It's all in the Name

The menu is not the meal. - Alan Wilson Watts

Back in the 16th Century, early critics cautioned against reading too much into a title, saying,

The title is usually received with mocking laughter and jokes. But it's wrong to be so superficial when you're weighing men's (and presumably, now days, women's) work in the balance. Good advice, but don't titles sell books these days? I think it pays to consider them carefully.

The purpose of the title is to attract, intrigue and compel. It’s the headline, the very first sentence and it must hook the reader. It wants to sound good, to roll of the tongue, but not be overly predictable or clichéd. 

A good title can have double meanings, though it’s best to be careful there. For example, Mouse Work’s 1995 title, Cooking with Pooh is questionable, though funny.

Catchy titles can work, like Big Boom’s If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs but that’s not quite the style fantasy and paranormal romance readers are after. Maybe.

There are other considerations. Titles have to fit on the book cover. I’m not sure how Crown got ‘Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam’ squeezed together with the author's name, Pope Brock, and a billy goat (I’m serious) but they did. 

Short titles can be preferable. George Orwell first called his masterpiece The Last Man in Europe until changing it to 1984.

I did a search and found there are rules to follow for selecting titles. Some writers ignore them, to their great success. For example:

Rule #1 – Don't use noun-adjectives, like Pamela Palmer's Desire Untamed (NY Times Bestseller)

Rule #2 - Don’t use proper names in the title, like JK Rowling's Harry Potter . . . right.

Rule #3 - Don’t use words like Lord, Magic, Moon, Sea, Wizard, as in bestselling JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin's The Wizard of Earthsea, or Patricia Briggs' Moon Called.

Rule #4 - Don’t use adjective-noun titles like Jeaniene Frost's bestselling Once Burned, Twice Tempted Or Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games.

Rule #4 - Don’t use needless complexity, like Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Rule #5 – Don't be ironic, like Kerrelyn Sparks' bestselling Eat, Prey, Love, or Charlain Harris's Dead and gone.

Rules aside, there is a website where you can put your title to the test. This program generates the odds a title has of becoming a bestseller. If it’s accurate, my next book is going to sell a zillion copies! However the Dead Until Dark, Charlain Harris's book that spawned True Blood shows only 10.6% chance of succeeding, so maybe take it with a grain of salt.

My first two books were named organically, like pets. Book #1 in the Quantum Enchantment Series, The Spell of Rosette was just ‘Rosette’ for years. She got ‘The Spell’ as the story matured. 

Book #2, Arrows of Time was named for the narrative structure. It’s based on the theoretical notion that time is fully symmetrical - arrows going both ways and around in circles. I named Strange Attractors before I wrote a word of it. The idea of ‘strange attractors’- a pattern that appeared chaotic until seen from the right perspective - intrigued me.  

My most recent release, the novella Blood and Water in Vampires Gone Wild, was originally the idea of a series of books in this genre (paranormal vampiric romance) called Of Blood and Water. Those who have had a look know why!

Has anyone a favourite ‘title story’ to tell? Is there one that particularly compels or repulses? I’d love to hear about it. Comments welcome!

* * * 

Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, YA and epic science fantasy novels. She also co-directs Good Vibe Astrology, an astrology and law of attraction school.

You can find out more about Kim at kimfalconer.com or on the 11th House Blog. She posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month. Her latest release is Supernatural Underground: Vampires Gone Wild. 

Holding Out For A Hero...

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I hope many of you will be enjoying summer weather now, but here on the 'far side of the world' winter is not only coming—in the best House of Stark and Games of Thrones style—but well and truly here. 

As a writer, I regard that as a good thing though, because there's nothing, simply nothing, quite like the bleak and the sleet, the hail and snow, or simply gray-as-iron days with the wind whining along the eaves, to lure an author into realms of darkness and mystery, magic and heroism, love and danger...

And as all of us who frequent the Supernatural Underground know, when venturing into realms of magic, mystery, and danger, then at some stage your story—if not your heroine, since heroines are a feisty and independent breed these days—will be holding out for hero...

So here's a few of the heroes from my books, Thornspell, The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost. 

Thornspell is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story from the perspective of the prince, Sigismund, who is—of course!—the principal hero:

"He turned and studied the Wood again, thinking about the castle that lay at its heart, and everything he knew about the hundred years’ sleep. “If I am the chosen prince,” he said, “then the Margravine will have to try and bring me under her power again. She won’t have any choice.” He shivered, frowning at the same time as he remembered her conversation with Flor. “And once she has what she wants, she’ll go after everyone who’s opposed her. Syrica and Rue. The sleeping princess. My father. People,” he added softly, “that I care about.”

Balisan’s answering tone was cool as the dream. “Then you will have to find a way to stop her.”

Sigismund laughed, short and hard. “I will,” he said grimly..."

The Heir Of Night has several point of view heroes, including Tarathan of Ar, a herald of the mysterious Guild:

"She must have turned to fight at the last, Tarathan decided, for she lay on her back with a lance impaled through her stomach.  It looked, from the limp twisted body, as though a horse or horses had trampled over her.  He could see the shadow of her blood, pooled on the ground, and he thought how sharp and clear her image looked, almost substantial for the world of dreams.  It was only when he knelt beside her that he realized that the guard called Lira was still alive.

Only just alive, Tarathan thought, looking at the slick of almost black blood that trailed from the corner of her mouth and the terrible wound in her stomach.  He knew that there was nothing, either in Jaransor or beyond the Gate of Dreams, that could be done.  But slowly, incredibly, her eyes opened; the herald watched them focus on his face. …   

Tarathan covered the shadow of her hands with his own.  "Be of good heart, Lira of the Derai," he said. "We will do all in our power to find your Heir and save her. … Is there anything else I can do for you?"

The ghost of a smile caught at Lira's lips, but he had to bend even closer now to hear her whisper.  " . . . kiss . . . farewell . . . "

"I would be honored," Tarathan replied softly, "to kiss one so valiant and so true."  The ghost smile deepened for a moment as he kissed her, very gently, on the shadow of her cold mouth.  Her lips parted as though to speak again, but no more words came."

 

The Gathering Of The Lost also has a number of point of view heroes, but Kalan is a major character: 

" “Let’s get the horses,” Kalan said to Jarna, as the others began collecting up saddlebags and armor. He had not really expected the horselines to be more private, but there were already knights drinking along the poplar row that separated the field from the camp. No chance to even snatch a kiss, Kalan thought regretfully, and could not help remembering stolen moments at Normarch and the sweetness of Jarna’s lips on his, unexpectedly soft in her sun-browned face. 

“Say hello to Audin for me,” she said, as they finished saddling up. “And keep Raher in line.”

Kalan grinned. “Impossible,” he replied, and fought back the impulse to kiss her anyway…”

And then, of course, there's Raven, who seems to be a favorite with many readers:

“The two remaining knots of beast-men had converged on Raven, their power blasting toward him like flame. Yet the knight appeared unaffected by the energy storm as his charger half reared, striking with its front hooves while his sword cut against snarling fangs and ripping talons. The foremost beast-man bayed defiance, a note that changed to something very like alarm in mid-attack—an instant before Raven’s blade sliced head from body.

Malisande, Carick saw, was watching the knight with narrowed eyes, but half smiling, too, as the other beast-men echoed their comrade's howl and fell away from him. The howl rose again, mournful across The Leas—and then all the beast-men broke off, racing for the river while the outlaws followed in a retreating straggle.

“Behold the Raven of Battle.” Solaan was somber.”

So there you are, a brief introduction to some of the heroes who've stepped into my storytelling, whether by firelight or moonshine, summer's warmth or winter's snap... What about you though, do you have a favorite fictional hero, particularly from Fantasy—if you do, then do share in the comments. :) 

If you enjoyed this post you might also like: 

• Great Fantasy Courtships: Intercedents, Masks, Gifts, Choices, & Magic on the Supernatural Underground
• High Romantic Fantasy & "The Gathering Of The Lost"  
• R is for Romance -- in "The Gathering of the Lost"