Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Another title search

This is topic Another title search in forum Fragments and Feedback for Short Works at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :

It's my turn to participate in the Title Sweepstakes. Following are 10 possible titles (in alphabetical order) for my novel. Without knowing anything else about it, which title would be most likely to cause you to pick the book up? Also, what genre of book would you expect it to be?

1) Crossover
2) An Eye Out For Mouseholes
3) Nobody Knows You're Here
4) Not the Way Home
5) One Last Time
6) Quasi-Human
7) The Renegade
8) A Serious Offense
9) A Stranger to These Parts
10) Too Dangerous For Words

Also, if you think you've guessed what the book is about, feel free to suggest other titles.

Thanks!

Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :

Call it Pamplemouse, just because it's a fun word.

Seriously though, I think I like number 2 the best. It has me curious, though also expectant of something more light-hearted, which may be bad if it doesn't match that description. Personally, I would avoid One Last Time, Quasi-Human and The Renegade; they just seem too over-done to me. Number 3 is interesting, as well.

[This message has been edited by TheoPhileo (edited July 03, 2004).]

Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :

I would have done those in the reverse order.

"No one knows you're here." Very spooky. High tension. Some horror?

"An eye out for mouseholes" Lighter tone. Mystery involved.

"Not the Way Home" A tale of loss. Danger.

"Crossover" SF. Action. Intelligent.

Posted by HSO (Member # 2056) on :

I have to agree with TheoPhileo; Number 2 is the one that interests me most of all -- it's very clever. Followed by Numbers 1 and 3 respectively. It's too early in the morning, here in London, for me to venture a guess as to what your story is about.

Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :

Thanks, these are good comments.

I should have added that this book would definitely be found in the SF/F section, so an unknowledgeable reader would have that expectation. Therefore, when I ask "What genre does it seem like?" I mean what type of SF/F. (And this is exactly what I've been getting so far.)

Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :

An Eye Out For Mouseholes is my favorite -- quirky, with an air of mystery.

Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :

#2 for me too. I'm thinking otherworld creatures of some kind on this one. But with a quirky twist.

Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :

Here’s what they make me think or remind me of. Hope it helps.

#1 Dying, or going from one world to another.
#2 Something dangerous or mysterious is in the mouseholes.
#3 Trapped by a maniac and can’t get out.
#4 Totally lost and getting farther off course.
#5 Romance novel
#6 Mutated monsters
#7 Western
#8 Crime novel
#9 Stranger is a strange land
#10 James Bond book.

Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :

OK, this is great. Based on the above comments (not just the preferences) I'm now restricting the list to 3 (still in alphabetical order):

1) Crossover
2) An Eye Out For Mouseholes
3) Not the Way Home

Thanks for all suggestions, and I'll be posting the first 13 lines or so soon.

Posted by wetwilly (Member # 1818) on :

For the record, my favorite was "A Stranger to These Parts."

Of the three choices you have left, I like "Not the Way Home," best.

Contrary to everybody else, the one title I would NOT pick up if I saw it on a shelf is "An Eye Out For Mouseholes." I don't know why, the title just turns me off to wanting to read the book.

Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :

What about "Wrong Way Home"? I like the idea of Not the Way Home, but it's awkward on the tongue.

I'm looking forward to the first thirteen lines.

Posted by Lullaby Lady (Member # 1840) on :

My first instinct was "Not the Way Home," and it still gets my vote!

~L.L.

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

I'll first say that I'll usually pick up a book based on the author rather than the title.

If I'm browsing entirely by title, I would only have looked at 7) and 8) on the original list. Theo's Pamblemouse would have caught my eye, it's punchy and fun. He has a point about 7), I might have only looked at that one because it's already the title of so many other works.

Here's how I would rewrite each title (simply on the basis of each individual title).

1) Crossing Point
2) Out of Mouseholes
3) Mislaid
4) The Wrong Path
5) Last Time
6) Quasi-Human
7) Outlaw
8) A Serious Offense
9) A Sometime Stranger
10) Dangerous Words

Note that I do like the mouseholes idea, but your original was just too long. I wouldn't trust an author that picked that for a title to hold my interest.

Based on the various titles, I'm thinking that the story is something along the lines of a guy that manages to get himself turned into a mouse or mouse sized animal, either because of, pursuant to, or contributive to being something of a social anomaly.

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

Crud, I forgot to change Quasi-human to Ur-Mann.

Oh, and my title suggestion is that you move away from all of these. Except maybe the mouseholes one, which could simply be Mouseholes (depending on genre).

Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :

Ha! I'd be happy to move away from all of these. If I'd really liked any of them, I probably wouldn't have asked for advice.

For what it's worth, 7 of the choices are phrased the way they are because they're quotes from the book. Some of them are no doubt a bit misleading, in terms of the book as a whole.

Anyway, thanks, everybody. For right now, I'm going with "Not the Way Home", but I'm not committed to it. I'll put the beginning of it on another thread and see what happens.