by Cicely Richard

Created on: July 31, 2008

Are you familiar with the bestselling novels "The Last Man in Europe" and "Pansy"? Well, these two books changed the face of literature when they were published. Many people reading this article are probably what I'm talking about; they've never heard of these books. But, if readers are told about "1984" by George Orwell and "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, they would recognize these titles. These titles are so well-known that individuals who don't read at least know about the novels. The aforementioned examples illustrate how a perfect title can change the face of a literary work. For anyone who aspires to write the great American novel, the title of a book can be a cause of sleepless nights. Here are a few tips on creating the perfect title for your writing.

When thinking about a title, think about the genre in which your work will be published. Make sure that the title you have in mind is not already being used by another writer. A good way to check this is as simple as doing an Internet search.

If the name is not being used, test it out on friends and family to see if they would be drawn to the title. If you belong to a writer's organization in your community or online, throw the title out to see how they react to it. One thing you want to do is publish a book that catches people's attention.

Another option is to let the title fit the book. It can, in a way, tell readers what the book is about. I think about mystery and suspense novels. Many of them are simple and to the point, like "Predator" by Patricia Cornwell. A person seeing this title gets a general idea about the book is about before they even read it.

If you want to show your literary prowess, you can choose a line of another literary work that fits with the overall theme of your literary work. A good example of this is the play "A Raisin in the Sun." The title is taken from a line in the poem "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes. On the same note, songs can serve as a template for a unique title. Writer Mary Higgins Clark adopts song titles for the titles of her books, and "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates is taken from a Bob Dylan song.

Finally, if a particular character or element of your novel stands out, this can be a simple, yet effective title. "The Merchant of Venice" and "Julius Ceasar" by Shakespeare stands out; other prominent writers have also used this method.

There are a number of ways to pick the perfect title. A writer has to find the method that works for them and the project they are working on.

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