A Guide to Coming Up with Creative Titles
By Andrea Li
The title of an essay or book is always the first thing the reader will read, making it extremely important to come up with a catchy, creative title to draw the reader in. The title should make the reader want to know more! I think we have all been there, getting to the end of an essay and seeing the word “Title” centered at the top of the page. After all the work on the essay, we then have no idea what to put at the top to summarize our writing and give it a name. Here are two steps to help come up with a great title!
1. Brainstorm a list of possible ideas.
Write down all the titles that come to mind, regardless of whether they are good or not. It will be helpful to think about the underlying theme of the essay or book, symbolic settings, events, or objects, and also particularly interesting phrases or lines that come up. The title will spark more curiosity if it mentions something of meaning without explaining it until later in the work.
Another way to make the title more memorable could include using alliteration, or words that start with the same sound. You can also try rewording popular phrases and cliché sayings into something that relates to your writing, creating something like a pun.
For nonfiction titles, make sure that the title incorporates key words that show what the writing is about. It should answer the questions of What, When, and Where.
2. Assess each title in the list for the following:
- Simplicity - Make sure the title is easy to enunciate, it should not be a mouthful to read off. The title should also be easy to remember, so that readers can easily refer to it and search for the work.
- Length - Book and essay titles can be anything from one to eight words, while 16-18 words make good titles to articles and blog posts. As long as the title is simple enough, the word count is not as important.
- Originality - Are there other works with the exact same title? This can be confusing to the reader, so choosing a unique title will make it more likely to catch the reader’s eye.
3. Pick your favorite title!
After brainstorming various clever titles and assessing them for the right criteria, you now have a perfect title!
Here are the links that I got my information from, you can also check them out for more on how to come up with titles:
https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-title-an-essay
https://www.iuniverse.com/en/resources/writing-and-editing/how-to-choose-your-book-title-in-2-weeks
https://edubirdie.com/blog/how-to-title-an-essay
I found this post really fun (especially because I appreciate a good title). I think a really good example of a title that fulfills all of your criteria is The Expanse (series), by James S.A. Corey. It packs the core themes of the series- namely, the vastness and seperation caused by space- into one word that rolls well in the lungs.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this blog post! I always have trouble thinking of titles and when I do they usually aren't the best. You gave out a lot of helpful tips that I will be sure to take into consideration for later writings, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you when you said we have a hard time to come up with a title. This is extremely helpful to everyone in school, since we will soon encounter this dilemma! Thank very much! I will definitely apply the steps whenever I write a story/essay!
ReplyDeleteThis is so helpful! I've always had trouble with coming up with creative story titles, and this will really help me in the future. I really like the tips that you've given, my original mindset was "have a title that makes sense with the story" instead of having something fun, original, and creative.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the energy and originality of this post. I think that although it is not the most information dense post, it does contain some useful insights. I am personally terrible at making titles and I need to get better. Although this is mainly directed at fictional titles, I will still think of it from now in when I'm writing essays or papers for school. I think it will turn out to be helpful advice helped by the fact that it is very general and leaves room for a reader's creativity.
ReplyDeleteThis was certainly a hearty introduction to title-brainstorming. I like that you broke down various methods and consulted different sources. I'd also like to add for fiction works, to not be afraid of highlighting just one phrase or metaphor in the text to serve as the title, even if it may seem a little obscure.
ReplyDeleteThis will definitely be helpful in the future when I have to name my writing. I also appreciate how easy and strightforward it is to read, and the links for extra information.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really helpful article! I know I definitely struggle with thinking of original titles for things. I really appreciate that you linked some helpful sources as well!
ReplyDeleteI have an eternal struggle trying to think of names for my essay. This post helped me a lot! I will be using these tricks later when we have to write that critical analysis essay (O GOD PLS NO). Anyway thanks! that was really helpful :)
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