I Used to Write Titles First

Always, always, always – I used to write titles first. Some of the worst songs I ever wrote when I was 10 were a result of some great (I thought) and forced (in retrospect) titles. Equally, some of the best papers I wrote in college began their lives as a title, a single unifying idea that tied my approach together in some pithy way. When I started getting paid to write, I kept that basic strategy – come up with a good title and the piece writes itself.

I had to think about titles last night while I was watching an old Harold Lloyd movie, Girl Shy. In it, Lloyd is writing a book about dating (something his character had never done) and makes up his strategic insights as he goes along. He gave it the title “How to Make Love” (using the old, less X-rated sense of the term). The publisher treats it as a joke, and renames it “The Boob’s Diary”. Smart move, as it never would have sold as a serious advice book and the funny name didn’t sound quite so odd back in 1924.

I started my book with a title in mind, but I no longer like it, so I’m wondering if I’m more like my ten year-old self again or more the Harold Lloyd type. I'm not sure which answer I'd prefer, either.

I’m putting together a list of titles for a future post. Have one to add? Just let me know and I’ll post yours right along with mine and see what the world has to say.