Do I need a title before writing a book?

[karlrschneider]

I've been threatening to write one for years...having been a cop to work my way through college, a stint in the USAF and as an engineer designing optical machinery and a commercial pilot for almost 40 years. Ernest Gann wrote "Fate is the Hunter" which I consider to be a masterpiece and with a most excellent title. My writing skills obviously don't match his, but I do think I could relate my own experiences with some semblance of reality although I could never duplicate his phrasing describing a particular event as "an evil genie dropping his pants and urinating on the pillar of science..."

So, where is the starting point? Is the title first?...or should I just plunge into prose and think of one later on?

:D

[question everything]

1. I am not a writer but I think that you just need to start writing

I think that the title will come to you at the end, when you are looking at the complete work. Or... and editor will change it for you even if you do have one.

You can have a generic title, if you have to and it will change as you progress.

Good luck. Sounds exciting.

[knowbody0]

2. write and the title will come to you

[Der Blaue Engel]

3. Absolutely not

Your book will usually tell you its title when you're nearing the end. If you have a particular phrase in your head that you think would make a good title, use it as the working title until you're more familiar with your book...and if nothing else comes up, of course, you can stick with the initial title.

Keeping in mind, of course, that publishers often toss your title and use something they think will sell better.

[melody]

4. There are as many ways to write/start a book as there are books

I usually come up with a central idea and a couple of characters. Quite often, the title comes much later. Some writers work with outlines - others carry it all in their heads. It's whatever works for you. Just start writing.

[BigMcLargehuge]

5. Nope

just write

[Blue Belle]

6. Just start writing...

Your publisher will probably change the title anyway. :)

[BigMcLargehuge]

7. don't forget there is a writer's forum here too

and the posters are always happy to read over ideas of help suss out angles.

[karlrschneider]

10. I am embarrassed to admit I did not know that. THANK YOU!

...

[BigMcLargehuge]

14. the pleasure was mine

:)

good luck with the book.

[karlrschneider]

19. I shall endeavor to make it readable.

:D

[blogslut]

29. Where is this writer's forum?

n/t

[Obamanaut]

38. "forum categories" then "non political" then scroll down n/t

[blogslut]

41. thanks!

:)

[brentspeak]

8. Paul McCartney's working title for "Yesterday":

"Scrambled Eggs".

A pop music example, but it shows that great things don't need to originate from a title.

[karlrschneider]

9. Thanks everyone who replied! I guess I'll just start out from scratch.

I promise it'll be a labor of love. :D

[oneighty]

36. I wrote a book

such as you describe. I wrote it one little story at a time in DU's lounge mostly. I put them in book form (218) vignettes. The title suggestion came from a lady Duer friend. "Voyages of the Vicky Mary." About fifty Duers have a free copy of that book. I gave another fifty copies away here and there. It was never my intention to write a book. And I have no particular desire to 'have it published'.

I have since then written a second book which should be printed next week. I chose that title in advance. 'KAZUKO' because it is about a girl I once knew and loved.

It is great fun writing. Go for it.

180

[1932]

11. I heard Barabara Ehrenreich on the radio say that her publisher gives

her books their titles.

[flowomo]

12. but, and I'm not joking....

you should write the first line first. It's a like a lead in the news biz.... it can only come to you after you've sifted through all your thoughts and ideas and figured out where you want to go. If you don't know that, you'll never get there. So find the first line, and it will lead you home.

[karlrschneider]

21. I keep remembering an old joke about 'headlines'

An editor complained to a reporter that his headlines were too long (apocryphal, obviously, but...)

So the reporter wrote a story about a guy who escaped from an insane asylum and sexually assaulted a woman in a laundromat.

He wrote the headline: Nut bolts and screws washers.

...

[flowomo]

23. ha! don't recall hearing it and I've been in the news biz a long time

and apocryphal for sure since reporters don't write headlines; editors do. I've been both, and both headlines and leads are tough work. But once the editor has the headline, he's done. Once the reporter has the lead, the night has just begun!

[MazeRat7]

13. I suspect you need to have a story to tell first... just guessing.

on edit: at least that is the way I write songs... story/tune first, name it later.

MZr7

[karlrschneider]

22. That is something that has always baffled me...writing a song

Which comes first?...the lyrics...or the tune? It just seems impossible to my limited intellect how either can lead to a good, let alone, great song....yet it happens. I wish I were more imaginative. Sigh.

[MazeRat7]

26. It never happens the same way twice.

Sometimes you have something you want to say, so you end up trying to craft a tune. Somethings, you have a tune that is really nice and you end up tying to say something that works with that tune. More often than note, both evolve in a cyclic manner.... a few words, a few notes, some more words, some more notes, etc....

I am surprised everytime when its finally in the can. Sometimes, I dont even know how it got there...go figure.

MZr7

[charlie]

15. Nope

If you're not already enthralled with a prospective title, forget about it. Just write.

And do not be afraid to rewrite. Be ruthless, chuck whole swaths if you can't make them work.

[philarq]

16. Go find a copy of:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

One of the best books I have ever read for the get off the couch and write impetus.

[rwenos]

17. No, You Need a Great Theme

Ernest Hemingway once wrote "Write one true thing." That's the hardest thing to do of course, exquisitely difficult.

Once you have written the one true thing, write a story that shows WHY that one thing is true.

I always recall J.K. Rowling, who has said for several years that she knew at the beginning exactly how she will end the Harry Potter series -- seven volumes later.

The rest is charting, and 1,000 words a day.

Easy to say -- I've never been able to write a novel myself, after thinking about it for 30 years.

[garybeck]

18. there are no rules for writing

even if you chose a title, you may change it before you finish. don't worry about the title. just write.

when it comes time you have to decide on the title, think it out a lot. i wrote a book and I'm happy with everything about it except the title. keep it simple. make sure it is descriptive if it's non-fiction.

[flowomo]

20. ok, so what was the title?

just curious.

[karlrschneider]

25. Well, it will be non-fiction...I lack the imagination to write fiction.

I guess I'll just start at some point and go from there. In a way, I think people these days have a 'hugh' advantage in authoring since we have the electronic tools giving us the ability to edit our own writings in somewhat real time. Nu? :D

[cynatnite]

24. Stephen King's 'On Writing' is Excellent!

It's a wonderful read. I write as a hobby and the advice he gave was fabulous! Plus he tells how he got into writing, became successful and what came later on including when he was hit by a car.

It's a great book and even if a person isn't a writer, I think they'd enjoy it.

[orleans]

27. no you don't need a title first. but you do need inspiration and maybe

an outline.
you could have a working title.
if you publish chances are they will retitle the book for you anyway. (you know, it's the editors of the paper that write the headlines--not the journalists)

[radwriter0555]

28. No, You just need a beginning, a middle and a good ending. The title

will present itself.

[obxhead]

30. Never a writer, but an avid reader....

I would say write the entire story out and the title will follow on its own.
as a thought
If you get that GREAT title first, you might just try to live up to that instead of the story you need to tell.

[karlrschneider]

31. Yeah, I see what you mean. The story shouldn't have to conform to

a narrow image. I get it. Thanks.!

[obxhead]

32. good luck.

:toast:

[WearyOne]

33. any working title will do..then you can change it later

[all.of.me]

34. just write.

just put your thoughts on paper as a first draft, then go back and edit them later. come up with a theme, which actually may emerge with the writing, or create some chapters and a summary. again, these may get birthed as your thoughts come out. just write.

[pitohui]

35. the publisher will give you the title

that's only a slight exaggeration but don't worry abt the title, worry abt writing the book, in many cases of an unknown writer, the publisher has complete control of the jacket including the selection of the title

you can have a working title but there is no guarantee yr title will be used

i wrote nonfiction so i was always given the title by my publisher, your memoir may be published as fiction or nonfiction depending on treatment & publisher but i strongly suspect the publisher will want control or at least input of the final title

the real starting point in my view is to find an agent, publisher, etc. who has some interest in yr story, otherwise it is a lot of work to end up on cafe press w. something no one will ever read, self publishing or online publishing is ultimately throwing away yr work since then you will never be able to sell it to a legitimate publisher & get any distribution

[melody]

39. with a first book, imo, it is better just to write the thing

Once he/she has a book or two under his/her belt.

BTW, I didn't know Cafe Press was in the POD market, too. lol I shouldn't be surprised, though.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

37. Write.

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. Can go either way. I often do the titles first, but many friends who write

get it last.

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