WINNING THE TITLE

by Melodie Johnson Howe

Paul has come up with a great idea and he has given me a lot to think about.

I was in a movie directed by Norman Jewison about the life of the young Ben Hecht. I have always loved this movie, which starred Beau Bridges, Melina Mercouri, Brian Keith, and George Kennedy. A stellar cast, but the movie failed. I blame it on the title: “Gaily, Gaily.” It doesn’t matter that it was taken from the book, “gaily” is not a word that most Americans use or can relate to. Even if you do say it twice.

A title should be provocative. Seductive. I am a theme oriented writer and most of my titles come from the underlying meaning of the crime. They are not necessarily genre titles but they do have a sense of mystery about them. I like titles to have an irony even a twist to them. The title may not be exactly what the reader thinks the story is going to be about, but by the end he knows it was the right title.

For example, “The Talking Dead” is not about creepy zombies, ghosts, or a corpse telling its silent story through DNA, hair fragments under the fingernails, etc. “The Talking Dead” relates to dead stars re-running on television. The title is a clue and also defines the characterization of two major characters in the story and sets a tone for the protagonist. How did I conceive this title? It wasn’t an immaculate conception. I was watching myself re-run (this can be a scary experience all by its self) in a Bewitched segment when I realized all the actors in the scene, except me, were dead.

One title came from something I was fed up with. I was tired of hearing about the sixties over and over. Could we never let it go of that decade? So I wrote a story about an aging sixties rock star who receives a new liver and thinks he can recreate the life of creativity and debauchery that he had once lived. I called it, “Killing the Sixties.” Again the title came first.

“Facing Up” is about a woman whose maniacal plastic surgeon husband appears to be using her for a guinea pig. Her identity disappears behind all the face lifts until she is unrecognizable to even those who know her. There is a twist to the story which I won’t give away. But it involves having to face up. The two words, facing up, came into my mind and I thought what a great title. Now all I needed was a story to go with it.

I’ve written about my short story, “Another Tented Evening,” in other columns. This is a story I had no intention of writing at the time until I blurted out, “Oh, God, another tented evening,” after attending a Hollywood party. This title and the others I’ve discussed were the driving force creating the story. Would I have written these stories if I didn’t have the titles in mind? I’m not so sure.

“The Good Daughter” was title I have never been pleased with, though others love it. Maybe I don’t like it because it has a familiarity to it. But I couldn’t come up with a better one. I wrote the story with the working title, “Sweet Sixteen.” (Yuck.) But “The Good Daughter” does capture the underlying meaning of the story with a sad irony. The point here is I didn’t have the title in order to write this story. I had an idea. “A what if?” moment.

If I don’t have a title I use a working title. It gives my unwritten story moorings.

“What’s It Worth?” is definitely a theme related title. I like it because it asks a question we have all asked ourselves at one time or another. It opens with a woman looking under the sofa for her self worth. With that bit of action I had my title. Again the idea for the story came first.

I have a short story coming out titled, “A Hollywood Ending.” Its working title was “Planned Parenthood.” (Diana Poole goes to a Planned Parenthood meeting where various people tell her that her daughter is looking for her. Diana doesn’t have a daughter.) I loved the irony of this situation. As the story grew in depth my writer friend Gayle Lynds convinced me to change the title to “A Hollywood Ending,” which came from a line in the story. She was right; the title now captures the end of a dream.

“Tiffany Blue” is another title I like. It has to do with color of the box that Tiffany jewelry comes in but it also it captures a mood of forlornness. Is it a mystery title? I’m not sure. “Tiffany Blue” could also be a morose porno star, but that’s another story. In all honesty it doesn’t matter as long as it conveys the essence of my short story. My stories are framed by being in mystery anthologies and EQMM. Readers know what kind of story they are going to get. But I do have to be careful not to verge over into the “literary” title.

As you can guess I don’t have specific rules for my titles. I do think you need a nimble mind to create them. Be aware when words and phrases pop into your head for no apparent reason, or if you hear someone use a phrase such as, facing up. Write them down. You never know when you might have a great title that prompts a great short story. But like a great idea it has to hit you in your creative gut.

Paul asked how much time we spend on titles: I like to spend as little as possible. It’s like naming a child or a dog. I know it when it’s right. And the longer it takes the older the child or dog gets and the more unsure I become.

Some of my favorite titles come from Raymond Chandler. He was a major influence on me. “Red Wind”, “Killer in the Rain”, “The Man Who Liked Dogs”, The Lady in the Lake, “Guns at Cyrano’s”, and my favorite: “Pearls are a Nuisance.”

I remember this “girlish” title, from one of the great hardboiled writers, when I think mine are too female and not provocative enough for some male readers.

To sum up: The title is very important. It’s the first words the reader is going to read. A title must fit the story. If it doesn’t, you are misleading the reader who will end up disappointed and blurting out a big, ‘huh?” It must convey a sense of mystery, a sense of the story, and seduce the reader.