On Titles

I recently read an article from an online writers collective all about how to write your perfect title. Now, personally I’ve always found this a completely torturous process racked by insecurity and mostly concluded with luck or great help from loved ones (at this point, I think I’ve lost track of how many titles my wife has ultimately come up with that stuck). The article suggested not obsessing over perfection, and starting with a fill-in title that acts as a sort of reminder and thesis statement to yourself about what the story is truly about. And then, they suggest going back to your inspiration - your guiding influences as it were, to model after them. Not to be curt, but I think I’ve always done all of this and it never helped. There’s some truly ephemeral about a title that both surprises the audience and draws them in, that grows with meaning and resonance as you experience the story behind it for the first time. This isn’t just something you plunk together based on core story facets and influences. That might make for an apt title, but not a great title. I need to continue marinating on this especially because it always holds up my process. Now, perhaps this article was centering on certain types of fiction titles. And a novel’s title behaves differently than a TV show’s title to be sure. But I think my criteria applies to both just the same. A TV title perhaps is more of a compass for the show. Every single episode expands on its meaning, gives it further resonance - reminding the audience why they keep returning to this particular world. Whereas a novel’s title can sometimes be like a key, that unlocks the book as a one-off effect. More on this later…