When some people
encounter the dense and complicated maze
of book titles, they break into a sweat?
Once upon a long time back, I was tormented and tortured by title trouble. I
love writing, but when it used to come to choosing a title for my work, then,
I would end up tearing my hair in frustration.
The
titles of my stories and features would be a complete mismatch with its
contents. My journalism lecturer in college constantly urged me to choose
better titles for my articles and features. According to her my titles never
did my writing justice. They were not
catchy enough. This habit continued even
when I started writing for newspapers. Often the titles of the features and
stories I sent were changed. And changed for the better.
I constantly wondered how other
writers came up with such amazing titles. Jealousy and envy stabbed my heart
whenever I read their titles.
To become title savvy, I plunged
headlong into the world of titles. It couldn’t be that hard, I thought. If few writers could achieve wonders with it,
so could I. Whenever I read any articles or books, I pondered over the titles.
Did it suit the story? What did it highlight? Slowly I transferred this
detailed attention onto my work. What was I trying to tell my readers? What was
the article/book all about? How could I sum up the work in a few words? What
was the best way to convey what I had written?
It was a tedious task, but
eventually I got the hang of it.
Nowadays the title trauma no longer affects me. For the past several years, the
editors have thankfully retained most of my titles. In my title quest, I have
learnt several things about them.
1. A title should be like a teaser. It should arouse
curiousity. Based on the titles readers
pick up books, or, read the articles and stories in newspapers.
2. Diving into the heart of the
story to emerge with a suitable title is a great idea.
3. Short and snappy titles have
immediate attraction.
4. Popular and catchy phrases work better than long and boring ones.
5. Titles that have instant recall
are seldom forgotten.
What about you all? Do titles trouble and torment you? Or are you the lucky ones who come up with winners?
Do you have any title tips that you would like to share?
