Thought I'd piggy-back on Linda Thorne's post about titles.
When I first started my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries, I thought I'd keep the titles to 2 words: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen,Unequally Yoked, then I went to one word, Intervention, followed by Wingbeat.
I began to realize that it was more important to use a title that somehow fit the books. Sometimes I know what the title will be before I begin. At others, I don't have a clue until I'm all done.
Because the Tempe books often center on or have some native legend or mystique in them, I've used part of a quote from an American Indian for a title. That's where I got the title for the next on due out in August--Seldom Traveled.
A couple of books I've had to ask my critique group for suggestions for titles, and received just the perfect one.
Someone gave me the title, Murder in the Worst Degree. I thought it was great, wrote the next book in the Rocky Bluff series planning to use the title, but it wasn't until the last two chapters did I realize how it fit the story.
My latest in that series, A Crushing Death was easy because it is the way someone dies. And the idea for the murder came from a fellow mystery writer.
The book I'm working on now, I have no clue about what the title should be--yet.
Marilyn
5 comments:
I think writing titles is fun, and easy, but then comparing my situation to yours is like comparing apples to oranges. I had a great time creating the title to my first book and also the title to my second book (a work-in-progress). In your case though, you haven't needed to give titles to a measly few but to a multitude of books, and you're still putting them out regularly. I think you've done a good job with all your book titles, but I can certainly understand if you don't always find it as easy as I have.
Sometimes it's easy and sometimes not.
Titles are so important and I found that I gave my earlier novels titles that were too serious for books with humor. Your titles always seem to fit well, like a hand in a glove, Marilyn.
Ah, Jean, thank you!
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