S is for Sleepy
The
soft sunlight shrinks over the western horizon.
Cool
darkness approaches from the east.
My
eyelids flicker closed, but I open them just as fast. I can’t afford to fall
asleep right now. Not with the rest of them out there. Waiting for me.
Stars
poke their heads out of the sheet of black in the sky. Watching me.
A
few minutes couldn’t hurt.
I
close my eyes, and let myself fall asleep.
***
I'm really tired today. I've stayed up too late for the past three nights, and it's really getting to me. I woke up at 10:30 this morning and I'm still exhausted!
Okay, and here's a song called Hello by Evanescence:
I think it sounds a little sleepy, don't you?
Okay, now onto some random stuff.
Lately, I've been having so much trouble finding a title for my MS. It's been called The Trials for quite a while now, but it's really only been a working title and nothing more. I've seen so many books with great titles. Titles that really fit the story, and titles that draw people in. And, The Trials just isn't working for me.
So, I got to thinking. How do authors come up with the name of their books?
Well, they call it what their book is about. Like, The Hunger Games.
That was one of the titles that really drew me in. When I saw that title in the bookstore, I had to know what it was about.
For me, it's pretty easy to understand why the title The Hunger Games was chosen for the book. a) Katniss is in The Hunger Games for the majority of the story. b) It makes people curious, like it did to me.
There was another one I read called So B. It by Sarah Weeks. It was about this girl who's mom had disabilities and she could only say a few words. Her mother called herself So B. It and the MC wanted to find out who her father was. I read it so long ago, I don't remember all the details, but the title made me unable to forget the basics of the story.
Unfortunately, all of this analyzing didn't do me much good. I still haven't found a good title, yet. It's been bugging me so much that I even dreamed about searching for a title last night. Not kidding.
So, how do you guys find a title for your MS? Do you have as much trouble as I do?
Have a Superb weekend!!
--Jess
P.S.
And I'm mentioned on THIS blog today :)
Go check them out.
9 comments:
Nice job on your A to Z postings! I like the way you've been choosing a poetic flash-fic to cover a specific theme. :)
Hey Jedi Jess, thanks for linking to my blog. Star Wars fans unite! I'm a HUGE Evanescence fan. I use their music in a lot of my MS playlists. As for titles - I try to think of an image that pops out from my story. When I latch on to a strong visual, ideas for the title usually follow.
I do listen to Evanescence from time to time and enjoy their music. And I tell you this...if I were to write anything I would probably change the title a hundred times...and never finish the work! It would take longer than War and Peace!
Lovely poem. I could certainly do with a little more sleep :-)
Here's a tale for you. My current WiP started off as NO COUNTRY FOR FAE FOLK. I just slapped it on because I needed a title in a hurry, the title fit the premise of the story and I liked the movie title No Country for Old Men, though I haven't seen the movie, just love that title. Then I got to thinking and thinking as I worked through the first draft. I didn't like that long name as much and so I thought about some of the other popular titles. Many of them were shorter, some just one word, like Twilight. So I thought about what my book is about: beings of the Fae Innerverse stuck in our world until the beacon awakens to light the way back to their world. They are "mingled", hiding among us. So that's how I got to MINGLED as the title I currently use for it now. Plus I have a line somewhere in the story that mentions the mingling of the fae among humans, which struck a chord with me.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it :-)
Once you find a name you like, your editor will probably change it anyway. Twilight was originally called Forks.
Catch My Words
http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/
I like the name The Trials. It's fitting for your story (which I'm still reading). Sometimes I come up with a title before I write the first draft. Most times I just start writing and one comes to me. In many cases once you find a pubber they will change the names= anyway, so no worries. :)
You are right about the title really drawing people in. Or a great cover picture or drawing. Titles like "The Wisdom of Squirrels" would make you want to check it out (a great title in search of a book - but you can use it if you want :) ). Keep thinking and the right title will come to you.
I kept tweaking the title of my book until the last minute. When it was finally published, I was VERY satisfied with it. When the right title comes to you, you will know. When you self-publish, you are in control of your title as well.
Thanks ffor posting this
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