About The Site

I am terrible at thinking up titles for things. Sometimes awesome titles will come to me, and sometimes I will struggle for a really long time. I cannot just think up a title, not like I can a lot of other words that I write. A title has to come to me, it has to be completely organic.

I am thinking up chapter titles for some of today’s writing and finding it kinda easy, but really fun. A Chapter title you can have a lot more fun with. You can use a play on words, or an homage to a cliche, or even borrow from someone else. It’s good times because a chapter title is not quite as serious. I”ve just written one called “Who Is Matt Valentine?” and “An Arabian Walks Into A Bar“. The next one may be “The Gypsy’s Retort“. Yeah, see if you can work out what the story is about from those three clues, ha.

But a complete title. Damn, you want to make sure it’s original and that it captures the audience and that it’s all that is man! I hate coming up with titles, but I love it when it comes together.

Fate was originally under the working title of “Who Am I?” just because I had nothing else. Seriously, I never intended to use that title, but I had to call the pages something. Fate just came to me, which considering it’s the name of the main character I am really thankful that it did, and it completely worked for the story. A lovely double entendre that fit the profile of the character completely.

Atlantis was always going to be “Once Upon A Time In Atlantis“. That one came to me on conception and I just love it. I really hope I can keep it.

Ego was another one that took a bit of time. I can’t even remember what I called it before that came to me.

My space story still has no name. It’s just called Space! Yes, the exclamation mark is crucial.

I came up with the real title behind my purloined idea instantly. It just had to be that way, but I won’t quite reveal what that one is just yet.

Short stories are tough ones for me. I usualy try to keep it simple.
My Cross - a story about my cross…lame! Haha.
Lie In Our Graves - stolen borrowed from a Dave Matthews song
One For My Baby - again, stolen borrowed from a song
These Walls Thy Sphere - stolen borrowed from a John Donne poem
Thunder and Frightening - my stab at an EC horror style story, pun-filled title and all…
Wash Us Clean - probably the least borrowed one
The Friendly Skies - originally titled Frequent Flier, back when it was a much different story
The Choice That Had To Be Made - that one came straight out
The Folly Of Man- a story that I absolutely love to bits, but can never find myself loving the title…I am thinking it’s probably still better than the original title, Giant Squid, Giant Mistake.

I don’t have a title fro my current story idea…the notes are all under different things; ‘What’s In The Grave, Man?‘, ‘Grave Situation‘, ‘Grave Story‘ and ‘Isolation‘. I’ll settle one day, hopefully before it sees publication…maybe.

Posted on September 18th, 2008 by ryan
Filed under: Writing