Where do you get your title ideas?

[Clare]

Like the heading says. How do you come up with titles for your stories?

Speaking for myself, I have often found that a word or phrase suggests a story to me, in which case I will use that as the title.

 

[Vaporeon Lugia Krabby]

For titles, I usually come up with an idea after I thought of the main idea of the story. Amusing thing is that I have poor naming habits, or lame title names.
"The Attempt To Prevent". Pokemon, title sums all, way too many T's in it.
"Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden: Dimension Devastation". Nothing to do with destruction, and what's more annoying than a double D title?
"Her Beginning". Gosh, how badly I wish I made my Mewthree sound more powerful with a better title.
But generally, I suck at titles. I wish I knew how some people did it.

 

[Lara Croft]

Honestly, when I'm writing them, my stories only have a "working titile". I don't think I can aptly name anything I've written until it's complete, because I never know what type of personality my story will develop.

Hee, me and my quirks. ^^;;;

 

[Pacific Pikachu]

I frequently get ideas for titles from quotes I like (usually from books or songs). Sometimes, I'll think up a title first, and then make a story to go along with it.

I usually try for something that sounds mysterious or symbolical, because that's usually how the stories end up being. Examples of this are: Darkness Doesn't Cast a Shadow, Bounding on Night Mist, A Step From Oblivion...etc.

 

[Ember Blaze]

I'm terrible with titles. I like to think up something clever and witty to go with the story. Something that's memorable. The best story title I ever came up with, I think, would the one for my Brock fiction: "Third Wheel" It sums the whole story up in two words.

I find more frequently my simple working titles are much better than the longer ones that I publish under. The fewer words needed, the better. My longest title to date is six words long and I feel it's too many. 1 - 3 words is all that's really needed. The title only draws the attention and yet because of that it's one of the hardest and most important things that a writer has to come up with.

If I'm really at a loss, I just call my friend. She's good at it and sometimes an objective opinion wrought from the summary is better.

 

[BenRG]

Originally posted by Clare
Speaking for myself, I have often found that a word or phrase suggests a story to me, in which case I will use that as the title.

I work in the opposite way. I choose a title that, in some way, summarises what is in the story. Often, there might be a classical or pop-culture reference in there too, especially in the individual chapter titles.

 

[Barb]

It's all in the phrasing...

Peter Benchley originally wanted to call his novel A Stillness in the Water. His editor came up with the catchier and now-infamous four-word title Jaws.

I tend to think up really pretentious titles for some reason, but like Ben I try to summarize what the story is about in my titles. My first Pokémon fanfiction, 'Bittersweet' was a story of a marriage in trouble (namely, Ash and Misty's marriage) and I suppose that word conveys the good and bad aspects of their relationship.

 

[Togepretty]

Yeah, like Ben and Barb, I like my titles to have some connection to the story. It's hard to sum up a story in 3-4 words, but that's what I try to acheive with my titles.
I don't know, I never really have that hard of a time coming up with titles for my fics. Nor do I ever remember regretting a title, or wanting to change one. I guess I just don't find the title all that important.
*shrug*
But I do often have problems with name individual chapters. It gets tiresome, and sometimes there's not much going on in the chapter itself to warrant any kind of title. But, if all the other chapters have titles stopping in the middle would seem stupid. ^^;;;;;;

 

[achooxp]

This is going to sound stupid. I usually come up with a title that I like and then come up with a story that fits it. On the flip side, I struggle with it and put in a very general and bland title. ^^;

 

[A Concerned Solomon]

I warn you guys - I'm primarily a humor writer...

I guess I like to be wordy and absurd with my titles. It really sets the tone. The words Thingy and Guy make me sound like a moron, which is part of the intended effect.