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How do I come up with a title?
How do I come up with a title?
Ash Davies avatar
Written by Ash Davies
Updated over 3 years ago

A great title makes a reader wonder about your story and what it could be about. Here’s some simple tips:

  • Be unique: Avoid popular titles. This will make your book easier to discover online.

  • Be memorable: Add a flourish. Try alliteration, or a title that’s amusing or funny. One way to do this is to play on expectations. Rephrase a old cliché or pick words with multiple meanings.

  • Be inviting: Your title should clue readers in to what your story is about. Ask yourself — what are the alluring parts of my story? What should my reader feel? Intrigue? Comfort? Excitement?

Other points:

  • You don’t need to lock-in your title before you start writing. Concentrate first on the story your want to tell. Once you have a first draft you can begin brainstorming titles.

  • When brainstorming, ask yourself wh-questions:

    • Who is the story about? (Example: Moby Dick, Harry Potter, Madame Bovary)

    • What is the story about? (Example: War and Peace, Heart of Darkness)

    • When is the story set? (Example: One Day, Love in the Time of Cholera)

    • Where is the story set? (Example: Middlemarch, Wuthering Heights)

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