by Jennifer Lane

Created on: May 28, 2008

Properly titling your work is an essential component to effective and fulfilling writing. For some writers, the title is the first thing on the page, shaping and informing what is to follow. For others, the title is labored over long after the final word was written at the closing of the piece. If you fall into the latter category, fear not: you are in good company. But all is not lost! There are many things you can do to push your creativity just a little further so that you can complete your labor of love with the perfect title.

1) Go back to the beginning. In your research stages, you likely came across a myriad of interesting ideas, philosophies, topics, etc. Perhaps one of these bits of research will lend themselves well to a title! For example, one writer after doing a great deal of research for a short story about the nature of happiness came across the term "eudaimonia" which translates from the Greek "eu" (good, or happy) and "daimon" (spirit). As it happened, a look at Socratic philosophy provided this writer with the perfect title.

2) Keep it simple. Perhaps the best title for the piece is the most obvious! What is the story about? Who is the story about? A playwright, upon the completion of her play, had no idea what to call it. But upon revisiting the basic concept of the story (a young woman fleeing her past and creating a new identity for herself) she decided to name it after the most basic question it evoked: "Does Anyone Know Sarah Paisner?"

3) Use your inspiration. What inspired you to write in the first place? Was it an image? A song? Writing by another author? On poet wrote a long piece of verse poetry inspired by the J.D. Salinger story, "For Esme with love and squalor." Working under a famous maxim ("Good writers borrow, great writers steal.") she titled the poem "Love and Squalor", for nothing else worked quite so beautifully.

4) People and Places. Where is your story set? Who stars in your story? What do they love, where are they going? Using actual, physical properties of your piece is an excellent way to find the perfect title. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy is a perfect example of the setting creating the ideal title.

There are lots of other ways to find a title, if you just weed through the writing itself. Always remember that the title should come from you, just as the rest of the piece did. It may be tempting to ask for suggestions, but you will be most satisfied if you find it on your own.

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