Writers...what do you do first?

Question

At what point to do you figure out what you want to call your book. Do you figure it out before you write the book, during, or after? Im 65,000 words into my novel so far, but i dont have a title yet. I dont plan on figuring out a title until I finish, but I just thought i would ask what everyone else does.

Answer 1

Usually I don't title my works untill I have completed at least the first draft because I don't yet know where the characters and story will take me. The only time I do the title first is when that is what inspired the book.

Answer 2

Often a title comes to me when I'm several chapters into the novel, but if it comes later so much the better. As another respondent said, a title may alter the story line for you. A manuscript having 65,000 words thus far usually begets a title. But don't worry over it.

You're bound to have qualified critiques of the manuscript eventually and you could then elicit suggestions. Incidentally, avoid having close friends and relatives edit your ms because they are usually biased toward you. Some, however, will go to the extreme in their editing just to find imaginary faults.

Meanwhile, edit the manuscript whenever you can. Sometimes in this process a title name may come to you.

Isn't it fun to write?

Answer 3

Most of the time, I come up with the title around the same time I'm dreaming up the characters, their scenes and dialog.

Sometimes, rarely, I come up with the title first - a title so vivid and inspiring, that the story quickly follows.

If you don't have your title yet, don't sweat it. It'll come to you. Keep in mind editors often offer suggestions for title changes if they think something else will market or represent the book better.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I think there is a great deal to be said for having a "working title" while you are drafting the book, but that you aren't locked into.

When Joseph Heller was working on his first novel it was titled 'Catch 18', trouble is 'Mila 18' was published that year to great acclaim. He and his publisher decide to tweak the title to 'Catch 22'. I think that slight change helped the novel become the success it has and added to the lexicon of our language.

Hemingway's working title for 'The Sun Also Rises' was 'Fiesta'. His American publisher hated that choice. His idea for a name was slightly biblical. Ecclesiastes 1:5 reads "The sun also ariseth." I'm not sure how he came upon this as a title, but when he pitch the idea to Hemingway over drinks (what a shock) the novelist immediately liked the idea.

I was working on a magazine piece a few years ago that focused on Father's Day. I was locked in on a title. A week before my deadline I was browsing through the classics's section at a nearby book store when something caught my eye. I went home and changed the title of this piece to "Of Mowers and Men" immediately.

Keep tossing the title around in your head as you work on your book. You never know what passage you draft as the effort moves along that will grasp you as the definitive title for this body of work.

Answer 5

1.Outline your details Beginnings middle and conclusion, just as you did in College. The title will come to you while you write.. or a Publisher will suggest one..

2. The best way is to write is according to the intended audience who will read it.

3. Or the publisher's requirements.

4. You can do online writers search tools or use Microsoft office to get the requirement style.

I have years of material that I wish to write about, It has to be something that would sell well. It's mostly about the Money. It is hard to get published when you are a first time author.

Find an agent

Answer 6

Most writers dont worry about titles. They simply use a temporary one of WIP - Work in Progress. To lock yourself into a title may very well lock you into a theme or a mood which will change during your writing. The title may come to you at any time during the process. I am about 100,000 words into my newest manuscript and the title came to me at about 85,000 however it may very well change. Also you should know that many times when it gets to the publishing stage, your publisher will suggest other titles. Michael Connelly, a very well known mystery writer, talks about his publisher wanting him to stay at 2 word titles because they look better on the cover of the paperbacks. When he came up with the title A Darkness More Than Night, his publisher Little, Brown threw a fit and wanted it changed. They said it would not fit on a paperback. He went with it anyway and it was the perfect title for the book. Keep your search in the back of your mind, and when you least expect it, the title will come to you. But definitely try and stay short. All of my titles are two words - not because I had to, but that's just how it worked out for me. Pax - C.

Answer 7

I always write my title last...I try to play with words that make you want to read the whole story to figure out just what the title meant, I don't really like simple titles that are named after a main character or something. Good Luck!

Answer 8

I usually try to come up with a title when I do my outline. I might change the title later as I am writing my drafts, but I always try to have a title when I start. It helps my mind stay on the right path, if you know what I mean.

Answer 9

I always have a "working" title from the beginning. It makes the project seem real, especially to others when you talk about it. However, keep in mind publishers often change the title once you've submitted your manuscript. They think they know best what will sell the book. Until you are multi-published, you will have little say in the matter. So if you are married to your title, you may be be disappointed.

Answer 10

I usually come up with my title after writing. You could have started writing about one thing but the topic would lead you to something else, so the title might not fit.

This is what I do, but some people might have different opinions. It's really your choice.