If I had to give any advice, you can have a main character and periodically switch between perspectives. Idk, if you anything to read for help then Overlord is a good example of this.
A lot of people like to switch between character perspectives, but if you do that in the middle of chapter, then it can be pretty jarring for the reader unless the switch is after a clear, closing scene. Personally, I recommend third person perspective because you can give and hide as much information as you please. You can describe any character's emotions, actions, thoughts, anxieties, pain, etc to any extent that you want. I would love a video about this as well because I am currently writing a project that focuses on 13 different characters and 4 of them are involved in romances, two of them involves a one-sided crush, and it's difficult to balance the focus and I would really like to learn more about that.
Tips from me: 1) write out your story in 3rd person and introduce your characters slowly showing at least one thing unique about each of them (doesn’t even have to be the most unique thing just something that shows that their personality is different from the next) 2) now that you have the story figured out roughly write it out in each of your characters POV because it’s easier to focus on one character at a time (for example if 10 characters are in the same room with 5 different conversations you can make one character saying their POV and focus on the one person they’re talking to) 3) Put the most important POVs together and give them a whole chapter dedicated to their POV. Title their name in the Chapter too so it’s easier on who’s talking. That’s just what I would do 😉
One thing you should probably do - which Vivien already said- is switching between them in a narrative exciting way, like when one of two characters gets drowned in the ocean for example, switch quickly to the other character making very exciting. (sorry I'm late btw :(
Hi. You're videos always help me. I always turn to you when I'm stuck. Do you think you can do a video on how to break the writer's block if you haven't already done so? Thanks so much.
Awesome tips! Titling is almost as hard as naming important characters and places. I *thought* I had a solid one, but then more books came out. And [Noun] and [Noun] sounds like about 80% of YA fantasies out there... So, back to the drawing board.
I usually have a lot of trouble making book titles for when I post on Wattpad and Quotev. I have recently created a series? where I want all of the titles to match. I've recently thought of calling the books "One of Fangs", "One of Runt(s)", "One of Spells", and "One of Gift(s)" (Maybe). I am making it a fantasy series in my own world. The first one obviously has vampires in it, the second obviously has werewolves in it, the thrid obviously has witches in it, but the fourth I am having trouble with as the main character is human. I will try using your tips to see how to title my books!
One minute into the video the perfect title popped into my head. Easy to pronounce, conveys something, sounds genre-appropriate, and doesn't come up in the search engine.
It's also cool to see that you mention the Easter eggs idea. I actually titled mine first, then added the Easter egg in after I had gone through it. I love finding the Easter eggs in books
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - a mesmerizing title and a cute little something to find within the pages of the book!! Endlessly grateful to Laini Taylor for including it in the book!)) Great video and thanks for the tips
I really like you're content :) Also... I'd like to know a little about character building and descriptions, because I'm describing them shortly like: "... then the old man enters the room, his cold eyes and little grace highlight the folds of his skin, but his walk shows a man determined to live...", I mean is not Macbeth and just serves as an example, help please. I may point out that I find your tips very useful.
I would describe his gate first, with more detail. As he enters the scene walking, it would naturally be the first thing you notice. Then go into depth describing his other features, maybe waiting to describe his eyes until he looks at someone or they twinkle with vivacity.
I began writing my first book not too long ago, and was having a hard time thinking of a name for it. Yesterday a sudden thought came to mind as a possible title: "A Paw Upon the World". Without any other hints, what does this title make you think the story might be about?
I like more ambiguous titles, like in A Song of Ice and Fire books or Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series (The Shadow of the Torturer etc.) Wilbur Smith's novels also have some great names such as Birds of Prey, River God, Shout at the Devil or The Angels Weep.
I've spent eight months debating the title of my WIP, and I still haven't come across the perfect title. I think it's important that it's relevant to the story and that the author takes the time to research the title, as you mentioned. I tried searching for Catcher, but it wasn't until I put in the author's name that I was able to find it because of how much that word is used, for an example.
I always like the title Spice & Wolf. While the wolf part is quite obvious, spice being a reference to a story told within the story about how travels/adventures/experiences are the "spices of life" is rather charming.
Harlan Ellison had some great ones. Shattered Like a Glass Goblin The Whimper of Whipped Dogs The Beast That Shouted Love at The Heart of The World and of course... I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
I Am Legend is another one I dig a lot. It sounds kinda cool but once you read the last three words of the story which are "I am legend", it brings everything together in such a dark and beautiful way. That story would be great with any other name but Matheson branded it so perfectly that it brought that story to another level with that title.
I’m struggling for a title for my trilogy, but the first book of said trilogy has the subtitle “Mother’s Vision”. The first chapter is called “The Vision”. Does having the first chapter title being so similar to the subtitle cause a problem? Too “on the nose” maybe?
My book is similar to transformers the movies and the cartoons but not too much. There are many twists in my my book which makes it different from the movies and the cartoons and I have different transformers in my book as well but I’m not sure what my title should be. I have lots of ideas but my 2 main ideas are stingformers or Transtingers. I would appreciate it if people could tell me what they think and if anyone has any suggestions then reply to this comment and let me know what they are.
I might call my book (that I am in the mids of writing) The Aurora Project. Does it spark interest? Can you guess the genre? It is ment to be a mysterious title you wonder why it’s called that but find out half way through the book.
The title sounds really nice! It kinda sounds like a Sci-fi horror genre.Correct me if I’m wrong though! The title sparks interest for me at least.Keep up the good work :)
DarkBiDemon ._. Omg your right it’s sci-if and abit of horror! Tysm I am going to be posting the first chapter soon if ur interested on Wattpad my @ is @MaladaptiveStories, have a great day! :))
My first ever book I ever wrote was really bad I was only young when I wrote it, it’s the first time I got my phone and I wrote on notes it was about a war and the dad died but the son went on with his job and his wife was kidnapped and there was a note on the baby’s crib saying “G” and the son said the Germans kidnapped her so he went to the Germans place and there was a blimp nearly flying away so the son jumped on the blimp and there was the wife stuck in the cage and there was the general German and he shot the sons arm but the son threw him out the window and the son saved the wife and they lived happily ever after 😂 I’m good at thinking of story’s now
I have a big problem. One of my books was going to be written in english but i changed it to my native language, and now i'm stuck with this title "Two sides of mad". It goes with the plot and what the story is about but it doesn't translate well into the other language and it frustrates me so much because i love the title
Some of my favourite book titles: All the Light We Cannot See A Thousand Splendid Suns Till We Have Faces The Once and Future King The Remains of the Day
My main tip: have the title related to the plot in some way, be it the setting or an important object. Just don't give away too much of the story through it.
Thank you so much Vivian for being one of my biggest inspirations. I’m only 14 and I’m half way through my book(kinda) and you’ve helped me through. Thank you for everything. - Nora
What do you think about the books that their titles are the name of their main character? Like the one from the Lunar Chronicals (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter)
Alicia Huarcaya I think The Lunar Chronicles works well because the characters’ names are unusual (for example, before I picked up Cinder, I didn’t even know it was her name; it just sounded like a cool title on its own).
I think it only works if the reason your character has that name is a specific plot point, or it's a name so iconic that everyone already knows who your character is and that's what's bringing them in, like Sherlock Holmes or something
I love the name The Elysian Prophecy! I get what you meant by the word "prophecy" being a trope in the title, but to me the overall title is very alluring!
My book is titled Valor and it’s a word used TONS in medieval texts, which definitely inspired me! If you want to hear more about my book and my title, please come on over to my channel, I post editing vlogs every week!
One of my favourite Easter egg-title was “When dogs cry” by Markus Zusac. I was so confused why it was called that while reading it and suddenly I was just like OH I FOUND IT
"A Daughter's Revenge". The title of my first Fantasy novel in a series. Adria has to avenge the death of her mother at the hands of a vampire. However, the vampire is possessed by Dark Power that is the counterpart of her deity, "the Light". What do you think? I chose A Daughter's Revenge because, primarily, it is about her avenging her mother's death. But it is also about her relationship with her sisters, Anastasia and Celestina. Plus, there is a romantic subplot as well, with a blacksmith named Adorian. :).
K like is this rude but?? I was published as a preteen and I'm working on my next novel at the age of 13 called 'Brave one' and its about an illegal (due to religion) relationship between the future leader (Anya) of an Indian tribe with a Bengali tiger and a prophecy that explains there unique bond and the reason to her mother's absence, so what I'm saying is I'd like to help out in a sense by giving your book a read but what I want to know is what makes it different because I see books with similar ideas quite alot, best of look :)
I had a list of titles swirling around in my head that I liked but couldn't decide on just one, so I made a poll on Goodreads in a group that has mostly my target audience and one of them was overwhelmingly voted the victor, so that's my title rn.
I really like it when titles are telling you to do something. Especially with Harlan Coben's titles: Hold Tight, Stay Close, Promise Me, Play Dead, Tell No One, Don't Let Go, etc. It basically tells me that there is a sense of urgency within the pages. Also, alliteration, assonance, and consonance. Gone Girl, The Great Gatsby, Peter Pan. Something about the alliteration of titles making the book more memorable and make me more likely to read it. With that being said, the title of the novel I've been working on for a while is Hurry Home. It utilizes both suggestions that I mentioned. It's alliterative and instills a sense of urgency.
I hate titling things! The novel I'm working on right now is pretty much the only one for which a cool title appeared early on. On all my other WIPS, the working title is just the name of the protagonist. I'd recommend that for people like me who can spend whole days worrying about not having a title - it saves getting stuck in the linguistic mud over something that would probably change later anyway! Titles that = phrases from the book are super cool :) Love the idea of asking beta readers for their favourite quotes.
I think phrases drawn from the book itself can actually be great for this! Often the reason they resonate is because they touch on a key theme. In general, titles that draw out the theme definitely work.
The Northern Frontier (work name I put down just so I can have a name of it)... does it sound bad :( ? I am paranoid every single time I name something hence why I name some characters or places at the end.
Crepuscule, eventide, gloaming, dim, afterlight, halflight, nightfall. I found most of these is the thesaurus. 😎 Except crepuscule (that's the name of a rose outside my front door. 😁)
Hey, I have a question, I really have a title that seems like suit for my story but I'm stressed of how long the title would sounds. The story would be called The faithful life of a decent being Please tell me if i'm not overdo it
My working titles tend to be just 'MC's Story'. Wicca's Story, Ferelith's Story, Alissa's Story, etc. This way I have something to call my novel until I think of a title, and I won't get attached to it because, well, just think about publishing your novel with that title. No thank you! Now I have a few titles for my novels. Some are maybe temporary or just options.
My book is about two kids (12 and 11 year old) who get put in a different and difficult time every 24 hrs for a hour and they have to find out why this is happening while trying to survive (they can’t remember any of this when they go back to their normal time) the hour, I have no idea how to name it I’m only twelve years old and have just started writing so my ideas might not be the best yet, I’m just trying. I don’t have any idea what to name it
“Devouring Grey.” “The green we see.” “The Dead Sea.” “The living ones.” “The emptiness in their eyes.” “Charted Ones.” “The decay in us.” “A putrid waste.” “A grunge to the finish.” Just some idea for you if you if you aren’t happy with the dead ones. 😊. Good luck!
I keep a list of title ideas that come to me on Google Sheets so I can access it anywhere, anytime. More often than not my title, or working title is a few words that hint at the theme of the book in a mysterious way or words that invoke curiosity like you said. Thanks for the affirmation. :D
Picture a book cover with a young girl with long curly purple hair. Large purple wings are coming out of her back. Behind her is a crystal castle. In her hand is a ball of swirling purple magic. Now imagine above her it says “the starling” what do you think the book is about, and how do you think that title sounds?
Too much purple, but the title is good. Maybe stick with the purple hair but use different shades of blue or grey for the rest. (That way it’s close to purple, but not too much).
a title that is short yet has multiple meanings - entendres - shows cleverness and is memorable. "Schitt's Creek" and "Easy A" come to mind, although those are movie titles I believe
Another good tip if you have a tentative title is to ask people what they think it's about, before they know the context. For example, I recently wrote a fantasy book for which "Heart and Soul" was a great title given the story, until I realized that without context it sounded like a really trite romance novel. I asked a friend, and "romance novel?" where the first words out of her mouth. Back to square one for me! ^^ But eventually if you brainstorm like Vivien said, something good will bubble up to the surface.
I am 15 and me and my buddy are working towards an awesome Japanese Action book series. One of the biggest problems we had was a cool name for our book. But after watching your Video, we managed to solve our biggest problems. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!
Even with all that you said I know I'm going to have such a difficult time naming any of my finished stories. For now I'm stuck with far too many vague working titles, and those just won't do. I'm expecting a full mental meltdown when it's time to find a permanent name, lol. Great vid. **hugs**
I think you're wrong Vivien. The Elysian Prophecy is a great name for your novel. What I do is find a title then write a book around it. :) I watched a UA-cam video about the Cascadia Fault just West of Washington state. The Geologist said that when the fault slips and causes an earthquake it is called "A Mega Thrust". This is the name of my wip. Years ago I was watching another documentary on space. The scientist said that to measure how fast the universe is moving you need to find a Super Nova, they call this a "Standard Candle". I loved that name so much that I wrote a novel about it. :) One person who, I think does the best at naming her novels is Natalia Leigh. "High Born" and "The song of the Dryad" are such powerful titles that just those titles make you want to read the books.
Lol, the book that my friends and I wrote is called “The Unfortunate Dog Life of Maxwell Foxhound” and I think that it’s a great title because of the word “unfortunate”. It makes it more… interesting, I guess? Because, you’re probably going to be wondering, “What’s so unfortunate about Maxwell’s life?”.
What about making sure it’s different? I wrote two time travel novels writ with names like “Guess what year it is Today!” I didn’t put a broken clock on the cover.
I'm considering a title for my book that contains a Spanish word. I think if I have an English title below it this may work. So, here it is..."The Venus Dorada" on the top line and "ANZA BORREGO below the photo of the massive desert. I may even use "LA Venus Dorada" which sounds more exotic...and, of course, it is the title of the lost prized possession of a stolen painting that feels like a character in the story.
Not sure whether anyone has mentioned this, and it may not be very common, but the title of a published work can change. Some years ago I was recommended a book called Cross Stitch, which is now known as...Outlander.😎 Just a thought.
The title of my book is "The Lost Thimble". I'm very fond of that one. It's a play on Toy Story using Monopoly pieces. An original thimble piece gets stolen and ends up being sold on e-bay for an obscene about of money. The other pieces band together to buy their friend back and all sorts of shenanigans ensue.
I like expressions that are not very cliche but are simple enough to encapsulate some theme of your book. Think of Gone with the Wind. Think of A Confederacy of Dunces.. think of Terms of Endearment. Think of hold me tight.
I don’t know what genre to put my book in.. It’s about a wolf pack, kind of like Warriors and wings of fire (both series I love) but books about wolves are usually about werewolves.. so what genre do you think?
My book’s about some kids who get kidnapped, escape, but get lost, then survive in the wilderness, starting their own little village. I don’t know what the fuck to name it, it’s so hard! It’s coming along great!
would you give different or completely different advice for a bibliography? finding it hard to find information on these particularly, as that's what I am writing.
A good way to name a book if not fantasy is too a short phrase from the Bible or an book, ie: the sound and the fury Shakespeare's Macbeth, the sun also rises Ecclesiastes bible
Great video! This channel is perfect for beginning writers, and videos like these never disappoint. Seriously, you deserve WAY more subscribers! I came across your channel when I was first developing my novel series, and your tips were so helpful, I have recently created a character named Vivien in tribute to you. I hope you do well with your future novels and projects, as well as live your life the very best!
Can you do a video on how to write a novel which focuses on a lot of characters? And give tips on how to focus on each character etc
If I had to give any advice, you can have a main character and periodically switch between perspectives.
Idk, if you anything to read for help then Overlord is a good example of this.
A lot of people like to switch between character perspectives, but if you do that in the middle of chapter, then it can be pretty jarring for the reader unless the switch is after a clear, closing scene.
Personally, I recommend third person perspective because you can give and hide as much information as you please. You can describe any character's emotions, actions, thoughts, anxieties, pain, etc to any extent that you want.
I would love a video about this as well because I am currently writing a project that focuses on 13 different characters and 4 of them are involved in romances, two of them involves a one-sided crush, and it's difficult to balance the focus and I would really like to learn more about that.
Tips from me:
1) write out your story in 3rd person and introduce your characters slowly showing at least one thing unique about each of them (doesn’t even have to be the most unique thing just something that shows that their personality is different from the next)
2) now that you have the story figured out roughly write it out in each of your characters POV because it’s easier to focus on one character at a time (for example if 10 characters are in the same room with 5 different conversations you can make one character saying their POV and focus on the one person they’re talking to)
3) Put the most important POVs together and give them a whole chapter dedicated to their POV. Title their name in the Chapter too so it’s easier on who’s talking.
That’s just what I would do 😉
Stevie Jason Jones read War and Peace
One thing you should probably do - which Vivien already said- is switching between them in a narrative exciting way, like when one of two characters gets drowned in the ocean for example, switch quickly to the other character making very exciting.
(sorry I'm late btw :(
"of the"
"and the"
So overused. We have to do better. Just saying. Its the hardest part of writing my novel debut.
Hi. You're videos always help me. I always turn to you when I'm stuck. Do you think you can do a video on how to break the writer's block if you haven't already done so? Thanks so much.
Awesome tips! Titling is almost as hard as naming important characters and places.
I *thought* I had a solid one, but then more books came out. And [Noun] and [Noun] sounds like about 80% of YA fantasies out there...
So, back to the drawing board.
Morgan Hazelwood Same. My current title is just too close to something that’s currently being adapted, so it’s everywhere.
Hugs! Best of luck finding a more standout title!
Morgan Hazelwood Thanks! I think I’ve settled on “A Blue as Dark as Midnight.”
I usually have a lot of trouble making book titles for when I post on Wattpad and Quotev. I have recently created a series? where I want all of the titles to match. I've recently thought of calling the books "One of Fangs", "One of Runt(s)", "One of Spells", and "One of Gift(s)" (Maybe).
I am making it a fantasy series in my own world. The first one obviously has vampires in it, the second obviously has werewolves in it, the thrid obviously has witches in it, but the fourth I am having trouble with as the main character is human.
I will try using your tips to see how to title my books!
Hi Vivien! I'd really love to see you do a video on how to keep originality. How to know if our stories are original enough and not overdone.
Wonder and Catching Fire had those Easter egg thingies
One minute into the video the perfect title popped into my head. Easy to pronounce, conveys something, sounds genre-appropriate, and doesn't come up in the search engine.
It's also cool to see that you mention the Easter eggs idea. I actually titled mine first, then added the Easter egg in after I had gone through it. I love finding the Easter eggs in books
I love "and soon will come soft rains" as a title, also as a story
Thanks for sharing this. I am so hung up on titling my work. I am going to check out pickfu to help with a title crisis
Thank you for the tips. My current working title sounds cool but it doesn't really fit with the story, and I haven't been able to think of any others.
Questions:
Can you end an unfinished draft?
Can you have multiple drafts open at the same time?
Steadfast by Claudia Gray. Steadfast is used in the book as a power up for witches.
Tip: short and to the point
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - a mesmerizing title and a cute little something to find within the pages of the book!! Endlessly grateful to Laini Taylor for including it in the book!)) Great video and thanks for the tips
Somehow I don't like the thought of writers looking up bestsellers as an orientation. The endresult may be a flood of similar titled books. 5:05 min
I really like you're content :)
Also... I'd like to know a little about character building and descriptions, because I'm describing them shortly like: "... then the old man enters the room, his cold eyes and little grace highlight the folds of his skin, but his walk shows a man determined to live...", I mean is not Macbeth and just serves as an example, help please.
I may point out that I find your tips very useful.
I would describe his gate first, with more detail. As he enters the scene walking, it would naturally be the first thing you notice. Then go into depth describing his other features, maybe waiting to describe his eyes until he looks at someone or they twinkle with vivacity.
Thanks Vivian! This helps a lot 😊😊
Maybe a video on the benefits and drawbacks of self publishing.
I began writing my first book not too long ago, and was having a hard time thinking of a name for it. Yesterday a sudden thought came to mind as a possible title: "A Paw Upon the World". Without any other hints, what does this title make you think the story might be about?
A dog's tale.
I like more ambiguous titles, like in A Song of Ice and Fire books or Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series (The Shadow of the Torturer etc.) Wilbur Smith's novels also have some great names such as Birds of Prey, River God, Shout at the Devil or The Angels Weep.
I've spent eight months debating the title of my WIP, and I still haven't come across the perfect title. I think it's important that it's relevant to the story and that the author takes the time to research the title, as you mentioned. I tried searching for Catcher, but it wasn't until I put in the author's name that I was able to find it because of how much that word is used, for an example.
I always like the title Spice & Wolf. While the wolf part is quite obvious, spice being a reference to a story told within the story about how travels/adventures/experiences are the "spices of life" is rather charming.
Harlan Ellison had some great ones.
Shattered Like a Glass Goblin
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs
The Beast That Shouted Love at The Heart of The World
and of course...
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
I Am Legend is another one I dig a lot. It sounds kinda cool but once you read the last three words of the story which are "I am legend", it brings everything together in such a dark and beautiful way.
That story would be great with any other name but Matheson branded it so perfectly that it brought that story to another level with that title.
I have written my first book with the title "Glory of the Emperor" wich is a little generic, but I think it perfectly summarizes it.
I’m struggling for a title for my trilogy, but the first book of said trilogy has the subtitle “Mother’s Vision”. The first chapter is called “The Vision”. Does having the first chapter title being so similar to the subtitle cause a problem? Too “on the nose” maybe?
My book is similar to transformers the movies and the cartoons but not too much. There are many twists in my my book which makes it different from the movies and the cartoons and I have different transformers in my book as well but I’m not sure what my title should be. I have lots of ideas but my 2 main ideas are stingformers or Transtingers. I would appreciate it if people could tell me what they think and if anyone has any suggestions then reply to this comment and let me know what they are.
I might call my book (that I am in the mids of writing) The Aurora Project. Does it spark interest? Can you guess the genre? It is ment to be a mysterious title you wonder why it’s called that but find out half way through the book.
The title sounds really nice! It kinda sounds like a Sci-fi horror genre.Correct me if I’m wrong though! The title sparks interest for me at least.Keep up the good work :)
DarkBiDemon ._. Omg your right it’s sci-if and abit of horror! Tysm I am going to be posting the first chapter soon if ur interested on Wattpad my @ is @MaladaptiveStories, have a great day! :))
Yes I got it right! And I’ll make sure to check it out!
I think the opposite sounds better, "Project Aurora". Though it might depend on how the story is told.
How wod you decide on a title for a collection of short stories?
My first ever book I ever wrote was really bad I was only young when I wrote it, it’s the first time I got my phone and I wrote on notes it was about a war and the dad died but the son went on with his job and his wife was kidnapped and there was a note on the baby’s crib saying “G” and the son said the Germans kidnapped her so he went to the Germans place and there was a blimp nearly flying away so the son jumped on the blimp and there was the wife stuck in the cage and there was the general German and he shot the sons arm but the son threw him out the window and the son saved the wife and they lived happily ever after 😂 I’m good at thinking of story’s now
Curious: how long is too long? And do you have special tips for poetry books?
I know some people try to keep it short and sweet, but length wise, it can be long if its not a mouth full
I have a big problem. One of my books was going to be written in english but i changed it to my native language, and now i'm stuck with this title "Two sides of mad". It goes with the plot and what the story is about but it doesn't translate well into the other language and it frustrates me so much because i love the title
do these tips still count if your writing a youtube series? I've been looking for one of those videos but can't find anything!!
What bout a spin off of a jurassic novel ??? For title ??
My book is called The Scarlet Virus: Rise of the Brightfire's
The name Missing is that to common? I don't know if it will work. The book is about a young girl who's mom went missing.
twilight
Is this a good title? Arcane Jackson and the secrets of the cave
A book title I really like is ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ A question or statement that makes someone think is bound to get attention.
That's a Nice Title 👍🏾
Where can I read your book? It sounds interesting.
@@alicekara4662 It's not his but he has good taste. It's by Philip K. Dick and it's the book that the Bladerunner movies are based on.
Some of my favourite book titles:
All the Light We Cannot See
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Till We Have Faces
The Once and Future King
The Remains of the Day
All the Light We Cannot See is one the greatest books of the 21st century! Nice list
Ayyy All the Light We Cannot See is my favourite book! Its so cool seeing that other people know it
I would love to also hear your thoughts on words or ideas that should be avoided when titling a book.
My main tip: have the title related to the plot in some way, be it the setting or an important object. Just don't give away too much of the story through it.
What if it's a book of short stories?
@@namelesssoul104 find themes that connect all of them, or a general mood
Thank you so much Vivian for being one of my biggest inspirations. I’m only 14 and I’m half way through my book(kinda) and you’ve helped me through. Thank you for everything.
- Nora
What do you think about the books that their titles are the name of their main character? Like the one from the Lunar Chronicals (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter)
Alicia Huarcaya I think The Lunar Chronicles works well because the characters’ names are unusual (for example, before I picked up Cinder, I didn’t even know it was her name; it just sounded like a cool title on its own).
Agreed! If they were more common I don't think it would work as well.
Samantha Jensen true...but i still think it can ve a little risky to use those names if you are a new author... 🤔
I think it only works if the reason your character has that name is a specific plot point, or it's a name so iconic that everyone already knows who your character is and that's what's bringing them in, like Sherlock Holmes or something
I try to stay away from books named after the main character. I don’t m ow why.
I love the name The Elysian Prophecy! I get what you meant by the word "prophecy" being a trope in the title, but to me the overall title is very alluring!
I titled my book “The Unkindness of Pen Lune”. I’m very happy with it, and i love the plot and everything about it
That sounds really good. Any updates? I wanna check it out.
Yeah that sounds great is it ready to read yet?
what's it about? it sounds good :D
I‘m thinking about naming my book: „Golden Thorns“, what do you guys think? And I’d be curious to know what you think the setting is like haha
If I saw that title on a shelf, I'd pick it up immediately.
I think thats Unique
ooh sounds cool what’s it (going to be?) about?
I’d it released?
The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite book title 🥺
Same
My book is titled Valor and it’s a word used TONS in medieval texts, which definitely inspired me! If you want to hear more about my book and my title, please come on over to my channel, I post editing vlogs every week!
One of my favourite Easter egg-title was “When dogs cry” by Markus Zusac.
I was so confused why it was called that while reading it and suddenly I was just like OH I FOUND IT
"A Daughter's Revenge". The title of my first Fantasy novel in a series. Adria has to avenge the death of her mother at the hands of a vampire. However, the vampire is possessed by Dark Power that is the counterpart of her deity, "the Light". What do you think? I chose A Daughter's Revenge because, primarily, it is about her avenging her mother's death. But it is also about her relationship with her sisters, Anastasia and Celestina. Plus, there is a romantic subplot as well, with a blacksmith named Adorian. :).
I'd say it's cool
I legit want to read your book now!
Thank you. :).
It's almost ready. :).
K like is this rude but?? I was published as a preteen and I'm working on my next novel at the age of 13 called 'Brave one' and its about an illegal (due to religion) relationship between the future leader (Anya) of an Indian tribe with a Bengali tiger and a prophecy that explains there unique bond and the reason to her mother's absence, so what I'm saying is I'd like to help out in a sense by giving your book a read but what I want to know is what makes it different because I see books with similar ideas quite alot, best of look :)
For anyone going the traditional publishing route, the publisher will change the name of your book, anyway. That takes some of the pressure off! :)
I just wrote a story called “Fabulously Yours” & that’s how the (gay) protagonist closes a letter he writes to his homophobic mother
It's actually a very good title.
Why don't you expand it to a novel?
Oren Elbaz Thanks. I’ll try.
I would read it!
ripmikaella I’ll definitely publish it someday. Either as an expanded novel or part of a short story collection. So...keep an eye out. :)
If you do, LET US KNOW HERE!! I would read the hecc out of that wherever you put it! :D
I had a list of titles swirling around in my head that I liked but couldn't decide on just one, so I made a poll on Goodreads in a group that has mostly my target audience and one of them was overwhelmingly voted the victor, so that's my title rn.
Ohh, good tip!
I really like it when titles are telling you to do something. Especially with Harlan Coben's titles: Hold Tight, Stay Close, Promise Me, Play Dead, Tell No One, Don't Let Go, etc. It basically tells me that there is a sense of urgency within the pages.
Also, alliteration, assonance, and consonance. Gone Girl, The Great Gatsby, Peter Pan. Something about the alliteration of titles making the book more memorable and make me more likely to read it.
With that being said, the title of the novel I've been working on for a while is Hurry Home. It utilizes both suggestions that I mentioned. It's alliterative and instills a sense of urgency.
A title is so exciting, and sooo important. So it is somewhat daunting.
I second guess a lot.
Great tips! So excited about your Podcast.
#HappyWriting
I love the Easter egg one. That’s how I got my main working title for my novel. :)
Same here!
Quick Question what Genre is a American solder who is a werewolf fighting Supernatural monsters would that be Urban fantasy?
I hate titling things! The novel I'm working on right now is pretty much the only one for which a cool title appeared early on. On all my other WIPS, the working title is just the name of the protagonist. I'd recommend that for people like me who can spend whole days worrying about not having a title - it saves getting stuck in the linguistic mud over something that would probably change later anyway!
Titles that = phrases from the book are super cool :) Love the idea of asking beta readers for their favourite quotes.
How about a title playing off a major theme in your novel?
I think phrases drawn from the book itself can actually be great for this! Often the reason they resonate is because they touch on a key theme. In general, titles that draw out the theme definitely work.
The Northern Frontier (work name I put down just so I can have a name of it)... does it sound bad :( ? I am paranoid every single time I name something hence why I name some characters or places at the end.
I wanted to title mine "Twilight" because it has to do with the time between night and day but I can't because VAMPIRES.😡
u can name it The Twilight Sets
How about:
“The nights between Twilight skies.”
Or
“A day of night.”
“The twilight in our eyes.”
“Dawns under Twilight.”
Crepuscule, eventide, gloaming, dim, afterlight, halflight, nightfall.
I found most of these is the thesaurus. 😎 Except crepuscule (that's the name of a rose outside my front door. 😁)
Hey, I have a question, I really have a title that seems like suit for my story but I'm stressed of how long the title would sounds.
The story would be called
The faithful life of a decent being
Please tell me if i'm not overdo it
Sounds great to me. 😎
When you said words I like, I immediately thought “the tactile plinth” 😂
I like your Elysian Prophecy title! I haven't read your book yet, but your title makes me want to. Thanks for posting!
when you said the first tip I just immediately thought of "A Walk To Remember"
Great tips:) This video really helped to title my book which is The Gem of Portia. Your videos are so inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
My working titles tend to be just 'MC's Story'. Wicca's Story, Ferelith's Story, Alissa's Story, etc. This way I have something to call my novel until I think of a title, and I won't get attached to it because, well, just think about publishing your novel with that title. No thank you! Now I have a few titles for my novels. Some are maybe temporary or just options.
My book is about two kids (12 and 11 year old) who get put in a different and difficult time every 24 hrs for a hour and they have to find out why this is happening while trying to survive (they can’t remember any of this when they go back to their normal time) the hour, I have no idea how to name it
I’m only twelve years old and have just started writing so my ideas might not be the best yet, I’m just trying. I don’t have any idea what to name it
_An Hour a Day_?
If i made a Post apolactiptic - Zombie book, how should i title it?
EDIT: nvm, i just got one "The Dead Ones"
“Devouring Grey.”
“The green we see.”
“The Dead Sea.”
“The living ones.”
“The emptiness in their eyes.”
“Charted Ones.”
“The decay in us.”
“A putrid waste.”
“A grunge to the finish.”
Just some idea for you if you if you aren’t happy with the dead ones. 😊. Good luck!
Star Trek The Next Generation: Hearts and Minds. Hearts and Minds is used in the book.
I've been thinking about naming my book for the last two days! Vivien is reading my mind! Excited for this!
😄😄😄
My favorites are Glass Sword (by Victoria Aveyard) and The Saviors Champion (by Jenna Moreci)
I keep a list of title ideas that come to me on Google Sheets so I can access it anywhere, anytime. More often than not my title, or working title is a few words that hint at the theme of the book in a mysterious way or words that invoke curiosity like you said. Thanks for the affirmation. :D
Scary. Exciting. Emotional. Nerve-wracking.
Yup. The term 'book baby' is an apt one at that.
Picture a book cover with a young girl with long curly purple hair. Large purple wings are coming out of her back. Behind her is a crystal castle. In her hand is a ball of swirling purple magic. Now imagine above her it says “the starling” what do you think the book is about, and how do you think that title sounds?
Too much purple, but the title is good. Maybe stick with the purple hair but use different shades of blue or grey for the rest. (That way it’s close to purple, but not too much).
Aww videos just for me ;) lololol love your videos!
Im 15,
a title that is short yet has multiple meanings - entendres - shows cleverness and is memorable. "Schitt's Creek" and "Easy A" come to mind, although those are movie titles I believe
Another good tip if you have a tentative title is to ask people what they think it's about, before they know the context. For example, I recently wrote a fantasy book for which "Heart and Soul" was a great title given the story, until I realized that without context it sounded like a really trite romance novel. I asked a friend, and "romance novel?" where the first words out of her mouth. Back to square one for me! ^^
But eventually if you brainstorm like Vivien said, something good will bubble up to the surface.
I am 15 and me and my buddy are working towards an awesome Japanese Action book series. One of the biggest problems we had was a cool name for our book. But after watching your Video, we managed to solve our biggest problems. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!
Of Oaths and Honor is my title
Even with all that you said I know I'm going to have such a difficult time naming any of my finished stories. For now I'm stuck with far too many vague working titles, and those just won't do. I'm expecting a full mental meltdown when it's time to find a permanent name, lol. Great vid. **hugs**
"Unidentified" by Anna Hackett.
I think you're wrong Vivien. The Elysian Prophecy is a great name for your novel. What I do is find a title then write a book around it. :) I watched a UA-cam video about the Cascadia Fault just West of Washington state. The Geologist said that when the fault slips and causes an earthquake it is called "A Mega Thrust". This is the name of my wip. Years ago I was watching another documentary on space. The scientist said that to measure how fast the universe is moving you need to find a Super Nova, they call this a "Standard Candle". I loved that name so much that I wrote a novel about it. :) One person who, I think does the best at naming her novels is Natalia Leigh. "High Born" and "The song of the Dryad" are such powerful titles that just those titles make you want to read the books.
Thank you!! 💜💜💜
You love research, right?
:no.. hahahahha
how does "The Gods of Issopea" sound? it's a working title but I think it's pretty good.
Lol, the book that my friends and I wrote is called “The Unfortunate Dog Life of Maxwell Foxhound” and I think that it’s a great title because of the word “unfortunate”. It makes it more… interesting, I guess? Because, you’re probably going to be wondering, “What’s so unfortunate about Maxwell’s life?”.
What about making sure it’s different? I wrote two time travel novels writ with names like “Guess what year it is Today!” I didn’t put a broken clock on the cover.
I'm considering a title for my book that contains a Spanish word. I think if I have an English title below it this may work. So, here it is..."The Venus Dorada" on the top line and "ANZA BORREGO below the photo of the massive desert. I may even use "LA Venus Dorada" which sounds more exotic...and, of course, it is the title of the lost prized possession of a stolen painting that feels like a character in the story.
Not sure whether anyone has mentioned this, and it may not be very common, but the title of a published work can change. Some years ago I was recommended a book called Cross Stitch, which is now known as...Outlander.😎 Just a thought.
The title of my book is "The Lost Thimble". I'm very fond of that one. It's a play on Toy Story using Monopoly pieces. An original thimble piece gets stolen and ends up being sold on e-bay for an obscene about of money. The other pieces band together to buy their friend back and all sorts of shenanigans ensue.
I like expressions that are not very cliche but are simple enough to encapsulate some theme of your book. Think of Gone with the Wind. Think of A Confederacy of Dunces.. think of Terms of Endearment. Think of hold me tight.
I don’t know what genre to put my book in..
It’s about a wolf pack, kind of like Warriors and wings of fire (both series I love) but books about wolves are usually about werewolves.. so what genre do you think?
'The Color Purple' is a novel named after one little scene in the book that depicts the overall spirit of the book.
My book’s about some kids who get kidnapped, escape, but get lost, then survive in the wilderness, starting their own little village. I don’t know what the fuck to name it, it’s so hard! It’s coming along great!
I'm trying to make a book title that's unique. I thought of, "I Dreamt of You in the Sunflower Garden."
would you give different or completely different advice for a bibliography? finding it hard to find information on these particularly, as that's what I am writing.
This was awesome!! Thank you!!! Makes me feel more comfortable about titling my WIP!
I will kill every day, without batting my eyes even once. Never forget my red scarf.
A good way to name a book if not fantasy is too a short phrase from the Bible or an book, ie: the sound and the fury Shakespeare's Macbeth, the sun also rises Ecclesiastes bible
Great video! This channel is perfect for beginning writers, and videos like these never disappoint. Seriously, you deserve WAY more subscribers!
I came across your channel when I was first developing my novel series, and your tips were so helpful, I have recently created a character named Vivien in tribute to you. I hope you do well with your future novels and projects, as well as live your life the very best!
Oh my goodness that is so awesome! Thank you!!