Are you good at writing captions for pictures? Or maybe headlines for newspaper stories? Then could be you’re an ace at coming up with book titles. If so, we can maybe brainstorm on titles now and again. I’ve written posts about coming up with titles for my books several times. Here’s the link to one of them, “Let’s Talk Titles”, in case you want to check it out.
Book titles are important. They are sometimes the first thing that catches a readers eye, especially if the cover shows the title to best advantage. I’ve had some good titles. Some of them I’ve come up with. Others a titling committee at the publishing company have brainstormed and come up with great ideas for titles. Sometimes I’ve liked a title right away. Other times, we’ve gone back to the drawing board and tried to find a title that suits the story, the publishers and me.
I’ve had thirty-five books published. So that’s a lot of titles. What are some of my favorites that I titled and the titles stuck? I did title many of my young adult books. A favorite title among those would be A Kindred Spirit because of how that title fit the story so well. I just checked that book on line to make sure I hadn’t forgotten the exact title. A fun review there, written several years ago, was from someone who had read the book when she was young, kept it through the years, and then her daughter found it and read it too. Both liked the story.
Another title of one of my young adult books I came up with and really liked was A Look of Eagles. That story was about a girl who worked with horses and that phrase, a look of eagles, describes the special something that horsemen can see in a horse’s eyes or the way he stands or moves that lets them know this horse is going to run and be a winner.
If I’m thinking about more recent books, I suppose I would have to say Orchard of Hope was a favorite title I’ve come up with since I did want that book to be about hope for the future. As far as titles that the publishers brainstormed for me, I like These Healing Hills. We went back and forth with that one for a while. They weren’t thrilled with my suggested title, which I admit I have forgotten, and I wasn’t thrilled with their first suggestions which I have also forgotten. But These Healing Hills nicely fits the story even though it can tongue-tie you in a minute if you try to say it five times in a row. 🙂
Is there one of my titles I regret the publishing company nixed? Actually there is. I really, really liked my title of my 1855 Louisville book that was about the election riots with one of the causes the inflammatory editorials the newspapers printed. My character was the daughter of an editor and she had ink in her blood even though, at that time, genteel women weren’t expected to be reporters or write anything other than the occasional flowery poem. I titled the book Words of Fire. The publishers said that wouldn’t work. They suggested a title I couldn’t accept. After I said that title was totally wrong for the story, they suggested Words Spoken True. I still liked my title better, but I bowed to their experience in marketing that was much greater than mine. If they said my title wouldn’t work, then the title didn’t work. Even so, I really liked that title. I had actually rewritten that story three or four times and changed the title several times. If I remember correctly, my first title was Whispers of Love. A writer has to remember that very few things are written in stone.
Book Giveaway
Now to my new giveaway. Thanks to all of you who shared how you shake the winter drearies last week. You have your name in my drawing hat to have a chance to win your choice of one of my books and a grab bag book by a different Christian author. But you aren’t limited to one entry. Leave a comment on this new post and any other new post before the deadline for entries of midnight EST, February 10, 2018 and you’ll get your name thrown in the hat again. To make it fun let’s play the “Caption Game.” Take a look at the picture at the top of this post and come up with the perfect caption (family friendly, please). If you just want to enter without playing the game, you can do that too. Any comment will work for that entry. As always you must be at least 18 years old to enter. No purchases or sign-ups are necessary to enter. It’s all for fun. I’ll see if I can come up with a caption too and share it on the next post along with a new photo.
So fire up your imagination. I know it will be fun to read your captions. As always, thanks for reading!
Comments 56
The sound of music.
Author
On chord or not, right, Shirley?
“I want to play the piano….” (palm on the keys)
“Wait a minute.. that’s not how you play the piano… you play with your fingertips .. like this!”
(Just wait until I finish playing….)
Author
That’s cute, Megan, and shows you really looked at the picture. One of the boys is ready to palm the keys. 🙂
“I’ll Play Two”
“Tall Piano Tales”
“Piano Pals”
“No Notes Needed”
“Play Loud Brother!”
Okay I played. I think I better stop! That was fun Ann!
Karen in NC
Author
I like someone who’s enthusiastic in playing, Karen. Thanks for all the great captions. Come on back Wednesday or Thursday for round 2 of the Caption Game.
Author
Barbara, you know grandma always think the songs their grandkids play are beautiful.
Lois, maybe not great geniuses, but really cute boys. 🙂
The Hands of two great Geniuses
Was that a pretty song Grandma?
Author
You all are such fun. And all of you are coming up with great captions.
Lisa – One of these boys is more ready to follow along that the other.
April – So glad you enjoy my giveaway games. And I like your “It takes two” caption.
Evelyn – No doubt they are always ready for it to be their turn.
Shelia – That’s a fun caption and so right. One is hitting low notes and the other the higher notes. 🙂
Karen – I love yours. They have a way of making a mom or a grandma come running.
Shirley – I think you’re probably right. They need more practice.
Author
Gina – those boys do like to show each other how to go things. 🙂
Rory – that’s a fun caption. They were probably ready to show their rowdy talents for sure.
Susan – I like the helping hand idea and I’m sure whatever they played was music to this grandma’s ears.
Arletta – Nothing wrong with that caption. But any comment would get you into the drawing. Glad you joined in with the fun.
Phyllis – Chopsticks works.
Chopsticks anyone?
“Wait for it. Wait for it.”
And I think I suck at titles but I want to be entered to win a book so this is the best I’ve got!
One helping hand to another and is music to the listening ear.
Come on…lets show them what we have got…
Let me show you how it’s done.
Author
Love the captions, guys. Kathy, that’s okay if you couldn’t come up with one. You still got your name in the drawing hat.
Robin – I like that one about them taking requests.
Lucy – It’s definitely true about double the trouble and also the fun. They kept me busy when they were little like this and I kept them. They’re older now and easier to keep up with.
Pat – I liked the One and a two. Had me thinking Lawrence Welk plus it went well with twins.
Marji – Frankie is very vocal. He would probably sing along or bark along. He heard some coyotes last night when we were out for a late night walk. He definitely was ready to bark and howl a bit then.
Linda – Piano Men – that’s cute. They’re the piano men.
Ola – A bit of encouragement for one another would be good. Sometimes they had difficulty getting along. Brothers do at times, you know.
Carol – That oldest bit might work. One of them is definitely looking a bit unhappy.
Donna – That’s a cute play on words – making music for “grand.” 🙂
Connie Lee – I’m sure if one of them hit a wrong note, the other one would point it out.
Thank you all for playing the caption game. Come back late Wednesday or Thursday to see what picture I find next. You came up with some great captions this time.
“It takes two!” I love playing these little games. Thanks!
Now it’s my turn
I will hit high notes & you hit the low notes, brother!
“Let’s play the one that makes Mommy come running. Ready, go!”
We need more practice, the teacher says so.
Folllw along now!