Do you have a story that needs a name? Do you need help coming up with some way to succinctly capture the essence of your work? Is your working title not working for you? Then look no further: the fine folks at TV Tropes are here to give you some methods of coming up with your own title!
Note that no matter what tips you may receive here, you are ultimately the only person who knows what the correct title for your work will look like. This guide is meant only as a guide and is not the final say in what your work will be called. If you come up with something better than what this page may have suggested, then by all means use it. It's your work, after all.
Use Tropes
Lots of titles follow specific patterns; that's why there are Title Tropes, after all. So head on over and browse through the different variants on title patterns and figure out what words from your story would fit best.
Different genres of stories follow different naming conventions. That's why there are specific fantasy titles which may not work for, say, a Dom Com.
Take Inspiration from Your Story
Those blanks in Character Name and the Noun Phrase need to be filled in by something, and that something is (usually) concepts prominently featured in your work.
If tropes don't work...
Keep Writing
If your story's not complete yet, maybe you need to learn more about it before deciding on a title. You might pick a title halfway through the rough draft, based on the theme, then, after three rewrites, learn that your theme has completely changed. Keep an open mind.
Ask for Advice
Have you told your friends about your work and let them read it? They might be able to offer you a fresh perspective. As consumers, they'd also understand what sort of title would intrigue them the most.
Brainstorm
Don't just stop at one idea. Come up with two, or three, or six, or eighty-nine different working titles. Go for quantity. Don't pick a favourite just yet, nor should you have least favourites. They're just ideas. Then go back through and make cuts.
Sleep On It
You probably won't figure out the optimal title for your work overnight, but never fear. Keep thinking about it, and the answer will come to you eventually. You got this.
Take Inspiration From Elsewhere
The theme, motifs, and plot/outline of your story can serve as your guide. Examples include:
- Idioms
- Some Chinese stories in particular have titles derived from idioms. The traditional Chinese translation of Catching Fire is titled 《星火燎原》, after an idiom that literally translates to "a small spark/flame which can burn up a field". While the usual use refers to 'something new that starts out weak but has great vitality and will go far', its figurative usage likely refers to the Rebellion.
- Quotations from the book
- To Kill a Mockingbird. In the book, there's a line which says (paraphrased) killing mockingbirds is a sin because they are innocent and harmless, which is heavily related to the plot of the book itself—the racism-driven conviction of a Black man who was innocent of the crime he was accused of.
- Song lyrics, or songs in general: Make a playlist for your works, such as a list of songs associated with certain characters, their motivations and development arcs, certain moments in the story, etc. Then select the one most applicable to the story as a whole. This is exceptionally common among fanfiction writers, but beware of copyright if you're writing an original work.
Further Reading
- This WikiHow article, "How to Come Up with a Good Book Title
. It provides some useful advice on how to name your work.
