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T is for Taylor (and titles)

My plan for the A - Z Challenge is to write every post as if it were a diary entry by a character from my WIP. Today's post comes from Jesse Shaw.

**


I know it's pretty uncool for a guy to openly talk about being in love, but I'm okay with that because my girlfriend is worth me looking uncool for.

I met Taylor when I was new to Westberg. I was so nervous about messing up my soccer career before it had really begun, I used to get to work early and sit in the cafe opposite the training ground, drinking soda and forcing myself to relax. 

Taylor was there some mornings. I noticed her because, well, what 18-year-old doesn't notice when there's a pretty girl in the room? Pretty isn't really the right word. She's beautiful. She started talking to me, asking me why I always looked so nervous and when I explained, she was so sweet. She knew all the right things to say to make me feel better, and I looked forward to seeing her every day.

When I eventually asked her on a date, she laughed and asked what had taken me so long. The truth is, I didn't think anyone as gorgeous as her would look twice at me. But she did.

I'm lucky. It takes some people a lifetime to land their perfect job and their dream girl. I have it all right now, and I'm gonna make sure I work hard, and treat Taylor right so I can keep it forever.

**

Just wanted to say a quick "sorry" for not replying to all of your comments just yet - I will be getting to it soon but my WIP is starting to take shape, and I want to keep going with it while the inspiration is there!

This brings me to my next thing. Titles.

I have never been good at thinking of titles, so I was wondering if there is some kind of magic trick to creating a title that fits the story, and is catchy enough that people will want to pick it up!

My WIP is centred around a fictional soccer team, so I'm thinking of some kind of play on words. Nothing as cheesy as "A Match Made In Heaven" (see what I did there lol) because not only is that sickeningly lame - it's wildly inaccurate! But you get the idea.

I'm just really tired of calling it "My WIP" instead of having an actual name for it.

No doubt I will do a whole post about this some time, I just wanted to have a little whine, and find out if anyone has any tips! :D
Labels:

Comments

  1. Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy23 April 2012 at 08:59

    Either a title comes to me, or I'm doomed!
    Sorry I can't help. Titles aren't my forte.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clare23 April 2012 at 09:20

    Awww, Jesse is so adorable! I'm amazed how well you're doing with this challenge, in that you're featuring a plethora characters, and they've all got unique recognizable voices.

    As for titles, I usually struggle, and 90% of my titles are place holder ones.

    If you wanna knock ideas around this evening I'm all for it. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:32

      Thank you <3

      I did mean to talk to you about titles last night, but I was too excited lol!

      Delete
  3. Catherine Noble23 April 2012 at 10:08

    What about "Score"? Plenty of meanings in that! Haha :)

    I don't commit to a title, I'm still calling mines the WIP, but hopefully I'll know by the end of it!

    I hope everything stays good for Jesse :')

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:31

      Oh, I love "Score" but when I looked it up on Amazon, that title is already taken! :( It was so perfect, too!

      Delete
  4. Tobi Summers23 April 2012 at 12:43

    Oh, that was so cute! I think I just fell a little in love with Jesse.

    Titles are probably my least favorite part of the writing process. Good luck with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:32

      Yay! Jesse is definitely lovable!

      Ha, thanks! Can't I just publish it as "WIP"? :p

      Delete
  5. jabblog23 April 2012 at 13:36

    I've just read Peggy Eddleman's blog about titles so you might find it helpful:-)
    http://peggyeddleman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/t-is-for-tata-to-titular-tribulations.html
    I can think up titles till the cows come home but putting the stories to the titles is a little trickier;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:33

      Thanks for linking me to Peggy's blog post!

      Haha, yeah I know that feeling!

      Delete
  6. jaybird23 April 2012 at 13:40

    Jesse's adorable. He sounds like the type of guy I would actually want to date one of my daughters.

    And Catherine Noble's "Score" title was fabulous! It's short, catchy and to the point. Something along those lines is always a win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:33

      Jesse is a real sweetheart!

      Yes, I liked "Score" too, but unfortunately, someone already beat me to that title. :(

      Delete
  7. Hart Johnson23 April 2012 at 14:04

    Aw... Jesse seems like a sweetie.

    As for titles, usually they just sort of come to me, but with the Amazon contest i really notice how much very unusual ones stand out. I recommend going over there and reading the list and seeing how the odd ones really work. You want something really specific and unique to your novel that maybe includes a provocative word or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:34

      Yup, he is lovely!

      That's a great idea - I will do that later, thanks!

      Delete
  8. Jennifer Joyce23 April 2012 at 14:24

    I find titles so difficult. It's got to stand out because it's one of the first things a reader will look at but is also got to fit the story. My titles always sound cheesy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:30

      Lol, cheesy isn't always a bad thing, but you're right, it does need to stand out!

      Delete
  9. Daisy Carter23 April 2012 at 14:24

    First of all - any way to turn Jesse into a real person? SO sweet!

    Titles usually present themselves to me during my first draft. My current WIP doesn't have one yet, either, but I'm starting to see a theme in my story, so I might draw my title from that. Come to think of it, most of my mss titles are based on a theme from my book. Is there a central theme you have that ties everything up well? Hope that helps!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:29

      Ha, lots of people have been asking about that!

      Thanks, Daisy!

      Delete
  10. Annalisa Crawford23 April 2012 at 14:53

    What a sweet guy!

    As for titles, if I'm ever stuck, I'll brainstorm - just write down everything that comes to mind, day after day, without correction or scribbling out. Then after a week or so, look at all the ideas and try to see which you could use/merge/play around with. It's not foolproof, but it might help.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Talli Roland23 April 2012 at 14:54

    Aww! Jesse rocks!

    As for title, hmm. Er, um... I'm sorry. By brain isn't functioning right now! but I'd try brainstorming on paper, just playing around with it. Once you hit on a title, do a search on Amazon to see if there are other books with that title. It's not the end of the world if there is, but you want to have a rethink if so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:28

      Thanks!

      The one title I loved that I thought of is already taken on Amazon so now I have to start over again! :( Ah well, I am sure I wil figure it out eventually!

      Delete
  12. Jennifer Lane23 April 2012 at 15:08

    Hi Kyra, I love that you centered your story around a professional soccer team. I'd initially titled my sports romance "Against the Tide" but my editor pointed out there's not really a tide in the swimming pool. I changed it to Streamline to reflect a more positive tone about dealing with resistance. One thing that's important for me is to find a title that's rather unique. I don't like my book to be buried under other works, and I believe "Streamline" and "With Good Behavior" don't have much competition. Another thing that's important is the tone of the novel. I suggest that you throw out some ideas in your "U" post tomorrow and get some feedback on potential titles. That's worked for me. "She's In My Header"? ;D

    Regarding Jesse's post, what a perfect response from Taylor when he asked her out. :) Definitely a match made in heaven *groans* ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:27

      I laughed out loud at "She's In My Header," that is total genius! :D Thanks for all the tips, I have a couple of ideas brewing. When I have some ideas, I might make a poll and have people help me decide which to choose! :D

      Delete
  13. Cassie Mae23 April 2012 at 15:34

    I totally suck at titles! Most of mine are snarky sentences or something cheesy like the "Match Made in Heaven". And since I have little knowledge of soccer terms, I'm not sure how much help I'd be, lol.

    PS: I think I'm in love with Jesse. You should change Taylor's name to Cassie. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:26

      Haha, I actually have a story where the main character is called Cassie! :p

      Delete
  14. Jenny S. Morris23 April 2012 at 16:21

    Loved Jesse's voice! Um, I'm not the best with titles either. I just kind of happened upon my 1st WIP title and my second is still a not finalized.

    Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:25

      Lol, thanks! The title is causing me no end of drama!

      Delete
  15. Morgan23 April 2012 at 16:41

    Great as always, Kyra. :D And I'll be excited for your title post! I'm very interested in that!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Angela Cothran23 April 2012 at 17:02

    What a sweetie. I'm married to a Jesse :) And I think titles are hard. It took me two years to figure mine out. Ugh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:24

      You're so lucky! <3

      Titles are my biggest challenge - but I need to figure it out soon because the story is nearly finished! (YAY!)

      Delete
  17. Julie Daines23 April 2012 at 17:06

    Great voice and I loved the excerpt.

    Titles are hard. I wrote a post about how to choose the right title, using some advice from around the writing world. You can read it here: http://juliedaines.blogspot.com/2011/11/rose-by-any-other-name.html

    Hopefully that will help get some creative title juices flowing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:24

      Thank you!

      Thanks for the link to your post too, there is some great advice there!

      Delete
  18. Jaycee DeLorenzo23 April 2012 at 17:32

    Aww, how sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Dana23 April 2012 at 17:44

    I really enjoyed this! Your character has a very authentic voice.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Christine Rains23 April 2012 at 18:36

    This was a sweet piece. As for titles, I'm horrible at trying to find them too. Usually if I don't want to say my WIP, I just name the manuscript after my protagonist. Titles are very important. Maybe I feel the stress of that too much! Just find something short and easy to remember.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous23 April 2012 at 20:43

    Enjoyed reading the diary excerpt. Fab idea. Have you checked out: http://www.mslexia.co.uk/getpublished/pub_wkshop1.php
    Great advice about titles there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:22

      Thanks for the tip! I will check it out! :D

      Delete
  22. Laura Barnes23 April 2012 at 20:54

    I like play on word titles. I enjoyed reading the diary entry. Great approach to the challenge!

    Laura Barnes

    ReplyDelete
  23. McKenzie McCann23 April 2012 at 22:48

    Kyra, can you do me a favor? Make this Taylor guy into a real person and let me marry him? Please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:21

      Lol, Jesse is the guy ;) And I wish I could make him real, he's so sweet! :D

      Delete
  24. Alex J. Cavanaugh24 April 2012 at 00:25

    That's how I feel about my wife!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Neurotic Workaholic24 April 2012 at 05:52

    I took a writing class once where the teacher advised us to try using lines or words from our manuscripts as the titles, particularly lines/words that related to the story's theme(s). A lot of authors have done it, so it could work for you too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon24 April 2012 at 07:20

      Oh this is genius advice! It's also something I always used to do but completely forgot about - thank you! <3

      Delete
  26. PK HREZO24 April 2012 at 11:11

    What a sweet character this guys is. As for titles, sometimes mine come to me as I'm writing...bonk me on the head and I'm like "Oh! Duh!" Other times I start out with one title and change it by the end or halfway through. I like your idea of playing on words... maybe try using some soccer terms... like Penalty Kick ... or something like that to twist into something that fits. Good luck! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nick Wilford24 April 2012 at 15:55

    It seems like he's got everything at his feet at the moment - let's hope it doesn't all go awry for him. This is fiction though so things tend to go wrong lol.

    Sorry I can't help on titles - they're my worst nightmare! I find it hard to come up with something catchy that encapsulates the story. I actually posted about it not long after starting blogging. I did look at some other titles though and tried to figure out how the authors came up with them, so if you want to take a look here's the link: http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/whats-in-name.html

    Good luck!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Donna Smith24 April 2012 at 17:04

    Loved this entry. As for a name... it may not come to you until you are finished. That's how my blog entry titles come to me. I don't start with a title or even have one in the middle of a piece. One suggestion would be as someone mentioned before, taking part of the manuscript and using it. I was thinking about taking a phrase out of the novel...maybe some retort that was made, or a wish that a main character had. But don't push it. It may not be in the story yet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna Smith24 April 2012 at 17:05

      BTW: Following
      Stop by if you've a mind...
      http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com

      Delete
  29. Nicole25 April 2012 at 04:43

    What a sweet first line!

    ReplyDelete

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