Coming up with Book Titles

Reconsider, v. To seek a justification for a decision already made. -Ambrose Bierce

Readers have commented that The Ride is a perfect title for my book and have asked me how I came up with the name. It’s been so long that I honestly can’t remember if I assigned my manuscript the title from the start or if it popped into my head at some point (most likely the middle of the night) during the first draft. I do know I was pleased with the title because it describes the book both literally and metaphorically. I was also happy that the publisher kept the name.

After the book was released, however, I had second thoughts about my perfect title. As a new author, I excitedly went to Amazon and typed in The Ride. When a page came up showing the first twelve out of 13,800 possibilities, I groaned. Not too many people I know are going to go through a list like that to find anybody’s book, including me. Of course if you type in the title with my full name, it’s not a problem. But I’m probably not the only one who can often remember the name of the book and not the author or vice versa.

I’m not sure I did much better at naming my second novel. If you type in Reigning Cats and Dogs there are only 43 results. However, if people hear the name, they are most likely to type in "Raining Cats and Dogs." Sigh.

I decided before I fall in love with the title of my current WIP, I wanted to see if I could find any information on how to come up with selecting an ideal title.

One helpful article was “Tips to Land the Perfect Title for Your Novel,” by Jacob M. Appel. Among his suggestions were Googling the title you’re considering, including precise nouns and active verbs, and making sure the title matches the story.

Another interesting approach I found was “How to Write a Book Title Using a Few Simple Brainstorming Techniques!” The article suggested writing a paragraph describing your book then writing down all the verbs and nouns you used in that paragraph. The next step is to write as many combinations as you can using those verbs and nouns. There are more suggestions if this doesn’t work.

Similar to the brainstorming article, “How to Title a Novel” by Christine Hamlett, suggests writing keywords that best describe the novel's content, central theme and settings on index cards, then try to come up with interesting combinations. She also suggests keeping the title to six words or less and making sure it’s pronounceable. But, I think her best suggestion was, “Say your proposed titles out loud. Oftentimes what looks perfectly fine in print will sound laughably terrible when spoken.”

If titles are a dilemma for you, I’d recommend reading all three articles.

If you still aren’t happy with your title selection, there’s always The Title Tailor. The site offers “custom-crafted titles that sell books.”

How do you come up with your titles? As a reader, are you frustrated when the title doesn’t seem to go with the book?

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope to see you again next Monday.

Tags: Ambrose Bierce, book titles, The Ride, naming a novel,

Meet Katie Hines

The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it. - Author Unknown

I am pleased to introduce author Katie Hines. Katie has been writing snippets here and there as long as she can remember. When in 8th grade, she wrote a short story called, “Underworld.” Then, in high school, she wrote several poems that were published in an anthology.

Marriage and raising two children contributed to putting away writing for a few years, but she came back to it while in her 40s. Since that time, she has been a contributing feature writer and columnist for a local newspaper, has written several features articles for another area newspaper, and wrote religious and humor articles for an online Catholic ezine.

Her short story, “My Name is Bib,” was published by the Loch Raven Review in October, 2008.

Having found a publisher for Guardian, a middle grade urban fantasy, Hines is currently working on another fantasy novel as well as a couple of chapter books, and is extending “My Name is Bib” into a full young adult novel.

I asked her the following writing related questions:

Do you have a routine you follow before you begin writing each day?
I didn’t used to, but I found I wasn’t getting any work done on ANY of my WIPs, so I posted about it, and got a lot of great ideas. I currently work on emails first for as long as it takes up until noon. Then I take a break for lunch, watch some TV (yes, I admit it), then I work on my books from about 2:00 – 4:00. I know a lot of people have better schedules than that, but for me, I need the breaks during the day. I have also found it really helps a lot to have this schedule as far as changing my brain thinking from answering/reading emails to the more creative bent.

Are there special items in your work area that inspire you or help you concentrate?
Ah, I love my work area. We actually have a three bedroom house, and my last kiddo is moving out the end of the month (thank God!). So I have the third bedroom as an office, with my desk, file cabinet, credenza, bookshelves and printers. I have to admit that having a great looking, functional office is key to getting things done. It is sacrosanct with no one allowed in it except me as far as doing work in it. It is my space totally. And, I have a great window that looks across the street at a lot filled with lovely green trees and plants. Soooo soothing!

Do you work on one project at a time or do you keep several going at once?
I actually have several going at this point in time. I have a young adult novel I’m working on, a middle grade novel, two chapter books and some science articles for kids’ magazines.

Do you write from an outline, storyboard or let the story or characters lead you?
I don’t use an outline, but I know where the ending of the book is, so I brainstorm as I go along as to how to get there. I follow the way the story wants to go – even if I don’t want to go there! Sometimes, you have to let the story dictate itself.

How did you find an agent or publisher and what do you feel first attracted them to your work?
I am fortunate to have a fantastic publisher (4RV Publishing). They have believed in my book, Guardian, all along. It was published in January 2010 and you can order it through the publisher at 4RV Publishing. My book, a middle grade urban fantasy, was picked up by them after letting them run it by a reader of fantasy. The contract was offered shortly after that.

What is your favorite and least-favorite marketing technique?
Humph. I hate them all! The easiest to take care of was creating my website and blog. I was able to create my blog without too much trouble, and I had a friend create the website for me. I do Twitter and Facebook. My least favorite thing about marketing is all the time involved. Without a plan, one could easily spend the lion’s share of her/his day working on marketing.

What bit of advice do you have for writers who have yet to be published?
Keep a list of agents/publishers as you go along who seem like they publish your kind of story. You can create this list from blogs you follow who list publishers, articles in magazines, word-of-mouth from other writers, and so forth. That’s what I did, and when my book was ready to be sent out, I already had a list of publishers I wanted to query. 4RV Publishing was the publisher I queried.

Thanks for your interesting and informative answers Katie. Feel free to leave any comments or questions you have for Katie.

Here’s an excerpt from Guardian.

Drew Newman is ready to tell his friends a secret, but two strangers burst on the scene, demanding an ancient, magical, book. He plummets into a world of uncertainty and fear as his home is invaded and he desperately tries to find the book.

Aided by the mysterious Jean-Paul, Drew’s search takes him and friends to Oak Island, Nova Scotia, where he continues his search. Joined with his Grandpa Ian and cousin, Zea, the tension ratchets up when Drew is kidnapped and he encounters the head of a sect that wants the book, a magical talisman and a treasure, for themselves.

Sprinkled with magic, “Guardian” explores the commitment of a boy determined to fulfill his promise to his mother and claim an uncertain destiny.

Links for purchasing Guardian: 4RV Publishing , Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local bookseller, and request from your area library. You can also find out more about Katie and her books at her website and her blog.

The VBT tour continues tomorrow at Gary Murning’s blog. He’ll be hosting Elysbeth Eldering. I hope you have the chance to visit.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope to see you again on Monday.


Tags: Katie Hines, Guardian, 4RV Publishing, VBT tours,

Writers and Cats

Authors like cats because they are such quiet, loveable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. – Robertson Davies

Writers seem to have a penchant for cats. Hemingway’s six toed cats are still a tourist attraction in Key West, Florida, and are protected by the terms of his will. Snowball, the first of these cats, he received as a gift from a sea captain.

The story is that Edward Lear was so devoted to his tabby cat, Foss, he had his architect build a replica of his old home in England so the cat wouldn’t be distressed by his move to Italy.

Sir Walter Scott’s tabby, Hinx, was included in a portrait that shows the author at work and the cat lying nearby. Scott once said, “Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. There is more passing in their minds than we are aware of.”

I’ve read that Edgar Allen Poe took his cat, Catarina, with him everywhere he went and she often sat on his shoulder as he wrote. The Master’s Cat (yes that was his name) would put out the reading candle belonging to Charles Dickens in order to get his attention. Supposedly Lord Byron travelled with his five cats. Ray Bradbury, Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald are also said to be lovers of cats, just to name a few more rather well-known authors.

Many popular pieces written by these illustrious writers were about cats such as Poe’s The Black Cat or Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat.

Were these pets their masters’ muses? Or do cats give off inspirational vibes?

Through the years, I’ve owned (or should I say, I’ve been owned by cats). At this stage of my life, however, I subscribe to the philosophy that if it needs dusting, feeding or watering, I don’t want it in my house. But if a cat is the secret to success as a writer, I may have to reconsider my stance and replace my imaginary fairy type creature of a muse (who seems to be off duty more than she’s on) with a cat.

While authors have their favorite cats, it seems that cats also have their favorite authors according to the article “Library Cats and Their Favorite Books.”

For instance, Judge Kitty from the Fairplay, Colorado library prefers Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Patrick, known as Paddy from Pacelli High School Library, Stevens Point, Wisconsin likes Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, and T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and the mysteries penned by Elizabeth Peters. It seems “he simply can’t get enough of the Egyptian cats who pop up in all of her stories.” Hannah from the William A. Clark Memorial Library, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, enjoys Bird songs = Aves ambrosiana: A Poetical Ornithology, by Miller Hageman, circa 1905.

You can read the entire article here to find out the reason behind the selections, although I think Paddy’s and Hannah’s choices are fairly obvious. Of course, there are also cute photos of each cat.

Do you write with a cat or another pet by your side? If so, do you feel they act as your muse?

If you have the opportunity, I hope you’ll visit on Thursday when Katie Hines, author of The Guardian, will be my guest.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Tags: Robertson Davies, cats, authors and cats, library cats, muse, Tags: Hemingway, Edward Lear, Sir Walter Scott, Edgar Allen Poe,

Special Moments and Milestones

Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments. - Rose F. Kennedy

Milestone or moment? I’m not going to quibble over the proper term. Set off the fireworks! Why am I celebrating? Let me explain.

My publisher strongly suggested that I begin to blog if I wasn’t doing so already. Though I enthusiastically agreed that I would do so, I honestly didn’t know what a blog was. Thinking I was doomed, I explained my problem to my husband. He immediately set out to show me that blogging was no big deal. Within minutes he had designed, written and posted a blog that chronicled the “sightings” on our walks through Lakes Park. Within a short period of time his blog was noticed and he was asked to become a member of the Lakes Park Foundation’s Board. But that’s a story for another time. Today it’s all about me!

What I’m getting to is that he led me through the steps. I developed and wrote my blog with the certainty that the only people who’d read it would be my family and maybe a few friends. Therefore, no one could be more surprised than I was this week when my blog passed the milestone of 100 followers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart #100, Southpaw. (The number currently shows 101, but I can’t for the life of me figure out who 101 is. Sorry. I obviously still have a lot to learn.)

A very hearty and sincere THANK YOU to the rest of you as well. You’ll never know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. If I could hug you all, I would.

One of my highlights of blogging was receiving that first comment from someone I didn’t know. Now many of you leave comments for which I am more grateful than I could ever express. I may not always respond to every comment, but believe me, I enthusiastically read and enjoy every single one.

I do try to follow back, visit your blogs and leave comments. However, during my time as a blogger I’ve had several periods where I have been unplugged for one reason or another. Catching up is not easy and I’m afraid some of you may have slipped by me. Please let me know via of a comment or email (jane@janesutton.com) if I may have missed you and I’ll be happy to remedy the situation.

As if reaching a new milestone wasn’t enough, last week I also received a Meat and Potatoes Award from Stephen Tremp. According to Stephen, “This prestigious award goes to a particular group of wise and experienced bloggers who have proven themselves over the course of time, trials, and tribulations. If you are looking to follow someone’s guidance for writing, publishing, and promotion than I suggest you look no further than this esteemed group.”

Thank you, Stephen. I’m fairly certain that I don’t belong in the group (especially since in my last blog I confessed to procrastination and this blog has way too many ly words) but I am flattered. Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs successfully weaves together theoretical physics and technology with greed, murder, and mayhem. If you haven’t visited his blog, you may want to stop by. It’s worth it.

Again, thank you followers. I hope I can live up to your expectations. It’s nice to see you today. Hope you’ll stop back by next Monday.

Tags: Rose Kennedy, Lakes Park, milestones, meat and potatoes, Stephen Tremp,

Procrastination

The best way to get something done is to begin. - Author Unknown

I’ve been rather adept lately at avoiding two major projects that really should have been completed by now. Though one has to do with housework and the other with writing, I was struck by their similarities.
The first project is my bedroom closet. I open my closet door with the intent of going in and conquering the mess, then I step back, close the door and convince myself I’ll take care of it later. Later to me means sometime in the next millennium. I know the job will start slowly. I’ll refold a top, put a dress in a Goodwill stack, another in a discard stack. Then there’s a move-to-the-dresser stack, I-don’t-know-what-to-do-with pile, and on and on until I reach a point where I’ll have so many heaps scattered around that the house will look as if a bomb exploded. My rational side knows that if I stick with it, there will come the point where the piles begin to decrease and the house comes together again. My surroundings will once again be neat and my closet orderly. In other words, it will be worth the effort if I can only make myself take that first step.

The second task is editing my latest manuscript. I sit down with good intentions and place my fingers on the keyboard as though I’m a concert pianist about to begin a performance. I can’t back out and close the door like I do with my closet, so I play a game of solitaire, visit a few blogs, think up something to ‘research’ on the internet and anything else I can come up with to procrastinate (anything besides cleaning the closet, that is). It’s all because I know it has to get worse before it can get better.

I’ll start off slow by adding or deleting a few commas and correcting minor errors and the next thing I know the manuscript is in shambles. This scene needs to come earlier; that chapter has no point; this area needs more action; that character cries too much; this character is too emotionless. I’ll end up with stacks and piles everywhere and a manuscript that looks like it was written in red rather than black.

Thinking about it makes me want to scream and say forget it—the original is fine. Yet deep down I know if I stick with it, at some point all those stacks will all come together and blend into a product I can be proud of writing.

Writing this post has been a sort of pep talk to myself. So now that I’ve confessed to the world that my closet is a mess and I’m one of the world’s greatest procrastinators, I’m taking a deep breath and I’m diving in – to my manuscript that is, not the closet (I do have priorities and I’ve lived with the closet in chaos this long). I needed reminding that it’s the sense of accomplishment that makes this task (or any job) worth the effort it takes to complete it.

Do you jump into a project the moment you see something needs to be done or do you procrastinate? What keeps you motivated to finish a task?

Thank you all for your comments and guesses on my blog about truth and lies. I explained I was not a good liar and many of you verified the fact. The one lie was that I am the middle child of eight girls. Actually my only sibling is my big sister. Jan M. was the first to guess that this was the lie. Joanne and Ann verified that math was not my strong point either by pointing out that eight doesn’t have a middle. Yes, A.K., I did drive while wearing a ghutra, but I don’t recommend it. Helen, Arlee and Patricia, the shrimp was small and a delicacy of a certain area of Taiwan. I didn’t want to offend our host, so I swallowed the shrimp whole. Because I visualized the eyes moving down my throat, I immediately gulped a whole glass of beer. And, just to clear the record, it was a miscommunication that caused me to congratulate my Taiwanese landlord on his mother’s death. I thought he was inviting us to her birthday party, not her funeral.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope to see you again next Monday.

Tags: procrastination, editing, closets,

Truths and Lies

It is always the best policy to tell the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar. - Jerome K. Jerome

I don’t usually post twice a week, but my friend and fellow writer, Sandy Lender of Today the Dragon Wins blog, nominated me for the Bald-face or Creative Blogger award. Sandy writes fantastic fiction books; her latest release is Choices Meant for Kings. I feel bad that it’s taken me so long to acknowledge and say thanks for thinking of me, so I decided to do this extra post just for you Sandy.

The idea is to tell with six lies and one truth or six truths and one lie about myself. I’m a terrible liar. I know, I know, that seems like a crazy line coming from a fiction writer, but it’s a fact. For that reason I have decided to tell six truths and one lie. I hope you’ll leave a comment to let me know which one you think is the untruth.

1. Even though women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, I once drove disguising myself by wearing a typical man’s ghutra (headdress).

2. I’m the middle of eight children, all girls.

3. I congratulated my Taiwanese landlord when he informed me his mother had just died.

4. I was in Washington D.C. during the period of the Beltway sniper attacks.

5. I love dipping my French fries into mustard rather than ketchup.

6. I once ate whole shrimp complete with eyes, legs and tails.

7. My first international travel involved a move to Hawaii before it became a state.

Though I am supposed to pass this on, I know many of the bloggers I visit have already posted quite clever lies and truths, which I have mostly been unsuccessful at guessing correctly. If there’s anyone left out there who would like to try their hand at lying and ‘truthing,’ please feel free to say I passed the honor on to you.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you again on Monday.

Tags: Jerome, Sandy Lender,