Titling a Fantasy Novel

My current fantasy WIP is sadly without a title, because I can't come up with them. Ever. I have no idea how I would go about titling it; there are three main POV characters with no connection to each other, so naming it after the main character like The Hobbit or Harry Potter wouldn't work. For different reasons, the villain's name like The Lord of the Rings wouldn't work either.

It's very world focused rooted in mythology (Celtic, Norse and Slavic especially), so I would love a title to reflect that; the really simplified plot is that the seat of a formerly powerful empire decides to Zerg Rush the whole world, which works until near the end.

So far I've come up with;

The Iron Flood (flood of people... Did I mention I'm not good at titling?); The Grey Flood (same idea); Whatever the Crows can carry (the motto of my Mongol-based culture); And then it ended. Please can anyone suggest anything else?

edited 24th Jul '13 9:54:33 AM by VincentQuill

Unless you've finished writing it (or you're very close to doing so), I wouldn't worry about the title. You run the risk of it becoming a consuming form of procrastination.

With that said, Whatever the Crows can carry is a pretty good title IMO. If I saw that in a book store, it would be enough to get me to read the blurb.

edited 24th Jul '13 11:52:29 AM by imadinosaur

thanks. I do tend to get wrapped up in procrastination (I've barely started), I spent nearly a year making the world and plotting and making characters, and I'm only 15 pages into the actual text!

I'll probably go for Whatever the Crows can carry, I preferred it to the others myself, but wanted an outsider's opinion on it.

I tend to just put some "working title" on things that is distinct from other WIP/vaguely meaningful so I know which folder pertains to what - it might be its genre or a relevant trope or anything - and leave the actual title as an exercise for if/when it's actually finished.

No point wasting my time on a title when there's the actual research and writing to be done (and I can get distracted/bogged down enough in the research without adding "finding a title" to the list of things that keep me from doing the writing.

Plus 1 for Whatever the Crows can Carry.

edited 24th Jul '13 5:45:46 PM by LittleBillyHaggardy

Seems that Whatever the Crows can Carry is popular, now I can put that little bit of procrastination to rest! I'll eventually run into another way to put off writing, but at least this is wrapped up. Thanks! I'll probably have to change my working pseudonym now though (clashes with this title)... Oh crap .

If I may ask, what does "What the crows can carry" mean? Travelling light, perhaps?

Referencing the carrion-eating side of them, suggesting lots of death, which fits the story. I got the idea from a translation of some Celtic myths where the Morrígan (Celtic war goddess), replies 'only what the crows can carry away in their claws' when asked how many will escape from a siege. I reckon I'll use it as a phrase throughout the narrative in the same way ASOIAF uses 'winter is coming'.

edited 26th Jul '13 2:33:51 AM by VincentQuill

heh. had the same problem with mine. i have three main characters, one is a Supporting Protagonist.

named the thing after her: "Alice Diaries: Last Days of Summer" ^note not the actual title, went for something more fantasyish, but same idea tells what the story is about and who's "Main Character" and what she does.

it kinda works like Angel Beats where the title wouldn't make sense until you've seen most of it. also like Moby Dick as she isn't really the main character. just the one that motivates the main characters.


In short, use a name that's relevant to whatever motivates your characters. in my case, the MC's want to keep her alive so she can finish it until then literal end.
EDIT: seeing as the characters have nothing to do with each other, use a common theme/reoccurring element as title plus subtitle (e.g. Avatar The Last Airbender vs Avatar The Legend Of Korra)

edited 26th Jul '13 5:31:49 AM by ShanghaiSlave

I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm not creative enough to think of a title thanks!

lol. i didn't notice it was already resolved. i fail. STO

So I was reading this and then saw that the title problem was resolved. Bleh, I was about to mention that I use working titles named after the main concept/character as well.

I third "Whatever the crows can carry," but it's getting a bit long—I suggest either "What the crows can carry" or "Whatever the crows take" instead.

Interestingly enough, the Morrigan happens to be my patron. This phrase totally doubles as a Badass Boast, because "Whatever the crows can carry" pretty much means "No one survives." (Or "If you don't accept our rule, no one survives," seeing as your culture is Mongol-based.)

Mine's easy. I have a heroine named Sekhotep and a MacGuffin called the Key to Heaven, so I'm going with Sekhotep and the Key to Heaven.