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 :(
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.
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!
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 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.
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 :)
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.
I loved the tip you mentioned on making lists of words and ideas that have to do with the plot of your book and mixing them around. That's almost exactly what I did to figure out a title for mine and it worked super well!
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 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!!!!!!!!!
3:12 Throne of Glass is taken directly from the book, page 332 (at least in the Brazilian translation) Others that I remember that have done the same thing are Crave the Mark and Red Queen
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!
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.
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
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!
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 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
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!
I got a title, but the subtitle for the actual story is tough. Funny thing is my 11 yr old thought of the main title. I was brainstorming with her about a title and she had the idea within minutes by asking me one question. "Where is your character from again?" When I told her the name she said that should be your book name. She is brilliant. I think I need to do another session with her for the subtitle now. Really enjoyed this video and I have been binging your others since finding your channel. Keep them coming.
what I look for is a simile and metaphors first, or a slanted line. I just found the title of my book from doing this. i go through my most popular poems and I pick out some of the best slanted lines and then pick from them. I just found like ten lines from my book and now just deciding which one to use for my current collection.
This definitely helps! My current WIP has existed as an idea for about 7 years with nothing but a working title that I know will never work. Definitely been looking for advice on coming up with a permanent title now that I'm nearing the end of draft 2. Thanks so much!
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
For a fantasy fanfic I'm writing about a mercenary that goes through a lot of stress and tribulation, I named it Bound by Gold as I felt it described Mercenaries pretty well at how they are bound to someone through gold rather than kinship or loyalty. I struggle with articulating my points well, so this is the best explanation I got.
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.
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
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.
I had this issue with naming my book series. I had one title for so long that when I decided to change it I sort of went into a bit of a panic. But I like my new title for the series better than I did the first one. Now the panic is naming the individual books in the series. I'm probably going to write it as one whole story than break it down into the individual books after finding the natural stop and start between the books. So now I've made more work for myself, I'm going to stop now. Thanks as always Vivien for helping us writers one video at a time.
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.
Nice video! Giving a title to a book is either extremely easy and obvious or it can become a real challenge. I'm sure those tips will be useful to me in the future, thank you Vivien!
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 TH-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.
Great video, and very helpful. In my experience, literary quotes are a wonderful source of titles, particularly ones from Shakespeare, e.g. "The Mousetrap," "Journey's End," "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Infinite Jest," "This Rough Magic," and "Band of Brothers."
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.
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! :))
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
Thanks for the video! This was much needed. My only issue is with a series, I'm running into the issue of wanting my books to have a similar theme in the title. But, it's just not coming together yet.
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**
Hey! Thanks for sharing. I titled my book in the very beginning even b4 starting it. Bcs the name itself inspired me to start writing the novel I'm writing now. Hope I don't have to change it over the progress or by the end of it. Take care.
I've been thinking about a title for a fantasy book I'm currently writing. You're a godsend. What is the shortest a novel can be and the highest for a short story or novella? Checked it out on google, but there doesn't seem to be a standard reply... Can you do a video on this?
I don't even watch your video yet. But i'm suprised of the coincidence that your video came up to my recommendation as i thinking from this morning about my story title.
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 usually great at naming things but my latest WIP has left me stuck--it's an urban fantasy time travel comedy and my Scrivener file is currently titled "Alee and Caslan's Excellent Adventure." It used to just be called "Time-Traveling Sorcerers." I'm truly lost with this and I'm about to write the first draft of the sequel so I should probably get on that...
My current forbidden romance project so far goes by the title "Intoxication" because of the word's various meanings: addiction (like obsession in love), lowering of judgment (as the relationship is taboo), and poisoning (more of a pun on one lead's name being something fatally toxic to the nickname of the other). But I have a sneaking suspicion that out of context, the title would hint at the story being about alcoholism...
LOL Icon it does make me think of alcoholism, and knowing it was romance genre would make me think there was some unhealthy relationship dynamics going on, because staying with someone who you're hooked on despite knowing deep down they're not right for you is so commonly compared to drug/alchol addiction in pop culture
You're right, it would probably give off the wrong impression especially since I'm trying to make sure the relationship is portrayed in a positive way.
It’s been done before and it makes one think it’s a trashy erotic. Maybe something else? (Sorry I’m not trying to crap on your book, but do you know how many romance novels have been named intoxication or intoxicating? A lot.) But good luck anyway! Maybe This poison of mine or something like that
@@leannemcelroy8482 Not a bad suggestion. It's been two years and there have been some big changes. The new title is "Semi-Sweet" but the old title is a song the sister has been making. I figure many people will dismiss it on the premise alone, regardless of how I try to market it. But I'm not doing this to change minds, I just want to create the story I'd been searching for.
@@sanfransiscon I understand. Titles come easy to me and so does the plot. But I struggle with placement and the flow of the story. I’ll make these beautiful, character driven scenes, but then have no idea how to connect them all together. (It’s a flaw and I’m working on pacing a lot and grammar structure). Usually the title comes to me as I’m writing the main theme of my book. I’ll play around with words, inspired by what titles in books catch my eye. But semi-sweet is good! Give yourself a pat on the back for that. It sounds mysterious, like “hmm, what is semi-sweet?” Dont be afraid of people dismissing your book! There will be a least one person who will like your book! (Some terrible books I have read, in personal opinion), still had people give them 5 stars and love them to death! Everyone is different. I personally enjoy cutesy romance novels so I’d probably like yours. But someone else who prefers horror may not and that’s ok.
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?
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.
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?
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?
Also, think about the kind of words you use. There are soft words and hard words, and some in between. Soft: Dawn, Beauty, Soul, Flower, Knife Hard: Attack, Revenge, Murder, Star, Sky, Stone In Between: Death, Lost, Life, Passion It's not about what the word means (though that is important to consider for other reasons), but the relationship between the consonants and vowels being used. This goes hand in hand with what you said about the flow of a title. Ask yourself what kind of words convey the tone or attitude of your story. Soft is not bad if it fits your story. And you can mix the words: Soft, Hard, Soft; or In-Between, Hard, Soft; or Soft, Hard, Hard. Chances are you do this subconsciously when considering a title, but keeping it more upfront in your mind might help clarify the process.
Have you considered a title more in line with something like "Elysia's Prophecy"? In my humble opinion it is less of a mouthful and rolls off the tongue better. It also seems more mysterious as "Elysia" could be the name of either a person or place. It still contains the word 'prophecy' if that is a name you still wish to use. Synonyms can be helpful too. Maybe "The Foretelling of Elysia" or "The Elysian Prevision" (which aren't great titles, the latter one even rhymes which can be a good or bad thing, and I'm sure you won't change the title of your book, but just wanted to use examples).
I'm writing a book to help resolve some issues I have, so I'm not actually writing to publish, though I'd LOVE to be able to, and I'd love it even more if people like to read it. Since it's tightly based on experiences I really had, I already know most of what will happen. The subject I based the novel on is also the title. Just one word. While writing I got a feel for a subtitle, and it kinda stuck. Funny enough, I'm almost halfway now (been working on it for almost 2 years), and yesterday one of the main characters actually said the exact line I use as a subtitle. That was when I knew for sure what the title and subtitle would be. Funny actually how, if you're writing from personal experience, you still see your main characters go on adventures you didn't intend to write, and how they suddenly say things you never expected them to say. The title I have now is "Sessions, A search for darkness". At least, that's the translation, I'm writing in Dutch. Not going to translate the book until it's finished ;) (Sorry, not going to unveil anything about the book until it's finished. Had some music that I wrote stolen before, and it really damaged the trust I have in strangers...)
I'm working on a novel where four cousins in a noble family in feudal Europe are all adjusting to their separate lives, and I was thinking a good title would just be "The [Family Name]s". Thoughts?
Re working titles vs final choice, they've almost caused me more problems than actually writing the books. For example, a book I wrote about a tragic love affair had the working title MM (for misery memoir). It became 'And in the Lonely Midnight' (a semi quote from a song lyric: 'and in the lonely midnight, try to hold your face before me'. The song itself was called 'The First Girl I Loved', which, if you tracked it down from the lyric, gave an insight into the storyline. Even now, eight years on, I'm not happy with it and keep coming up with alternatives. I'm tossing around 'The Ecstasy and the Agony' at the moment but while it expresses exactly the emotional timeline it seems more suited to a biblical tale (although that was reversed - The Agony and the Ecstasy) than a simple boy meets girl story. On the other hand a travel book I wrote recently about redoing a trip through France and Spain again, 50yrs after the first time, and seeing what had changed - both in the countries and in the travellers - was straightforward to title. The working title was 1970/2 but it became Dreaming of Europa.
I didn't name my book until perhaps the tenth chapter. I didn't want to commit to a tittle that didn't match the flow of the book. And even then I wasn't completely sold, thankfully it turned out to be perfect!😍
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.
Okay so wrote a book and titled it "The Burning Sapphire" but coincidencally I found another book of the same title on amazon. I have already finished both the back and front cover and really don't wanna change the title. Would it be bad if I keep it?
Most likely. Other people will find that other book over yours. Or associate the two together. It would help to know what it’s about but here’s some ideas: “A sapphire in the burn.” “Burned Sapphire.” “The Sapphire that we burn.” “Burning blue.” “A sapphire in the ash.”
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 :(
I would love to also hear your thoughts on words or ideas that should be avoided when titling a book.
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
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.
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
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
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!
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
The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite book title 🥺
Same
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.
"of the"
"and the"
So overused. We have to do better. Just saying. Its the hardest part of writing my novel debut.
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.
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 :)
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?
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.
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.
Great tips:) This video really helped to title my book which is The Gem of Portia. Your videos are so inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
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 loved the tip you mentioned on making lists of words and ideas that have to do with the plot of your book and mixing them around. That's almost exactly what I did to figure out a title for mine and it worked super well!
I've been thinking about naming my book for the last two days! Vivien is reading my mind! Excited for this!
😄😄😄
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 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!!!!!!!!!
3:12 Throne of Glass is taken directly from the book, page 332 (at least in the Brazilian translation)
Others that I remember that have done the same thing are Crave the Mark and Red Queen
My favorites are Glass Sword (by Victoria Aveyard) and The Saviors Champion (by Jenna Moreci)
I love the Easter egg one. That’s how I got my main working title for my novel. :)
Same here!
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!
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.”
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
For anyone going the traditional publishing route, the publisher will change the name of your book, anyway. That takes some of the pressure off! :)
This was awesome!! Thank you!!! Makes me feel more comfortable about titling my WIP!
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!
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
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 like your Elysian Prophecy title! I haven't read your book yet, but your title makes me want to. Thanks for posting!
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 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
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!!
Love your honesty and I can’t get the title out of my head that I first came up with!
I got a title, but the subtitle for the actual story is tough. Funny thing is my 11 yr old thought of the main title. I was brainstorming with her about a title and she had the idea within minutes by asking me one question. "Where is your character from again?" When I told her the name she said that should be your book name. She is brilliant. I think I need to do another session with her for the subtitle now.
Really enjoyed this video and I have been binging your others since finding your channel. Keep them coming.
what I look for is a simile and metaphors first, or a slanted line. I just found the title of my book from doing this. i go through my most popular poems and I pick out some of the best slanted lines and then pick from them. I just found like ten lines from my book and now just deciding which one to use for my current collection.
This definitely helps! My current WIP has existed as an idea for about 7 years with nothing but a working title that I know will never work. Definitely been looking for advice on coming up with a permanent title now that I'm nearing the end of draft 2. Thanks so much!
Great job on the video! I’m a first time writer and coming up with a title was killing me. But now I have one that I think will stick.
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
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.
Wonder and Catching Fire had those Easter egg thingies
For a fantasy fanfic I'm writing about a mercenary that goes through a lot of stress and tribulation, I named it Bound by Gold as I felt it described Mercenaries pretty well at how they are bound to someone through gold rather than kinship or loyalty.
I struggle with articulating my points well, so this is the best explanation I got.
Thank You Miss, I Have ADHD And I Really Like Writing A Novel And This Video Helped Me Quite A Lot
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.
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. 😎
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.
I had this issue with naming my book series. I had one title for so long that when I decided to change it I sort of went into a bit of a panic. But I like my new title for the series better than I did the first one. Now the panic is naming the individual books in the series. I'm probably going to write it as one whole story than break it down into the individual books after finding the natural stop and start between the books. So now I've made more work for myself, I'm going to stop now. Thanks as always Vivien for helping us writers one video at a time.
Your channel is fantastic. Easy to follow, clear advice. Thanks from New Zealand.
You're so very welcome!
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.
Quick Question what Genre is a American solder who is a werewolf fighting Supernatural monsters would that be Urban fantasy?
Nice video! Giving a title to a book is either extremely easy and obvious or it can become a real challenge. I'm sure those tips will be useful to me in the future, thank you Vivien!
Thank you for making this!!
Helps a lot
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 TH-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!! 💜💜💜
Great video, and very helpful. In my experience, literary quotes are a wonderful source of titles, particularly ones from Shakespeare, e.g. "The Mousetrap," "Journey's End," "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Infinite Jest," "This Rough Magic," and "Band of Brothers."
'The Color Purple' is a novel named after one little scene in the book that depicts the overall spirit of the book.
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.
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.
I love "and soon will come soft rains" as a title, also as a story
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
Thanks for the video! This was much needed. My only issue is with a series, I'm running into the issue of wanting my books to have a similar theme in the title. But, it's just not coming together yet.
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**
Vivien Reis I really alway love all your freaking cooles video
Hey! Thanks for sharing. I titled my book in the very beginning even b4 starting it. Bcs the name itself inspired me to start writing the novel I'm writing now. Hope I don't have to change it over the progress or by the end of it. Take care.
And btw, I loved the title of your book, it intrigues the want of reading it, i haven't read it yet though.
I've been thinking about a title for a fantasy book I'm currently writing. You're a godsend. What is the shortest a novel can be and the highest for a short story or novella? Checked it out on google, but there doesn't seem to be a standard reply... Can you do a video on this?
I keep a list of potential titles--phrases that sound particularly evocative. A lot of them come from songs or poems.
how does "The Gods of Issopea" sound? it's a working title but I think it's pretty good.
I don't even watch your video yet. But i'm suprised of the coincidence that your video came up to my recommendation as i thinking from this morning about my story title.
One more thing i don't even open a youtube related to the title ever.
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 usually great at naming things but my latest WIP has left me stuck--it's an urban fantasy time travel comedy and my Scrivener file is currently titled "Alee and Caslan's Excellent Adventure." It used to just be called "Time-Traveling Sorcerers." I'm truly lost with this and I'm about to write the first draft of the sequel so I should probably get on that...
My current forbidden romance project so far goes by the title "Intoxication" because of the word's various meanings: addiction (like obsession in love), lowering of judgment (as the relationship is taboo), and poisoning (more of a pun on one lead's name being something fatally toxic to the nickname of the other). But I have a sneaking suspicion that out of context, the title would hint at the story being about alcoholism...
LOL Icon it does make me think of alcoholism, and knowing it was romance genre would make me think there was some unhealthy relationship dynamics going on, because staying with someone who you're hooked on despite knowing deep down they're not right for you is so commonly compared to drug/alchol addiction in pop culture
You're right, it would probably give off the wrong impression especially since I'm trying to make sure the relationship is portrayed in a positive way.
It’s been done before and it makes one think it’s a trashy erotic.
Maybe something else? (Sorry I’m not trying to crap on your book, but do you know how many romance novels have been named intoxication or intoxicating? A lot.) But good luck anyway!
Maybe This poison of mine or something like that
@@leannemcelroy8482 Not a bad suggestion.
It's been two years and there have been some big changes. The new title is "Semi-Sweet" but the old title is a song the sister has been making.
I figure many people will dismiss it on the premise alone, regardless of how I try to market it. But I'm not doing this to change minds, I just want to create the story I'd been searching for.
@@sanfransiscon I understand. Titles come easy to me and so does the plot. But I struggle with placement and the flow of the story. I’ll make these beautiful, character driven scenes, but then have no idea how to connect them all together. (It’s a flaw and I’m working on pacing a lot and grammar structure).
Usually the title comes to me as I’m writing the main theme of my book. I’ll play around with words, inspired by what titles in books catch my eye. But semi-sweet is good! Give yourself a pat on the back for that. It sounds mysterious, like “hmm, what is semi-sweet?”
Dont be afraid of people dismissing your book! There will be a least one person who will like your book! (Some terrible books I have read, in personal opinion), still had people give them 5 stars and love them to death! Everyone is different. I personally enjoy cutesy romance novels so I’d probably like yours. But someone else who prefers horror may not and that’s ok.
3:05 - One book that I have read would be Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian
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?
Question: can you use past tense in the title
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.
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?
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.
Steadfast by Claudia Gray. Steadfast is used in the book as a power up for witches.
Tip: short and to the point
When you said words I like, I immediately thought “the tactile plinth” 😂
Thanks Vivian! This helps a lot 😊😊
Also, think about the kind of words you use. There are soft words and hard words, and some in between.
Soft: Dawn, Beauty, Soul, Flower, Knife
Hard: Attack, Revenge, Murder, Star, Sky, Stone
In Between: Death, Lost, Life, Passion
It's not about what the word means (though that is important to consider for other reasons), but the relationship between the consonants and vowels being used. This goes hand in hand with what you said about the flow of a title. Ask yourself what kind of words convey the tone or attitude of your story. Soft is not bad if it fits your story. And you can mix the words: Soft, Hard, Soft; or In-Between, Hard, Soft; or Soft, Hard, Hard.
Chances are you do this subconsciously when considering a title, but keeping it more upfront in your mind might help clarify the process.
Have you considered a title more in line with something like "Elysia's Prophecy"? In my humble opinion it is less of a mouthful and rolls off the tongue better. It also seems more mysterious as "Elysia" could be the name of either a person or place. It still contains the word 'prophecy' if that is a name you still wish to use. Synonyms can be helpful too. Maybe "The Foretelling of Elysia" or "The Elysian Prevision" (which aren't great titles, the latter one even rhymes which can be a good or bad thing, and I'm sure you won't change the title of your book, but just wanted to use examples).
I was thinking The Three Walls, Son of Klowisrik, and Mouse By Night for my first three.
I'm writing a book to help resolve some issues I have, so I'm not actually writing to publish, though I'd LOVE to be able to, and I'd love it even more if people like to read it.
Since it's tightly based on experiences I really had, I already know most of what will happen. The subject I based the novel on is also the title. Just one word.
While writing I got a feel for a subtitle, and it kinda stuck.
Funny enough, I'm almost halfway now (been working on it for almost 2 years), and yesterday one of the main characters actually said the exact line I use as a subtitle.
That was when I knew for sure what the title and subtitle would be.
Funny actually how, if you're writing from personal experience, you still see your main characters go on adventures you didn't intend to write, and how they suddenly say things you never expected them to say.
The title I have now is "Sessions, A search for darkness". At least, that's the translation, I'm writing in Dutch. Not going to translate the book until it's finished ;)
(Sorry, not going to unveil anything about the book until it's finished. Had some music that I wrote stolen before, and it really damaged the trust I have in strangers...)
Scary. Exciting. Emotional. Nerve-wracking.
Yup. The term 'book baby' is an apt one at that.
I'm working on a novel where four cousins in a noble family in feudal Europe are all adjusting to their separate lives, and I was thinking a good title would just be "The [Family Name]s". Thoughts?
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
Re working titles vs final choice, they've almost caused me more problems than actually writing the books. For example, a book I wrote about a tragic love affair had the working title MM (for misery memoir). It became 'And in the Lonely Midnight' (a semi quote from a song lyric: 'and in the lonely midnight, try to hold your face before me'. The song itself was called 'The First Girl I Loved', which, if you tracked it down from the lyric, gave an insight into the storyline. Even now, eight years on, I'm not happy with it and keep coming up with alternatives. I'm tossing around 'The Ecstasy and the Agony' at the moment but while it expresses exactly the emotional timeline it seems more suited to a biblical tale (although that was reversed - The Agony and the Ecstasy) than a simple boy meets girl story. On the other hand a travel book I wrote recently about redoing a trip through France and Spain again, 50yrs after the first time, and seeing what had changed - both in the countries and in the travellers - was straightforward to title. The working title was 1970/2 but it became Dreaming of Europa.
Questions:
Can you end an unfinished draft?
Can you have multiple drafts open at the same time?
I didn't name my book until perhaps the tenth chapter. I didn't want to commit to a tittle that didn't match the flow of the book. And even then I wasn't completely sold, thankfully it turned out to be perfect!😍
Does it cost something to make a Poll on Pick fu?
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.
I like the easter egg of the title Flowers in the Atttic, it gave me the idea to name my new novel Thirteen Roses :)
Okay so wrote a book and titled it "The Burning Sapphire" but coincidencally I found another book of the same title on amazon. I have already finished both the back and front cover and really don't wanna change the title. Would it be bad if I keep it?
Most likely. Other people will find that other book over yours. Or associate the two together.
It would help to know what it’s about but here’s some ideas:
“A sapphire in the burn.”
“Burned Sapphire.”
“The Sapphire that we burn.”
“Burning blue.”
“A sapphire in the ash.”
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
Maybe a video on the benefits and drawbacks of self publishing.