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The Ninja Nuns of Pope Rasputin
14 years ago
General
It's solid writing advice to believe that the first page, the first few paragraphs, the first line of your story is the most important, the thing that will get your reader's attention and keep them reading.
But in truth, the first thing your reader encounters with your story is not the first page.
It's the Title.
Judging a book by its cover may not be advisable, but it's also not advisable to have a cover that doesn't give an idea of what your book is about and doesn't grab the viewer.
The same holds true for your title. The Title of a movie or a book has made me stop and look to see what it's about. A bland title gets passed over. A good title can leap out and say "Hey, read me!"
Which one of the following would you more likely read? Clouds, Jessie's Vacation, Blood and Silk, An Evening Out, or Grenades for Grandma?
Furthermore, your title can give your audience a good idea what it's about. Cowboys and Aliens, Fatal Attraction, and Pirates of the Caribbean gives me a much stronger idea of what I'm getting compared to Up, The Notebook or Hall Pass.
Sure, titles that make sense once you've experienced the piece, that have a serious significance to it are all well and good. You don't need to be completely sensational. But you also shouldn't neglect considering these things. It's story marketing. Especially when readers are so finicky, distracted, and unlikely to read your story, you want to use everything you can to get your story in front of their eyeballs.
But in truth, the first thing your reader encounters with your story is not the first page.
It's the Title.
Judging a book by its cover may not be advisable, but it's also not advisable to have a cover that doesn't give an idea of what your book is about and doesn't grab the viewer.
The same holds true for your title. The Title of a movie or a book has made me stop and look to see what it's about. A bland title gets passed over. A good title can leap out and say "Hey, read me!"
Which one of the following would you more likely read? Clouds, Jessie's Vacation, Blood and Silk, An Evening Out, or Grenades for Grandma?
Furthermore, your title can give your audience a good idea what it's about. Cowboys and Aliens, Fatal Attraction, and Pirates of the Caribbean gives me a much stronger idea of what I'm getting compared to Up, The Notebook or Hall Pass.
Sure, titles that make sense once you've experienced the piece, that have a serious significance to it are all well and good. You don't need to be completely sensational. But you also shouldn't neglect considering these things. It's story marketing. Especially when readers are so finicky, distracted, and unlikely to read your story, you want to use everything you can to get your story in front of their eyeballs.
But is it better to pick the name at the beginning, or after you've laid out the last paragraph? Maybe just mash up a working title, then twist and wriggle it as the story goes?