I need help.
For those of you who remember, I posted a short story called "Golden Texas Tea" late last year/early this year.
Well, this particular story is #3 for my next novel. I plan on re-writing it into a ghost story and I got the main character's names changed. The problem I have is coming up with a new title.
The current title simply doesn't cut it (oh boy does it ever not cut it), so I want to give it a new title that would be more in line with what the story is gonna be about.
Writer's block I don't have for this story, because I've been working on the plot line for it for the past couple of weeks. Writer's block for the title I do have.
Sooooooooooooooo.............can anyone out there help me?
Anyone?
For my lurkers, my subscribers and any passersby, here's your chance to offer an opinion on something for this blog. I would love to hear from you.
For my regulars, here is a chance to try something completely different. Absolutely no hard work is involved beyond spending two minutes connecting various parts of speech together.
No reasonable suggestion will be ignored.
All will be considered.
I thank you in advance for your support in this worthy cause to help a flaky writer.
Monday, March 23, 2009
19 comments:
Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.
About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.
So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.
G. B. Miller
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I'll have to give it some thought, G.
ReplyDeleteSo this is probably what you don't want right now, but I tagged you over at my blog, :)
Tagged?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm....I'll have to take a look and see what I can do.
Last time I was tagged, I had to reach down into my chat room expirences in order to the meme properly.
As for the other thing, by all means, give it some thought.
It's really strange, but I can come up with one word titles for my flash in like a nano second, but trying to come up with a decent title for my longer stories has been a wierd exercise in futility.
I haven't done this kind of thing in a while, sending an S.O.S. that is, because for the most part the well has remained relatively full since last summer.
I suggest finding an interesting phrase or line found somewhere in the book, a line that is unique to it.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's your answer!!
I just read through a couple of the story's posts. The only thing I could come up with was "Stumbling Through Texas" or "Life Deals Detours in Texas". I don't know if I'm missing the mark of what drives the story. I enjoyed reading your posts. I would have to study it longer to get better ideas probably. Why did you pick the original title? I'm curious about the tea reference. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea. I know it sort of worked for the title of the book (was listening to the one Tom Cochrane song they overkill on radio), but it might be a little tougher for this story.
ReplyDeleteThis story is basically gonna be gutted and rebuilt, or "flipped" to use a popular term from last year.
I did start thinking about it at work, but so far, only came up with "Limbo" (as in, the place between Heaven and Hell).
Whoops, sorry about that Septembermom. Usually before I sign off for the night I make one last check of the blog to make sure I don't leave any comments behind.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone reading, my last comment was directed towards Jannie Funster. This one is directed towards Septembermom.
Two very interesting titles you came up with. Thanks.
Why did I pick the original title? To be honest with you, I'm not sure. I originally wrote this story in the summer of '06, and while I probably had a reason for the title then, it really does escape me now.
All I can say is that now, the title really doesn't go with the story. There's almost like a major disconnect between the title (Tea? Oil?) and the content (Husband cheating? Dying?), so I'm looking for something that will mesh a little better with the updated version (a ghost story, using first and third p.o.v.).
G, I am terrible at titles and rely on my wife most of the time. I do know that shorter most of the time is better.
ReplyDeleteNow we see the power behind the throne. :-]
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I do agree that shorter is better, especially in flash.
But, be that is it may, most of the time when I write, I do try to match the title to the story, so at least it gives the reader (and myself) an inkling to it.
This one however, I'm just clueless in Connecticut.
I like Jannie's suggestion. Especially since I'm not much help without knowing the plot of the story.
ReplyDelete"Between Heaven and Hell" would be catchy...
True, that does appear to be a hinderance. I think in hindsight I should of expanded on what the original story was about.
ReplyDeleteOriginal story: husband goes on a book tour to promote latest book. wife decides to surprise her husband on his book tour. when she calls him up on his cell, another woman answers. she winds up going a long drive to clear her head and winds up in an old town from her previous life (so to speak). goes on a walk to clear her head, gets killed by a drunk driver. makes an appearance at her funeral as a spirit. drives her husband to possible commit the ultimate sacrifice (outcome unknown as the story ends with a gunshot).
"Between Heaven and Hell" sounds good. I am toying with the concept of Limbo for the story, and already got a couple of pages written.
How about "I died and ended up in Texas"
ReplyDeleteI am usually pretty good at titles and so forth, just not so good at completing stories...I have a dozen great sounding short stories, all of which are 40% done or less.
ReplyDeleteI read 4 or 5 portions of this piece. With apologies to Dante, what came to mind was something like "Tejas Purgatorio." Some riff like that.
Bearman: thanks for stopping by. I will have to check out your blog.
ReplyDeleteYour suggestion sounds like a different twist of what we say in Connectictut about New Jersey. I'll keep it in mind.
Fundamentel Jelly: thanks for stopping by, and thanks for browsing a couple portions of this story.
"Tejas Purgatorio" sounds interesting. It does stay within the theme of being a ghost story with the person being stuck in limbo. Perhaps she makes a detour downwards.
Thanks.
The Ghost of Texas Limbo
ReplyDeleteOR
"I don't deal with stupid" :)
Sorry G,
It's all i got. I'll keep thinking.
The first one sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe second one is a philosophy I developed while working in retail.
I can see that great minds think alike.
Have you come up with one yet?
ReplyDeleteAlantru: I have a working title right now.
ReplyDelete"A Lacivious Limbo."
But if someone can come up with something better, I'll exchange this for that.
Hmm... I'd have to have a greater knowledge of the story to come up with a good title.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those (few?) people who like a long title (even though my own novel is only two words!) There's so many novels with just one word/two words titles (so many with "dead" in the title too.).. my curosity is more likely to be sparked by long titles... The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo....
Often when I read short titles I can't help but catergorize them, but with a longer title I find that much harder to do.
I think the right title will spring to mind eventually, just sit on it and it will appear naturally.
I agree with your basic point. The majority of my blog posts and my short stories have multiple word titles. Makes it more difficult to figure out what's what with what.
ReplyDeleteMy flash is one or two words, but they're not as easy to classify, since people know I already have screw loose when I write to begin with, the title doesn't accurately reflect the content.
I'm in the same boat as you. I like wordy titles as well, but usually, the titles themselves never match up with the content.
Just to give you an example of how a word title can intrigue you enough to read the story, the last story I finished for my novel is not only a one word title, but a one letter title as well.
Originally, the story was called, "Cedar Mountain Ecstasy". It's now called, "E".