~ Bernard Meltzer

~ Samuel Johnson

“What’s the hardest thing about writing, for you?” I asked my daughter. I was stumped for a topic for this week’s newsletter, and having heard her rant about friends who didn’t know the difference between affect and effect, I figured she could help. Some days I’m just so proud of her… Anyway, she thought for a moment, then looked at me and pointed a finger at my face.

“Titles. Coming up with titles. That’s the hardest thing.”

Not quite what I’d expected her to say, but looking around the site, I realized that maybe we really should have this chat.

“Do you have any pointers for coming up with good titles?” I asked her, trying to distract her from watching reruns of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse on Adult Swim, and watching the growing horror on her face as I informed her that she used to love that show when she was a little kid.

“Name it something that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of your story. Like, if it’s about trees, don’t title it ‘Forest.’ Call it ‘Milkshake’ or something.”

“But wouldn’t a reader be mad, if what he really wanted to read was a story about milkshakes? And what about the guy who wanted to read about trees? He’d never find it, if it’s called ‘Milkshake.’”

Katie gave me an exasperated sigh. “That’s what the back cover blurb is for,” she said. Or the brief description field, if you’re just posting your work on Writing.Com. “Did you see the pictures I posted on DeviantArt?” she asked, warming to the subject. “I called one ‘Watermelon.’ There’s no watermelon in it.”

I was afraid to ask. “Why did you call it ‘Watermelon,’ then?”

“I was sucking on a watermelon Jolly Rancher, at the time. Actually, it’s not that random. I mean, there is a method to it. Give it a title that’s not so out there that it makes absolutely no sense. That ‘Watermelon’ picture had pink in it. There’s another one of shoes, titled ‘London Bridge,’ because there’s this song Fergie sings called ‘London Bridge’ and there’s a line that goes ‘Now I’m wishing that I didn’t wear these shoes.’”

Wow. That’s deep. Downright obscure, I thought. “So what you’re really talking about here is allusion.”

“Yeah! That’s it. There’s another one, a picture of a piano I called ‘Chopsticks.’”

“I think I get it, now.” I’m not sure how helpful it is to you, Dear Reader. But suddenly, I’m reminiscing about our visit to the Chicago Art Institute, several years ago. Katie strolled through the modern art, reading the descriptive plaques next to each piece, until she could mimic them. We’re still laughing over some of the blurbs she made up; she’d found her calling. Anyone who could make a convincing case for calling a blank white canvas bordered with a one-inch square of pale yellow paint “art” is a gifted creative writer.

Good titles are often abstractions of an undercurrent of a tangential theme running through a story. Or an allusion to an inspirational classic that shares some fundamental aspect of the work at hand. All a title really has to be is intriguing. I think it shouldn’t be so misleading as to invite charges of fraud, but my daughter disagrees. At least we agree that the back cover blurb, or the brief description, ought to be somewhat more accurately descriptive--but still tantalizing enough to pique the reader’s curiosity and impel him to read more.

It’s up to you, the author, which approach to take - clear and catchy, or intriguing and full of obscure allusions - just try to capture your readers’ attention with your titles. Katie still thinks titles like “Watermelon” just because there’s a tiny element of pink in the piece is just fine--downright “edgy.”

Beth Barnett writes: “This novel and the other below novel I've been working on, have required and still require a lot of research on my part. The two stories, however have gripped at my heart and the characters are so real to me. I guess that makes the characters come alive better in the text, to think of them as just more than words on a page that have to be written.”

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“Titles,” Tobias S. Buckell (http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/wordpress/?p=2109 ; last accessed July 26, 2006).

“Name That Book,” Douglas Hunter On… (http://web.mac.com/dwh5/iWeb/Site/Blog/CA52B5C9-62B5-4FFD-AE0D-27BC85279FA7.html... ; last accessed July 26, 2006)

Search Google using “coming up with titles” and you’ll find that, if you hate thinking up titles for your work, you’re not alone. Even the short blurbs on the search engine page will confirm that. But it has to be done. Good luck!

Puditat writes:

Jessie, an excellent analogy of flow as a boat on a river. Clear, easy to understand and so helpful. Great editorial!

alexnuma writes:

Sound advice, and thank you.

Yet I was expecting to read a development of the "flow" cliché. How about "gush"? And how about making the reader drown, and then rescuing somehow? I always enjoy being mislead into what seems a nice "flowing" story style, only to be battered by unexpected effects, whether in style or plot. Of course such effects must not be pure artifice.

But the newsletter is sound advice nevertheless.

Thanks,

Alec Numa

Red Writing Hood <3 writes:

Excellent editorial on flow, Jessiebelle. Loved your river metaphor

twyls writes:

Jessie,

Reading your newsletter, somethinig occured to me. It's just a theory right now, but I want your opinion. I'm theorizing that the use of metaphor and simile can make or break the flow, as well. Your newsletter flowed well do to the use of an extended metaphor. Could mixed metaphors mix up the flow? Or is it that an entirely different problem?

twyls and her twin

Vivian writes:

Jessie, I enjoyed your explanation of "flow." It has become a catch phrase, though, for some reviewers that don't know what to say about an item, so they say, "The story (poem, article, whatever) doesn't flow." Other reviewers do know what flow means, and one can tell by the rest of the review. Now no one has an excuse for not knowing. Thanks. ~~ Viv

kelly1202 writes:

Hi jessie,

Thanks SO much for including my story, "A Ghost of my Sister", in this week's newsletter.

As always, another outstanding and useful article.

Keep up the good work!

--HighWind--THANX SA Gifts (136)

dogfreek21 writes:

This makes tons of sence. But what happens when you write a really good descriptive sentence that your tongue (and mind) trip over when reading. What happens when you really, REALLY like that sentance and don't wanna let it go?

DF

fluffydreamboy writes:

I found this newsletter to be particularly inspiring, not only when writing words but also in other arts like composing music! This analogy just seems to click with me, unlike others I have tried...

grim writes:

I absolutely love when you demonstrate how not to do something. Because, God love you JB, that first sentence of the river metaphor was absolutely atrocious.

First I thought you were going to stick to issues of plot, and I was all Sentence structure! That's what flow means! Poor, comma-infested sentences!

Like that one!

I mean, it's not that bad, but you ought to have read that one aloud first, heeding your own advice. :P

No judgements. Still love ya. But that sentence definitely does not flow.

leaforte writes:

I could really appreciate the analogy of 'a river' to 'flow'. And the tip to read aloud really seems to work. Maybe taking our poetry to public readings, and open mikes, might be both a fun way to work on our 'flow', and to gather crititical input about our style. I'm tempted, but hesitant. What if my flow isn't very fluid? Again, what an energetic way to find out. Hmmm. An Audience. Novel idea.

I did my first open mic poetry reading at the Writing.Com Convention last week. Obviously, it didn’t kill me. I’m still here. I got plenty of compliments, but no “critical input.” I think, to be painfully honest, I’m just as glad. When you stand up in front of a bunch of people and read your poetry aloud, you’re really putting yourself out there, taking risks. I find it a lot easier to take critique of my writing in writing. That said, here you go: "Invalid Item"  and "Invalid Item"  are audio files: me, reading my poetry to you. Yep, I’m much more comfortable in print. But recording these and listening to the playback did help me to find the stumbling blocks that hindered the flow. --Jessiebelle

kpac4life writes:

I HAVE BEEN ON THIS SITE FOR QUITE SOMETIME NOW AND I ENJOY THE WARMTH OF BROTHERHOOD IT GIVES ME. I BELIEVE THAT I CAN REACH OUT TO SOMEONE WHO CAN GIVE ME ANSWERS ON SCREENPLAY AGENTS. I AM IN A FIX NOW BECAUSE I HAVE CONTACT AN AGENT THAT SEEMS TO BE UNREPUTABLE.

This week’s question: What is the hardest thing, for you, about writing? What would you like to see addressed in the For Authors Newsletter?