Which is harder to do, come up with your book’s title or writing the blurb?
This month’s Insecure Writers Support Group post could be very difficult or easy peasy. For me, it’s simple. No question about it. It’s a title match, hands down. Blurbs, though sometimes onerous, basically come from the story and characters you’ve already created—things you already know and are comfortable with by the time specifics are called for. But the title . . . a title is your work’s birth name. Once it’s on the “certificate,” that’s how your work is identified, how it’s searched for on the shelves. It doesn’t just list the known ingredients, it’s the name of recipe, that identifying word or collection of words that tells you in a glance if this work is what you have a taste for. THEN you check the ingredients i.e. the blurb’s plot and character sketches in brief (in case you have an allergy to one of them). You want that title to stand out amongst thousands that fight for your attention. Each one of those specific words has to connect to the others in a way that creates your unique stamp upon what you’re offering the reader. It’s the tease that coaxes the reader to the blurb that seals the deal.
It gets particularly tricky when you’re doing a series. You want words that link the titles together in some manner, so they establish a community of characters or situations. That’s why my books are all UNTITLED 1, UNTITLED 2, etc. until I find that magic word or two that binds them as a series. For my vampire series, it was MIDNIGHT that was the key word followed by a qualifier i.e TEMPTATION, SURRENDER and for my shapeshifter series, BY MOONLIGHT was prefaced with MASKED, CAPTURED, and BOUND, etc., and for my old contemporaries, they all started with the word WARRIOR. Though a blurb can follow a similar pattern, the luxury of added words fills in the particulars to explain what’s behind that enticing title. Together, they tantalize the reader beyond their ability to resist.
At the moment, I’m working on a contemporary romantic suspense series that, as of the beginning of Book Two, has no main title element. I have a list started next to my laptop of possibilities but no clear winner as of yet. At this point, writing the BOOK is easier!
How about the rest you Warriors out there? I’m eager to read your answers.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the November 3rd posting of the IWSG will be Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Titles are harder for me too. I call mine "New story" until I figure out the right title.
ReplyDeleteYep!
DeleteDefinitely titles! They are the story's identity and have to compete for attention.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are SO many titles out there now with the advent of self-publishing.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI love coming up with titles. Blurb drive me crazy.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
It depends on the book - chicken or the egg - which is the easiest. The problem was having a working title then the publisher telling you at the last minute to change it (and the rest of those in the series, too!). Argggh!
DeleteI used to think the blurb was harder. With my current WIP, it's the title. Your post is right on about the importance of a title.
ReplyDeleteContemporary books are harder than historical or PNR, I've found. Don't know why but they are.
DeleteComing up with a number of titles for a series isn't the easiest of ventures. I discovered that with my romance Laurel Ridge novella series. I'm so glad now that I sat down and figured out all seven titles at the same time. I love the concept of your Untitled [insert word] template! Branding is everything.
ReplyDeleteIf you know how many books, it's much easy! I did that with my By Moonlight so it was no struggle.
DeleteI do have a new manuscript that is causing me some problems with the title. It's too generic. And to make matters worse, a friend just published with the same title. Not to say that you can't use a title that's already taken. But why?
ReplyDeleteWhen my first vampire book, MIDNIGHT KISS debuted, there were SIX other books in other genre (including another in paranormal) that came out that same week. What fun readers had looking for it in the bookstore (back when you had to go there because there was no online!).
DeleteI like your analogy. And your ideas on keeping a 'series' linked.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen! Years of trial and error!
DeleteTitles are easier for me. For me, it's all about the idea. Blurbs . . . the concepts that have to be narrowed down to their most interesting, succinct specifics. I have a title when I start and a blurb when I'm finished. I envy writers who can start with a blurb, and so much writing advice suggests this avenue.
ReplyDeleteThe only avenue that matters is the one that get you where you need to go. Sounds like you already know the way, Lee!
DeleteYou make it sound easy, yet I still break out in a sweat and get twitchy when it comes time to write either. LOL
ReplyDeleteOh, it's not THAT easy! Sometimes it's painless, other times it's a royal pain!
DeleteI'm just a weird one. Most of the time, I come up with the title before I even finish planning the story. Sometimes the title is the first thing I think of and the story comes from that.
ReplyDeleteI've had that happen, too, but not often enough!
DeleteTitles mostly come to me, either while I'm planning or writing a story. Blurbs are... a huge pain. A belated happy IWSG day to you!
ReplyDelete