A title. What is a 'title'? Does it have any significance whatsoever in our lives?

From our next-door pizza court to our far distance sun, everything has a title. Even you have a title. Your name is your title.

Without your title, you are an insignificant being, nothing more nothing less. You always want a nice title for yourself, you want it to be just perfect, just according to your own will.

Then why do you forget that your book needs the same attention? Devoid of a proper title, it will lose its importance, its purpose, its meaning.

You agree with me, yes. But it's just so hard to get a title right. You want it to be unique, and that is where you fall.

Well, then, why don't you tell us how to create a title, Black?

Someday, you asked me this. I was unable to answer so many people at the same time, so I thought why not write it here for everyone to see?

How do I do it?

Well, that's simple. Here are some tips and tricks I apply while brainstorming a title idea. As for the bonus, there is also my own personal checklist for choosing a suitable title.

Before that, there is some important information you need to know before selecting a title.

What makes a good title?

Before typing anything, and everything that comes to your mind, pause. Take a deep breath, and read this with an open mind. Trust me, it will save you a lot of regrets.

Onto the topic now, a good title has four things:

• It suits the story.

The title you're choosing has to be relevant to the plot of your story no matter what.

• It's not too lengthy.

There are so many books out there with titles that are longer than the pile of books in my room (which is like 5 feet). Choosing titles like:

* 'I wanted the Spicy Son of A Billionaire, So I Pretended to Be Pregnant With His Baby, Even Though We Didn't Even Meet Each Other, Like Ever'

* 'I Love My Sanity, but I Love My Boyfriend More, So I'll be Killing A Few People for Him Tonight. After All, It's His Birthday Today. And the Good Thing, He Drinks Blood.'

You get my point. No one likes to read such books without a head or a tail. Understand the power of short titles.

• It catches the reader's attention.

Short titles always catch readers' attention. Choose a title that draws your reader in, that makes your reader crave to read your synopsis.

Example: Stability, Pretentious Clowns, Lovelace, Death Wish, etc.

• It should not spill the plot.

Ahem. *coughs* You know what I'm talking about. Those teen fiction books on Wattpad with 101K votes and bad grammar. Got my point? No. Well, you're making me say it out aloud. If people curse me, the blame will go to you.

Titles like:

* The Bad Boy Stole My Apple Pie
* I Kissed the Bad Boy, and He Hates Me Now
* I'm The Alpha's Mate

You get the point. These titles reveal the whole plot in the title itself, which is no fun. I still don't understand the mechanism of the reads and votes though. *coughs*

How to Generate Title Ideas?

#1 Listening to Music: This is the best idea. You have the urge to pen the thoughts that have been flowing in your mind, but you don't know what to name them.

Listening to music refreshes your thoughts, and while you're thinking about your new idea, a voice comes to your head.

It whispers something in your ear, and you will know the title. You just have to listen closely. It's a random whisper, but it keeps getting stronger, whispering in your ear time and again.

If you are scared, don't be. That's your subconsciousness telling you the proper title.

This trick does not work for everyone, but if it works for you, you're done in the title department.

#2 Using Thesaurus: If you have a certain word in mind, like Simple for your title, here's an idea for you. Search up the Google Engine for Synonyms and Fancy Terms of Simple.

Results: Chaste, Austere, Elementary, Lucid, Unambiguous.

This is just an example.

Using the help of family, friends, or even your fellow Wattpad friends is a nice idea if you're looking for a title. Usually, if I'm stuck with a dead-end, I call up my twinnie, and my bestie, Gnomey. These two help me out.

Just remember that before you ask someone to help you in the title department, you should provide them with the basic plotline of your story before. They are not some wizard, they won't know what you're planning to write.

I usually name my books over a character's name or a phrase that constitutes the storyline.

Still not sure about what you want for a title. No need to fret, here's my personal checklist for creating a good title. Feel free to use it!

In this checklist, try to answer with honesty and provide detailed reasons why your answer is what it is. Ask yourself How, Why, Where, When, and you'll get the answers you've been looking for.

Remember, be honest and detailed.

Bonus

• Does your title suits the theme of your story?

• Is it too lengthy?

• Is it too cliche? If yes, is your story different from the cliche ones with the same title?

• Is it a word or phrase in your writing that keeps popping out to you?

• Does it look professional?

• Are you going to explain or mention the title in the middle of your story, or at the end?

If your answers are :
• Yes
• No
• No OR Yes, Yes
• Yes
• Yes
• Yes

Your title is on the right track. Congratulations!

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How do you generate titles for your book? Comment here to let me know.