Titles

Some people have ideas for novels that come with a title, as naturally as the sun rises every day.  I am not one of these people.  Titles are amazingly hard for me to come up with... I never know what to call something, so I've worked a lot on how to effectively title something.

• Pick a word or an image that is repeated throughout the whole book.  That's how I named my current project, though more on that when it becomes a reality.  If you keep using the word "pomegranate", for instance, you can title your book, "The First Pomegranate."
• Choose a title based on the overarching theme that ties the whole book together.  For instance, a book about a journey to find oneself can be entitled, "Raymond's Journey."
• Choose something that describes the major plot arc.  J.K. Rowling did this with all of her Harry Potter novels.
• Base your title off the main problem, or the main solution in the story.  If your characters have to find a cure for the deadly Kali virus, you can title your novel, "The Hunt For The Cure".
• If one of your protagonists or antagonists have a defining feature that is repeated over and over, you can use that for a title, like "Auburn Hair".
• If there's a particular detail that you'd like to emphasize and give particular weight, pick that out and use that as a title.
  

If you're working on a series, please make sure that they are cohesive.  They should have a structural or thematic similarity to them, so they are easily identifiable as a series, and they fit together, as all series should.

Like I said, titles are hard.  Some people just know how to choose a title... it's a knee-jerk thing for them, and I salute them for this talent.  I also envy them, because I have had to find ways to compensate for that.

Anyway, feel free to share your suggestions, if you have any more!