Writing Book Titles is not my forte.
In fact, you’ll be surprised to learn that the original title of It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! was Me, The Gang, and The Man in the Dark Suit.
What you will find most surprising about this is that when you read the book next year – for surely you will, dear reader – you will discover the last version of the book does not have a man in a dark suit.
I think I’ve proven how inept I am at coming up with an appropriate title. Even if the man in the dark suit was still running around, surely I could have done better than THAT.
In fact, the title It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! is actually taken directly from a line in the book.
I can thank my sister for pointing it out to me.
For the past week, I have been torturing myself as I try to find a suitable title for my work-in-progress.
So far there have been at least six titles. There were many more options on the scrap of paper upon which I wrote random plot-related words.
I am happy with the final title, but too superstitious to share it yet. After weeks of rewriting and revising after comments, corrections, etc., I am about to pass it along to my agent.
A good title is a thing of beauty.
Some favourites:
- A Wrinkle in Time
- I Capture the Castle
- The Sound and the Fury
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- American Gods
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
- Nights Below Station Street
- Symptoms of Being Human
Some titles are literal, some are thematic, some are allusions. But a good one captures the essence of the book.
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll figure out how to do it well!
Please – share your favourite titles – I’d love to hear them!