TENNERS TELL ALL: The Evolution of a Title.

[mindiscott]

Before I’d written even one word of the novel that will be my 2010 fall debut, I chose the title for it.  It was late at night, and I was almost asleep when it came to me:  THE REAL MCCOY.

My character, you see, was going to be named Seth McCoy. Too perfect, right?

I jumped out of bed, ran downstairs to my computer, and searched online to make sure

Comments

[dy0ulee]

Freefall is a really catchy title! I hope it's your final title too!

[radshaun]

I love your title. Makes me think of Tom Petty's song.

I wish I had a good title story. From the moment the idea sprang into my brain as I tried to sleep it's been The Deathday Letter. It's the impetus for the story, the object around which everything revolves. Plus, I think it's kind of catchy. No one's ever suggested changing it and it's never occurred to me to change it. I don't know what I'd change it to.

But your story is awesome!

[phoebe_k]

Same story with Whisper. I came up with it, it got good reactions, no one ever suggested changing it.

(***Though, you never know what Sales and Marketing will say or do at the last minute; they are wily, the Sales and Marketing!***)

Freefall sure feels right.

[boreal_owl]

Great title. Reminds me of the Jesse Cook CD.

[jjhoutman]

Ooooooh! I love Jesse Cook. Great writing music!

[takumashii]

I think most of you know that before my book was A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, it was Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad. But wait, there's more!

It's kind of a weird bipolar kind of book, which has always given me all kinds of trouble in describing it to people. Cass is trying to work out her feelings after the death of her best friend, she's trying to figure out her sexuality, she takes a cross-country bicycle trip... oh and by the way there's also this thing with the ninja musical, and her falling in love. It's a serious book but also quirky and lighthearted.

I actually started submitting under the title Wish You Were Here. I can't even believe how cliché that is, and after racking my brains to come up with a better title I submitted it to the agent I ended up with under the title Traveling With My Dead Best Friend.

My agent thought it needed a title that better integrated the ninja-musical plotline, and we agreed that Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad (which is the title of the musical) was a really great title. And I

Title Tell-all

[amybre_white]

Great idea, Mindi! And I'm partial to the Tom Petty version of the song, too. It's those Midwest roots.

My title was a challenge, although I grew to LOVE it. I envisioned the book as FLOWERSPEAK, because that's what Laurel is, a flowerspeaker. My editors, however, thought that title was a little too quiet and wanted something catchier. We went back and forth with me vetoing a few that will remain unmentioned. My editors, my designer -- the whole Greenwillow gang, I think -- brainstormed and came up with FORGET-HER-NOTS. At first I liked it, but it has totally grown on me to the point of love. The novel is a lot about memory and wanting to make yourself and your life memorable, so it totally fits.

Now I can't imagine it called anything else!