Creating titles is something all writers have to tackle at some point, whether you do it before or after the story, whether you want to or not, whether you're good at it or not. Every baby has a name and every story has a title. And yes, some sound better than others.
I enjoy the process of coming up with story titles. I guess I do an okay job of it--I think my titles accomplish what I want, and that's to describe (at least to some degree) what the story's about or to make a reference to something in it. Having said that, I confess I'm not madly in love with some of my own titles. I do like a few of them--one was "The Early Death of Pinto Bishop," the title of a story I first published in a Canadian literary magazine and is still available (I think) at Untreed Reads. Others were "The Starlite Drive-In," "The Daisy Nelson Case," "Rhonda and Clyde," "A Surprise for Digger Wade," "Eight in the Corner," "Andy, Get Your Gun," "The Delta Princess," and a few more. I also liked "Take the Money and Ron," the title of a story about a robbery/kidnapping, but the editor chose to change that one. I wasn't thrilled about the substitute, but I happily took the money and ran (leaving Ron behind).
As for other writers' titles, there are many, many of those that I love. Some are classics that I would guess everyone likes: East of Eden, Gone with the Wind, Atlas Shrugged, The High and the Mighty, Double Indemnity, Back to the Future, etc.--that list is as long as a politician's nose.
My absolute favorites, though, are those I've listed below. Some are funny, some have double meanings or hidden meanings, some are just cool. All of them are titles I wish I myself had come up with.
NOTE: The titles of movies and books are in italics, short-story titles are in quotes, and movies have the release dates attached. There's a lot of overlap--some are movies adapted from novels or stories.
See if you remember these:
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia -- 1974
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot -- 2018
"The Perfect Time for the Perfect Crime" -- Edward D. Hoch
Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man -- Ed McBain
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun -- 1970
Here's Looking at Euclid -- Alex Bellos
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead -- 2007
"The Saints Go Stumbling On" -- Jack Ritchie
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- 2005
Tequila Mockingbird -- Tim Federie
"Lamb to the Slaughter" -- Roald Dahl
Don't Look Up -- 2021
Apocalypse Pretty Soon -- Alex Heard
Once Upon a Time in the West -- 1968
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl -- 2015
"The Kugelmaas Episode" -- Woody Allen
A Walk Among the Tombstones -- Lawrence Block
Shangai Noon -- 2000
Lie Down with Lions -- Ken Follett
"Mary Poppins Didn't Have Tattoos" -- Stacy Woodson
At Play in the Fields of the Lord -- 1991
A Big Hand for the Little Lady -- 1966
"The Last Rung on the Ladder" -- Stephen King
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" -- Ray Bradbury
The Devil at Four O'clock -- 1961
The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker -- Ron White
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead -- 1991
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai -- 1984
Midnight in the Garden of Evel Knievel -- Giles Smith
One-Eyed Jacks -- 1961
Shoot Low, Boys--They're Riding Shetland Ponies -- Lewis Grizzard
"Boo Radley College Prep" -- Karen Harrington
A Hearse of a Different Color -- Tim Cockey
How to Win Friends and Influenza -- Edward Kurtz
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? -- 1970
That's the kind of list an avid reader/moviegoer could update several times a day, and I probably will, but for now that's my best effort.
To wrap up this title wave . . . What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below (include your own titles, if you like).
And make your next title your best ever.
fun article, John. A favorite title is The Fashion in Shrouds. Of my own titles, I’m partial to Marmalade and Murder, the first in my Cranberry Country mysteries. (Marmalade is a cat.)
ReplyDeleteEdward Lodi
Good title, Edward. One of the things on the title checklist should be "appropriate," right?--and that one works.
DeleteThank you, as always, for stopping at SleuthSayers.
Cool article. All the titles you listed are good ones. I, myself, struggle with titles, usually coming up with them when the work is finished, or almost finshed. And sometimes, even then, I hate my titles.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the fitting title of your article is probably the coolest one.
Bob
Thanks, Bob. I too usually come up with my title after finishing the story or while it's in progress--seldom do I have one in mind when I start out. And I do dearly love double meanings, in a title. I also like those that sound mysterious, like Rain Man or Dances with Wolves, where the reader/viewer only finds out during the course of the story what it really means.
DeleteThanks again for the thoughts, my friend. Have a good weekend.
A gril my brother-in-law went to high school with always threatened to write a book titled HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE IN REDHEADS. I would not have minded reading that one had she ever written it.
DeleteMaybe she did, Jerry--you should check.
DeleteI think that title would definitely make the list.
I recognize a fair number of these. I struggle with titles, too; most of my stories go out under their second or third try. My favorite of my own--which my wife came up with after my cover designer and I had nixxed several others--was Oh Lord, Won't You Steal Me a Mercedes Benz.
ReplyDeleteHey Steve. I love that title! You owe your wife, for that one. Yep, some of the good titles seem to require several tries.
DeleteWhen putting together my list for this post, I resisted the urge to include titles like Snakes on a Plane, but if we're talking "interesting and appropriate," I gotta say that one was pretty good.
Thanks as always. Keep up the great writing!
Bad Day at Black Rock and Death in the Afternoon are two titles that always tickled my fancy.
ReplyDeleteDixon--Good to hear from you!
DeleteMan, how could I not have included Bad Day at Black Rock? And Death in the Afternoon too. (Alternate title, possibly, for The Devil at Four O'Clock? Just kiddin.)
I need to watch BDABR again sometime. One of the true classics. I've even seen it billed as a Western, which it's not.
Thanks so much.
Great topic. I think my favorite titl of mine that got published was "Shooting at Firemen" because the event described (Rioters literally shooting at the people who were trying to prevent them from burning down their own homes) really summed up the events that my story was based on. My favorite titles I ever came up with were never used. 1 the novel Too Dead fFor Dreaming, from Mr. Tambourine Man, I couldn't get permission from Dylan's people so I went with Such A Killing Crime. And I wrote a story called "My Life As A Ghost" which was the first story AHMM ever purchased - but they called it "The Dear Departed." In both cases the title gave me the idea for the story!
ReplyDeleteRob, "Shooting at Firemen" is one of those ideal, mysterious titles that makes you want to read the story just to find out what it means. Those, when they pop into the writer's head, are pure gold.
DeleteI too have run into trouble with "lyric" titles, in terms of getting permission--but I have to say, I think "Such a Killing Crime" probably worked just as well for you. I also love "My Life as a Ghost."
As for other people's titles, the first that comes to mind is G.M.Ford's Who The Hell is Wanda Fuca? This may not make much sense if you don't live in the Pacific Northwest, near the body of water called the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Also Roddy Doyle's The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, You mentioned one of Larry Block's Scudder novels. Most of those are great: A Drop of the Hard Stuff, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, Eight Million Ways to Die....
ReplyDeleteI remember reading the Ford book, Rob, years ago, and I also remember how delighted I was to find out what the title meant! And yes, many of Lawrence Block's titles were great, including some of his Bernie Rhodenbarrs--the one that comes first to mind, for me, is Burglars Can't be Choosers. Love those!
DeleteLove this post, John. You covered many that intrigued me. One of my favorite titles was The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing. Loved both the book and the movie. Oh just thought of another, Support Your Local Gunfighter.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my titles go: Terror on the Turnpike, Caught, and Kindling a Flame in the Dark which was changed to Kept in the Dark. Both worked but it was a romance so I thought my title worked better.
Pat, I too always thought my original titles worked better than the ones that were changed! I guess anyone who hasn't yet had a title changed just hasn't been writing fiction long enough. I love Kindling a Flame in the Dark.
DeleteTruth is, both Cat Dancing and Support Your Local Sheriff were on my list when I started writing this post, but I wound up having to trim it down to an almost-reasonable length. Lots of great titles out there.
Hi John - I was told by many fantasy readers that they picked up my first book, Rowena Through the Wall, because they were intrigued by the title. It actually said what was going to happen in the book, and they liked that. So I've made a point of trying to say something about the content of the book in the title. My 17th book (out this May) is The Merry Widow Murders - pretty clear that it's a whodunit, and rather upbeat, with "merry" in the title! What I've been told to by my publishers is to avoid one-name titles, like Legacy. So many books out with just that title, and you can't tell if it's crime or historical drama or romance or epic fantasy...
ReplyDeleteGood point, Melodie. One thing I've noticed about certain authors' titles (Lee Child is one of them) is that they sometimes don't seem to point to the content at all, or are so short and vague that afterward I can't remember exactly, from its title, what the book was about. Doesn't keep me from reading and enjoying his stories, but it's something we should be conscious of. And yes, Rowena Through the Wall is great! Thanks for the thoughts!
DeleteThanks so much for the mention. This made my day! Titles are so much fun. (Love how you titled the Sleuthsayers piece, too.) I discovered The Mary Poppins title after writing a snippet of dialogue. Sometimes I know the titles before I start. But often the best titles (for me) come after the story is finished.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Stacy. And sometimes I'll have a title in mind before I start and it'll change as I'm writing, or after I'm done. Some of my stories have been saved under three or four different titles before I'm finished. Another quirk of mine is I don't like for any two of my story titles to look too much alike, so that goes into my thinking process too.
DeleteThe Mary Poppins title will always be one of my favorites. How could someone who's seen that title not want to read the story??
Hi John, Some of my favorites are: Farewell to Arms, From Here to Eternity, Cybill Disobedience (Cybill Shepherd's autobiography) Cheers, Mary Jo
ReplyDeleteMary Jo, I can honestly tell you I had those first two in my list also, before all the whittling down began. As for Cybill Disobedience, I love it!! I hadn't heard of it before. Any good play on words is a winner, to me. Thanks!
DeleteI hate coming up with titles. Usually. Sometimes they leap into my mind, but when I have to work for them... Head banging against a wall time. Steve - can I ask your wife to help me out occasionally?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, God's Chinese Son, Funerals are Fatal
Eve, maybe we can put Steve's wife on speed dial. I could use some help also.
DeleteSeance on a Wet Afternoon is one the greatest titles ever, one I knew but had forgotten about. The movie even had a good, and really weird, theme, by John Barry. (I have way too much trivia in my head . . .)
I'd never heard of Funerals Are Fatal, but I like that one too.
Funerals are Fatal is one of my favorite Agatha Christie mysteries. Seriously good.
ReplyDeleteI thought I knew all of those. Thanks, Eve.
DeleteOn the noir side, Shoot the Piano Player (book and movie). On the cozy side, Jeff Cohen's A Farewell to Legs. And of my own titles, my first novel's, Death Will Get You Sober, stands out, though I'm also fond of a couple of the short story titles, "Death Will Tie Your Kangaroo Down" and "Death Will Fire Your Therapist."
ReplyDeleteI love the painful title "Shoot the Piano Player" (why have I not heard of that?). And I can certainly agree that death would fire your therapist. By the way, I've always thought your "Death Will" series was a great idea because of those instantly identifiable titles, as well as the fact that it contains great stories. Thanks, Liz!
DeleteI admit I also loved my other novel titled, Death Will Help You Leave Him, Death Will Extend Your Vacation, and Death Will Pay Your Debts. I was forced to change Death Will Improve Your Relationship, which told exactly what the book was about, on the grounds that it was too long to fit on an ebook cover. It became Death Will Save Your Life. It also shrank from a 70,000 word novel to a 20,000 word novella, which I must say was an improvement.
ReplyDeleteI think cutting 70K to 20K might be some kind of record--congratulations!
DeleteYes, I like all those titles of yours. Again, they're unique!
Favorite OPT (Other People's Titles): Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad; Who Is Harry Kemmelman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me; Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
ReplyDeleteFavorites of My Own: "The Cremains of the Day," "50," "The Defenestration of Prague"
Josh, I thought of the last two of your OPTs and didn't use them, but I'd forgotten about Oh Dad, Poor Dad. (The longer titles are sometimes the neatest, aren't they.)
DeleteHow about these two: (1) Can Heironymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness, and (2) Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? That probably should've been Who is Dreaming Up These Terrible Titles and Why Is He Doing It?
Love The Cremains of the Day. And I of course remember 50. You've come up with some good ones!
Me: Who is Harry Kemmelman?
DeleteJohn: Who is Harry Kellerman?
Me: Sunday the Writer Made a Boo-Boo.
No, I made the booboo--I saw that you'd mentioned that movie, then promptly forgot it and suggested it myself. I'm trying now to remember if I ever saw a longer title (at least a longer popular title) than Harry Kellerman and Heironymous Merkin. Anyhow, I like 'em both.
Delete