or has been in school so they know the experience. On the latter, nobody has ever been a teen superhero.
lol ok anyways i’ll change the interreaction and exstend it at the part when Chain bring Silence home mind you Since they dont were masksa secret identitay is fairly pointless (unless your superman) but going to school would probs still work
Maskless superheroes really only works when the characters have nothing to lose. If any of your characters have loved ones, they would be at risk because the villian could hold teir familiy hostage. But if Chain, Solar, or D don’t have any family then being maskless could work. However, it could still be a problem if, say, Chain were to get a close girlfriend.
Well, D can’t remember his family. Silence’s mother is dead and her father is Valkrig.
Chain’s family is up in Canada. Solar’s family is in California. I was going to say they were murdered by gangsters, but that’s just following everyone so I’ll have them live.
What you said happened. Chain’s father was taken hostage by a woman named Lady Evil Hand. (Like it? I came up with it myself, lol).
Ok, that works then.
Yeah so I shall rewrite the meeting between Silence and the team and extend it too. Oh, by the way, someone said Silence’s sign language ability is too profound, whatever that means. So should I make her miss some words or make some mistakes or both? Or something else?
I think whoever said that probably meant that her grasp of sign language was too good. She wouldn’t have learned any with her father, I imagine, and then she suddenly starts communicating fluently in sign language? This means the other characters would have to know it, too. It might be easier to make her powers some sort of mind-to-mind communication.
Well, I did say they learned it before teaching her.
Then maybe she picks it up too quickly. It’s like learning another language: unless you’re a genius, you wouldn’t be able to converse with somebody in that language very easily after only a few months. More likely, it would take years.
Well, you could modify her origin a little. Maybe, she somehow go a hold of sign language books and taught her self in secret, while he was imprisoned by her father. Sense she can’t do anything else in her cell, she just practiced her sign language. That would give you an excuse to make her really good at it. But then others would have to learn it too. I also suggest mind-to-mind communication.
Yeah, but I think it’s kind of strange that she’d have access to American sign language books in an alien prison. It’s already glaring enough that she’s eating dog food. (Good thing her species knows what dogs are, I suppose).
Oh, I didn’t read it thoroughly. I thought she was on Earth. Sorry!
Well, ok. I’ll have her grasp the language little by little during the story and sequels.
Well, I’m getting lots of help now from a friend. I’ve made a lot of improvements and I’m really pleased. I’ll show you later.
Ah, I’m happy to hear that. Let me know when you’re ready.
i’ll ask quickly when a chraters talking they use speach marks and with Silences sign lanughe i use brackets but what do we do for there thoghts? iv put it in italics
also i was told not to put Valkrigs words in caps as its intrusive (can u exsplain that bit to me plese) so i put his voice in bold just to he stands out more as a scary chrater
and to answer a question iv been asked before my target audince is the same as teen titans
Yeah, when a character is talking in a novel, he uses quotation marks. “This is my sentence,” said the speaker.
In a comic book, there are no quotation marks in a speech bubble. Readers can see the speech bubble, so we know the character is speaking.
In a novel, I think that brackets are probably not the best way to handle sign language. It sticks out and doesn’t look very attractive. Also, it doesn’t convey the feel of sign language very well. There are two slightly better alternatives, I feel. First, you could treat Silence like a speaker but just give her a different tag. “This is my sentence,” Silence signed. That’s probably the easiest way. Alternatively, you could try having the narrator summarize what she’s saying. For example: Silence signed that this music was terrible. This is not a particularly good sentence, but it’ll probably feel smoother in sentences where her “sign” is actually body language. For example: As D tried to dance to the swaying beat, Silence put her hands over her ears and scowled.
In a comic book, I think the sign language might be a problem. Typically, when speakers are using a language other than English, they will use brackets with an asterisk to explain that the character is using French or whatever. However, I don’t think that sign-language would naturally work with that. One adaptation I’d recommend making to your comic book is making her a mind-to-mind communicator or taking away her muteness altogether.
Bolded text is fine in a comic book. I’d also recommend giving Valkrig a distinctive font to show us how scary he sounds. However, I think that bolded text stands out a bit too much on a novel page, so I’d say that using lines of it will probably feel intrusive to your readers. (An intrusive element of the story is one that distracts readers from the rest of the story). For your first draft, I think a good temporary fix would be unbolding his text and using tags that tell us how loudly Valkrig is speaking. For example: “It’s time to die!” he roared. That’s a bit cheesy, but I think it will work for now.
Ok, thanks. Oh and you think it’s a problem I’ve put it in America? Some people are like “we don’t talk like that” or such because a habit I have is putting some Scottish phrases in my stories. Do you think it would help if I changed the location?
I didn’t notice many Scottish-sounding phrases, so I don’t think that’s a problem. However, it may help to have one character sound more like a stereotypical Californian beach bum. (See the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or maybe Saved by the Bell). That would help “place” this story.
Solar is from California but it’s been years since I’ve seen TMNT or Saved by the Bell.
Is Secrets a good title???
I don’t think so, Daisy. Secrets doesn’t say enough about the book or why readers should care. Generally one-word titles don’t. What kind of secrets are we talking about?
I’m new here and I was wondering if “Guardians of Worlds” is a good title?
I think it’s OK, but it could probably be enhanced. For example, what would you think about a minor tweak like “Guarding the Worlds” or “Saving the Worlds”? I think that verbs are generally more effective in titles than nouns are.
Glad you wrote this article. It takes me a long, looong time to decide on the perfect/best title for my books.
You and me both. Luckily, comics are usually named after the the main hero or group, so that saves me a lot of thinking. Unfortunately for me, shorter comic series usually have a subtitles, so I guess I will have to do a little thinking.
Don’t worry, B. Mac, Davis, and Jacob are skilled in these kind of subjects, they can offer insight.
What do you think of “Taking Neon City?”
The story is like The Warriors, with superpowered teenage gangs fighting for control of a futuristic city.
Admittedly, I struggle with titles. I also thought of “Crashing Neon City” and “The Ragged Star” (the gang name).
Of the three, I think I like Taking Neon City best. I’d feel fairly comfortable using that as a series title. There may be a better verb in place of Taking, though.
For a book, is it ok to use the main character’s name as the title?
I don’t recommend it, unless the character’s name is unusually interesting. If you do use a character’s name, I’d recommend putting in a detail that describes something about the story. For example, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” or “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” or whatever.
Philosopher’s Stone!? I thought it was the Sorcerer’s Stone.
It’s the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US, but in the UK and Australia it’s called the Philosopher’s Stone. I don’t know why. I guess it falls under the same category as mum vs mom, aluminium vs aluminum and colour vs color.
The US version was released as “Sorcerer’s Stone,” presumably because it had a better rhythm or sounded more kid-friendly than “Philosopher’s Stone.” However, the magical artifact in question has generally been called the Philosopher’s Stone rather than the Sorcerer’s Stone, so that’s what I’m used to.
When it first came out (in the UK) it flopped big time. Then they re-released it, this time putting the author’s name as ‘J.K. Rowling’ as opposed to putting her first name so it wouldn’t scare off the boys. Then they released it in America as Sorcerer’s Stone for a very long-winded complicated reason that boils down to ‘it sounded cooler’.
Oh, and to Tom 2, I would not recommend using the character’s name as the title. And if you were going to bring up Eragon you should know that when he first released it, he did it independently, that is, without a publisher. A publisher would never have let that slide.
If I were a woman writing military action or a man writing romance, I’d either use a pseudonym or my initials. (Unless I were a servicewoman; I think “BY CAPTAIN JANE FRANKEN” would appeal to military-action readers pretty well).
That’s exactly what JK did. And hey, it worked! I think most HP readers have said ’she’s a girl?!’ at some point.
Nonsense! Girls can write well!
Besides, I might just use my initials as my penname. I’m guessing there’s a limited amount of time you can cash checks under a nom de plume before people start to suspect you of identity theft.
-Wings
It’s not an issue of women being worse authors; it’s mainly an issue of how relatable the author is to the target audience. That applies just as much to males writing for overwhelmingly female audiences (like romance readers).
Of course girls can write well, but try convincing your average pre-teen to teenage boy that he should pick up a book about an 11 year old British wizard that’s written by a girl. It would be a very wise decision to use your initials when selling your superhero book, as boys will be a large market and you don’t want to lose them at the first sight of a girl’s name.
I’m using my initials at least for How to Save the World. Hopefully this book will be published first, so I can use it as a stepping stone to sell future books (Ex. From the creator of How to Save the World….).
My more fantasy/romance geared books will probably follow that pattern.
-Wings
I am still struggling with a title for my story.
I’d recommend avoiding a feminine name on a military action story; I don’t think that it’s as important for superhero action. Yes, most of your readers will probably be male for a superhero story. But the disparity is less overwhelming. If you’re really concerned, I’d recommend picking a pseudonym that’s gender-neutral (Alex, Avery, Jamie, Tyler, etc). I don’t think that it’s such an intensely masculine field that being female will compromise your credibility. (In contrast, military-action and romance readers tend to have a hard time taking female authors and male authors seriously, respectively).
However, there is some potential for gender bias, so I think that a publisher would be 100% behind you if you wanted to use a pseudonym or your initials to lessen the gender bias. You’ll probably have an About the Author section that will give away your gender, but readers will only check that out after deciding that you’re worth a look.
Hello, David. Umm, I don’t think that the title is really important for you yet. I think you’re about 2500 words in, which is about 3% or 4% of the way to a complete novel manuscript. It may be easier for you to do a title when you have more of the story fleshed out.
I plan on using my nickname as a pseudonym. It’s a masculine name, but I don’t mind if readers think I’m a guy.
I don’t really want an About the Author section; I think I’d leave readers to guess my gender. I’m also a little insecure about my age. I think I’d hide that, too.
“I don’t really want an About the Author section… I’m also a little insecure about my age. I think I’d hide that, too.”
I think that your age is a major selling point to readers. After you get published, I don’t think that you gain anything by hiding your age. Before you get published, yes, your age is probably a liability. But you won’t be able to hide your age from the publisher’s assistant, anyway. Remember that “About the Author” bio I did for my query? Will you be able to write about yourself for a page without giving off the impression that you’re really young? I doubt it. I recommend grasping that bull by the horns and claiming it as an advantage. “I’m X years old and that will help me relate to my target audience and generate publicity.”
If you get published, I’d recommend asking your editor what he thinks.
I have desided on a titel!
It is in big words Cara then in small words under it The Banshee Princess
so the whole titel is Cara the Banshee princess
what you think?
any other suggestions
I’m just going to make like J. K. Rowling for my name. You know, my initials and last name. I’m trying to keep characters balanced so that the books aren’t only geared toward just guys or just girls (ex: In HTSTW, the main character is female, but nearly all of the other main characters and supporting characters are male. In the sequel, Connor is now the main character, and the female characters are now slightly in the majority).
I don’t know what it is with me and Trios of Villains, but in both books there is one main evil trio (HTSTW: Scarlet/Crimson, Empress and Stonehead; sequel Minutes to Midnight Scarlet/Crimson, Fantasma, and Harbinger. I supposed Pierce and Jazz to an extent could be counted as villains in HTSTW though).
- Wings
I’m going to pull a Lemony Snicket and have my pseudonym be nothing to do with my real name.
A few posts up, there was a comment about not being able to cash checks for long without being suspected of indentity theft. But isn’t there something on the copyright documents to prevent that sort of mistake? Like:
“A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket”
So if the bank tried to contact Lemony Snicket, they would recieve confirmation from the publisher that it is not identity theft. It’d be especially good for a very reclusive author, because banks aren’t allowed to reveal people’s details. So what if one local branch of the Commonwealth Bank knows? They’re not going to say anything.
“I don’t know what it is with me and Trios of Villains, but in both books there is one main evil trio”.
I like having teams of seven:
Isaac/Guardian
Tristram/Paladin
Atalya/Whiplash
Requiem/Rebirth
Kamari/Sentry
Livian/Trainer
Klemente/Form
I plan on a team of seven or eight villians to face against them, but I only have one of them planned at the moment.
‘Sentry’ is going to get a horrible rep, after that Superman ripoff by the same name that B. Mac keeps ragging on.
Then again, I use it too, but SENTRY is the team acronym, not someone’s name… So I think I’m alright.
I called her Sentry because it fits with Guardian and Paladin. Kamari, Isaac and Tristram are the three central members of FIGHT (FIrst Generation Hero Team) and are all tied together by blood (Tristram and Isaac are twins, and Kamari gained her powers through a potion made from Isaac’s blood).
Oh, not saying it doesn’t fit or anything.
Was just saying… Maybe it’s just me, but it seems almost like naming another fantasy-book character Bella. Bella is notoriously horrible as a character, almost everyone hates her, so even if the name fits and is a pretty name, it’s a bad idea to use it.
Just my two cents, though. Don’t let me stop you from using it.
Well, by that logic, naming the wizard protagonist in a series where magic is a part of everyday society that most people don’t see would be a bad idea, too. It worked for the Dresden Files, though.
My point is, if your story is different enough, then I highly doubt anybody will notice the name. Even if you share it with a character as spectacularly bad as Bella.
Alright, was just pointing that out, since B. Mac is always on about how bad Marvel’s Sentry is.
Well, I’ll just have to make sure Kamari doesn’t suck, then. Haha.
I didn’t know about the other Sentry when I made her up, anyway. It’s more of a nickname for her, because her full superhero name is Sentinel. It’s kind of like Spiderman and “Spidey”. Similarly, Paladin is called “Pal” for short and Guardian is sometimes called Angel. I also added a joke on his real surname. Isaac’s surname is Maehara, but Darrick (a jerk at school) calls him Mayflower. (Even though, according to my research on Japanese Text to Speech sites, it is pronounced My-hara)
“Well, by that logic, naming the wizard protagonist in a series where magic is a part of everyday society that most people don’t see would be a bad idea, too. It worked for the Dresden Files, though.” Dresden Files is the name of the series, not the book. I think that using character names can be effective in a series title. (For one thing, it’s very intuitive for readers). However, character names usually aren’t too effective in book titles. The intuitiveness won’t help you attract new readers, but it should make it a bit easier to convince them to move from book 1 to book 2. (“Hey, if you liked Dresden in book 1, check out his sequel!”) That only works because the readers have a preexisting emotional attachment to Dresden. It mostly won’t work for prospective readers because they don’t know who Dresden is or why they should care about him.
…B. Mac, I’m kinda wondering where that came from? xD I don’t think that was RW’s context, really, but I may be wrong.
Hey, I just realised something:
Harry Potter and the Philsopher’s Stone (Who’s Harry, and what’s a Philosopher’s Stone?)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (What’s Azkaban?)
This is the only series I can think of that used characters names in combination with obscure artefacts and made up place names that has enjoyed much noteworthy success.
I just thought up another random book title:
The Bloodthirsty Foal (I’d love to read that! Haha)
A philosopher’s stone is obscure? I thought that most people knew that as one of the goals of alchemy. You know, turns anything into gold and makes you immortal. o.o;
Well apparently people in America didn’t know that. In the States its name was changed to ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ to make it sound cooler.
I usually try to pick a cool, catchy title but not just for catchy’s sake, it’s usually tied to the main character or main plot or a key line of dialogue. Like this spy comic I was writing called COLD WARRIOR – the central character is a ex-Cold War era veteran spy pulled out prison to track down his protege gone supposedly wrong. I think it’s catchy but also it’s tied to the character not to mention “Cold Warrior” is the last two words spoken in the story kinda like how “A Dark Knight” is muttered at the end of THE DARK KNIGHT by Commissioner Gordon.
sorry I meant gone supposedly bad not wrong lol.
I knew what a Philosopher’s Stone was, but most people I know had no idea what it was until they read the book or I told them. I read a lot more than the average teenage platypusbear. (I’ve been watching Avatar, haha)
I don’t know why they dubbed over the dialogue in the movie to change it to the Sorcerer’s Stone. I don’t see why they would have thrown money away so it could sound cool. Besides, “philosopher” is a much stronger and forceful word than “sorcerer”. Warner Bros fails logic forever.
Actually, I think ’sorcerer’ is a stronger word. A philosopher, in my eyes, sits and thinks and ponders, while a sorcerer is more action-oriented. If it’s gonna be an object of power that the reader should care about, I think Sorcerer’s Stone was the better pick.
Marissa, I agree with you that sorcerer is probably more effective in this case. If you didn’t know what the Philosopher’s Stone is (and most people didn’t), the word philosopher would probably make you think the book is somehow about philosophy. That couldn’t help sales for a children’s action book.
Also, “sorcerer” suggests strongly that this is a magical fantasy. I read the British version (Philosopher’s Stone) and was thrown off by the appearance of magic 100 pages in.
That’s quite a funny story to tell. You were thrown off by the appearance of magic in Harry Potter.
I understand why BTW, that was a joke.
I’m writing a book which I’m kind of in between the names right now. But the one that seems to be sticking out to me the most is Tempest. Though it’s one word, it’s kind of unusual to most people grabs their attention, plus it describes my superhero’s ability (aerokinesis, the ability to manipulate the air and wind according to the user’s will) pretty easily. Does anyone think that would work, or is it completely boring?
Like Shakespeare’s The Tempest?
if you want titels to do with wind heres a few suggestions
Gale Force
Blow hard
Windbag
Storm on the Horizon
Windfall
wind power
turbulence
…David, with all due respect, I doubt a book entitled ‘Blow Hard’ will go over well.
…I’m not sure if “Blow hard” is such a great title. It seems kinda childish and resembles… “Blowhard”, a very boastful or talkative person.
Tempest sounds good, but you shouldn’t use one-word titles.
I personally like the sound of [adjective] Tempest. What else comes out in your story?
Hey, you got it before me! :/
Sorry about that?
bugger me that was fast lol
“I’m writing a book which I’m kind of in between the names right now. But the one that seems to be sticking out to me the most is Tempest. Though it’s one word, it’s kind of unusual to most people grabs their attention, plus it describes my superhero’s ability (aerokinesis, the ability to manipulate the air and wind according to the user’s will) pretty easily. Does anyone think that would work, or is it completely boring?”
I don’t think that it’s boring; if I saw it on the library shelf, I’d take a look at the back cover, but I think the problem is mostly that it doesn’t identify itself as a superhero story. To me, it sounds more like a storm at sea for some reason. It’s the sound, I think.
Just my point of view, though.
I like Tempest as a noun. But I think that a descriptor or action would help. For example, Tom Clancy had a bestseller with Red Storm Rising, which has a cool feel even though it’s not clear what’s going on. As a brain-storming exercise, I’d recommend starting with a single adjective and then working your way from there.
…
David, I’m not sure how well Blow Hard would apply as a title for this. For one thing– and this might be a product of my uncouth imagination– but I feel like it has a strong sexual connotation. That could be very effective if this were a raunchy comedy, but I don’t think this book is.
I’m having trouble coming up with a title for my story. For now, I’m calling it Dusk, but Dusk doesn’t seem like it would get readers very interested in it. My book takes place in sort of an alternate world where humans died out and wolves became the main intelligent species. There is a Pack, the Dusk Pack (hence the temporary title) that is being secretly controlled by a group of demonic wolves, called the White (I’m trying to come up with a better name for them, too).
The main character and leader of the Pack, Nyx, discovers an injured loner and takes her back to camp to heal. She becomes a member of Dusk, but keeps pointing out the vast differences between Dusk and all the other Packs in the area, which leads Nyx to question what’s really going on. The demonic wolves obviously don’t like this, so they at first subtly (and later, not so subtly) get the loner out of the Pack and have the Pack back under their strict control. It gets rather complicated, but anyways, what sort of title would be best for a story like this? Any suggestions, please?
Just to clarify, this is an action story, right?
Hmm. Who’s the target audience?
Yes, it is.
Teens.
Okay. I think the fact that most of the characters are wolves is unusual enough that I’d recommend mentioning something like “wolf,” “howl” or “pack” in the title. Particularly because this isn’t aimed at kids. (Most stories about talking animals are aimed at 10-and-younger readers… see Redwall, Poppy, Bugs Bunny, etc).
Maybe something like Howling at Demons or Culling the Pack? What do you think?
…
I am not very confident that teens will go for talking animals. The conceit may strike them as childish or goofy. Or possibly even creepy, especially if romance is involved. When you submit to publishers, I’d recommend coming up with some similar examples of books that have worked with your target audience. That will help convince a publisher that characters like these can be relatable and likable to readers like yours.
I’m sort of drawing a blank. Umm… I suppose The Dragon and The George had a recurring wolf character, but 1) the series is decades old and 2) it probably didn’t sell well enough to entice publishers to try something similar. The Chronicles of Narnia has a few minor animals, but 1) they’re definitely minor and 2) the Narnia books do not strike me as really teen-friendly. Maybe TMNT?
B. Mac, I’ve sent you the article. I hope you like it. See everyone later.
Here’s one- I titled my graphic novel “Nicodemus Faust” – against convention that multi-syllable names aren’t the best. It’s just that even though the story is about the people he interacts with, ultimately it is about him.
I thought about different titles but Nicodemus Faust just rolls off the tongue so nicely. The juxtaposition of the first and last name is intriguing to anyone who realizes it and Faust automatically invokes thoughts of selling your soul due to the famous play/novel.
The target audience is more of an older crowd who is pretty much done with teeny bopper comics. I’m guessing around 20-35.
Speaking of plays, that name reminds me of Waiting for Godot. Hmm. It might make the backcover blurb a bit tricky. Readers will probably want to know how the title character ties into the story, and it doesn’t sound like he himself is a main character.
…
I think that the Faust angle is effective, particularly with an older audience that is more likely to get the reference.
Nicodemus strikes me as workable but I don’t think it rolls off the tongue. It doesn’t seem as fun or lively to me as, say, Knicknevin.
Well, he is the driving force behind all the stuff going on. He is the team “leader” in the way that professor X is sort of. The entire plotline revolves around Nicodemus. Also Nicodemus is a biblical name necessary due to his history in the story. Nicodemus is also not a comical character or “fun” he is actually an anti-hero which would commit murder and deceit if it furthered his masterplan.
Readers will learn from the first issue how different his relationship is with each hero and how that relationship weaves the heroes purpose into the story of the other heroes. The readers will love and hate Nicodemus both. His motivations arent exactly the clearest at times.
If the graphic novel works out, I may spin off characters into their own stories later but for now its about this master manipulator and how he directs this team of unsuspecting heroes.
I say he isnt 100% a main character because he doesnt do any of the battles or go out with the group on “missions” otherwise he is pivotal. Certainly there would be no story at all without his machinations. Its long, but hopefully chapter 1 can show how his influence will work in the graphic novel. In chapter two, you learn how he makes his second hero and he doesnt take any form than his true self , working from his sanctuary.
Hm. . . I’m not particularly fond of titles like Howling at Demons or Culling the Pack. . . Maybe something like The Puppet Pack? That sounds a little. . . I dunno, odd or something. Other possibilities:
The White Demons
The Veiled Ones
The Wolves of Dusk
What do you think? Any other suggestions?
Also another name for canines is “Cur” which might be an interesting word to use…
Hmm. Kuro, I’m not quite feeling The White Demons or The Veiled Ones. I don’t think they make it clear enough what’s going on. The Wolves of Dusk is better, but I would suggest replacing “of Dusk” with a phrase describing something they do.
How about. . . The Wolves of Deceit, or Pack of Lies, since their whole way of life is based on deception? I’ve never been good about coming up with stuff like this. . .
I like Pack of Lies.
Helloooo…
Took your advice, and there’s mainly just one title banging around in my head. The Vampire’s Daughter. I think it works because it means although you can tell the story is about vampires, it also gives a hint of the vampires being less monsters and more characters; if one of them has a daughter, they won’t be a complete bloodsucking monster, right? But, y’know, I’m no expert. Does it work, or will it flop?
I like it. You might want to replace Daughter with something a bit more specific, though.
For example, if the goal is develop the vampire as a family man, you might try something like “The Vampire’s Kid.” (That depends on the daughter’s age and the book’s mood, though).
The story’s quite dark and serious, and it’s more about her as a fully grown woman, so perhaps not ‘Kid.’ Hm… guess I could try adding another detail maybe.
Haha, then Vampire’s Kid would not be a good fit.
xD, well I guess I could try it, just to see the editor’s reaction when he finds out the title.
Um, do “Second Life” or “Second Life in Hell” sound like good titles? That’s pretty much the working title of my novel, but I’m not sure if it gives the right feel, or if it would attract a reader’s attention. Is there some way I can make the title sound more sci-fi/fantasy? I once considered “The Outliers” or “Glitched” for this novel, but I don’t know if those work, either…
The story revolves around humans caught in the middle of an eternal war between two manmade species of robots – the artificial intelligence master computers known as the COMs, and a species of semi-sentient SpiderBots. They fight each other endlessly because that’s what they were programmed to do centuries ago. In this futuristic time period, the COMs now collect their human soldiers from multiple dimensions because their current world (Cobrenna) is now empty of human life.
The humans drafted as soldiers are all convicted felons for varying crimes, such as murder, bank fraud, theft, drug dealing, or shop lifting, and these prisoners are all given special powers and armor so they’ll be useful for the “grunt work” in the robots’ eternal war. An “overmind” from the A.I. systems controls the humans like some sort of possession during battle, and they truly are prisoners in this twisted world, with no way of escape.
The five main characters of the novel are glitched when they get their fighting powers from the COMs, and these glitches give them extra, computer-like psychic abilities. Because of this, the protagonists band together to design an escape route from a prison that seems to have no boundaries.
Maybe I could mix the sci-fi/fantasy and jail themes into a title? But I just can’t think of anything… I dunno, something like “Five Life Sentences in Robot Hell”, or “I’m a Murderer, I’m a Psychic, and I’m Screwed” LOL.
I think that Second Life or Second Life in Hell are very problematic because there is a very popular computer program called Second Life. If you use Second Life, I think that publisher’s assistants will naturally assume your work is about online gaming, and will feel very disoriented when it’s actually about a prison.
I like “I’m a Psychic Murderer and I’m Screwed” but I would not recommend using that sort of corny humor unless it is consistent with the rest of the book. I got the impression that your book was a lot more sober and serious.
You could also try something like Escape from Robot Hell or Escape from [Interesting Phrase].
Big List Of Random Names
Requiem For A Life: My Second Life In Hell
A Prisoner’s Requiem: My Sojourn In Robot Hell
My Sojourn In Robot Hell
The Disciplinary: Escape From The Prison Planet
The Disciplinary: Glitched
Glitched: Escape From Hell
Glitched: A Prisoner’s Requiem
Glitched: The Disciplinary
Glitched In Robot Hell
Glitched: This Is Not A Vacation It’s Your Life
Okay, not a big list, but a list of names all the same.
Do words like Requiem or Sojourn fit the mood? They feel, umm, very literary and maybe moody. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that the book would be mainly action. If so, I don’t think that Requiem or Sojourn make the sell.
Of these, I think that Glitched: Escape from Hell is the most effective.
Oh, wow! Folks are making suggestions for my title! Thank you both very much for helping me consider effective ideas.
If I know what kinds of titles are effective, hopefully it’ll help me figure out a really good one sometime in the future. (I’ve read the articles on titles already, heh)
Yeah, Marissa told me about “Second Life”, heh-heh. I thought that game was called something else. I would very much like to change my title once something really fitting comes to mind.
I’m not sure if “Glitched: Escape From Hell” has the right feeling to it, but I’ll keep that in mind as a guideline.
Thank you, B. Mac and Lightingman!
I… well, I’m not exactly fond of that title either. I wouldn’t pick it up off the shelf; I’d assume it’s as corny as the title.
Actually, maybe I can come up with something that reflects the “broken memories” angle of the plot?
The storyline has a lot to do with losing, collecting, and recovering memories. It’s like… Prison with memory-torture, mind glitches, elemental tech, gang brawls, and fighting against self-evolving mechanical maniacs.
Hello my little writer friends-
I already chose How To Save The World for the first book, and here are some possible titles for book 2 and Darkstar Rising:
Book 2: The Apocalypse Will Not Be Televised (A play on “the revolution will not be televised”)
Darkstar Rising: Those Who Fear The Darkness (Taken from this obscure quote: Those who fear the darkness have no idea what the light can do)
Whatcha think?
- Wings
Hey everyone, I’m having trouble thinking of a title for my story. My story has 2 elves, Iluna and Xander and they are acting as bodyguards for the royal family. They(royal family) are attending a conference and during this conference, Iluna and Xander spot one the enemy’s men eavesdropping. They follow him and stumble upon the villian’s plot to destroy the kingdom. Ideas for a title or ways to improve the story are greatly appreciated.
Hmm, if I could barrage you with questions that will help us suggest titles…
–What’s distinct about your story?
–How are you going to separate it from other fantasy novels?
–What’s the mood like? (IE: dark vs. light-hearted, somber vs. whimsical, etc).
–Who’s the target audience?
–Why will we find the main characters interesting and/or likable?
I’ve answered these questions the best I could
What’s distinct about my story-
- i’ve put a twist on the whole elf thing. they don’t live forever, they can still die like regular people so its not like “Oh I’m an elf and I’m never going to die”
How are you going to separate it from fantasy novels-
- no clue, I’m still getting there
Whats the mood like?
- I don’t know, I’m thinking dark vs. lighthearted or tense and mysterious
Who’s the target audience-
- most likely teens
Why will we find the main characters interesting and/or likeable?
- I’ve tried to make them as normal as possible, but still keeping with the whole elf thing. If they’re somewhat normal teens could relate at some level. My main protagonist Iluna can see whatever her eagle is seeing. (ie. eagle watches villian’s kill someone, Iluna can see it)
I don’t mean to be a nuisance, but it would be really great if I could get some help with my story. Thanks
I think you still have a bit of fleshing out to do. It’s critical that you decide on a mood for your story. And I’d really recommend thinking more about how your novel is distinct from others. There are many fantasy stories about elves, even with the minor change to their longevity I don’t think that’s enough to make the book interesting on its own.
I’d recommend thinking of things that would make your characters and setting distinct as most fantasy novels focus on these elements. Determining a mood for your story will probably be a major help to figuring those things out.
Could you describe the main characters’ personalities? That would help me a lot.
Which title sounds better:
City Under Siege
Episodes from Freedom City, or
Freedom City Stories?
City Under Siege strikes me as generic but probably the best of the three.
Freedom City and Freedom City Stories feel very generic. I don’t think that “Freedom City” is a phrase that tells readers a lot about what kind of book this is or persuades them to give it a look.
Does “Fool’s Country” sound too vague? The short story about a cult leader on the run, high as a kite, starving in the forest, and shackled to a dead child he had purposely overdosed. His cult has turned against him after his prophetic prediction was countered with failed crops. He ‘befriends’ a socially awkward garbage woman who disposes of corpses left over from individual and mass suicides in the forest. However, her actions are far from humanitarian and are rather questionable. Somewhat based on the old Judeo-Christian myth about a city of fools named Chelm, who had tricked themselves into thinking they are the wise ones.
Other deviations of the title:
The Country of Fools (Sounds like a social commentary. Don’t really like it.)
The City of Fools
Fools’ City(I don’t like this one too much, sounds as if Las Vegas or Port Royale is part of the story.)
Fool’s Territory
I kinda like The City Of Fools and fool’s country, but I still feel something is…lacking. Hmmm…
- Wings
I think that in terms of a short story, the title isn’t nearly as important as it is when you have to use it as a primary selling point. A novel is sold, partially, by its title alone, but an anthology of short stories, which I presume to be your preferred delivery method, carries its own title for it to be sold with. I would say that a name like Fool’s Country is perfectly acceptable in that situation. It gets the point across and that’s all you really need. At least in my opinion.
I think a problem that is present within in the title without something to actually mark it as harkening to Old Testament usage of “fool” as being directed at a person misguided by hubris, it seems to be more in line with what I would deem the “literary” meaning of “fool” as in a jester, or a character that is going to or has been made a fool of by fate.
I like City of Fools the best. I agree that Country of Fools sounds a bit like an opinion piece. Fools’ City and Fool’s Territory sound a bit awkward to me. If the piece has a religious angle, you could name it something like God of Fools or A Gathering of Fools.
In my story, Jason is a color & ink manipulator. So i was thinking God Of Art as a possible book title. What do you guys think?