Titles are Very Important -- a post from Jody Lynn Nye

I must admit, I got very excited by the title of this thread, hoping we were getting a lesson (a much-needed lesson, in my case) on how to title short stories. Alas! But the information is still very helpful and I love any insight into the WOTF Judging Process, so thank you, @jodylynnnye

That's a great idea for a post, and I will work on that. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks for the mention about retitling.

In regards to titling a story, that's a tough one for me. I struggle with titles and try to keep them simple.

I've heard doing a play on words is something to avoid in a title, but I don't understand that. 

I do hope using the wrong spelling of a word (homophones) is something an author would catch (i.e. Angel/Angle, which/witch, etc.).

What about a play on words in a title on purpose? Is that just a dumb author thing or fun?

Thanks for letting us know how you treat repeat stories. This is very helpful!

Thanks @jodylynnnye for that insight behind the scenes. I'll keep this in mind if I resubmit an old story in hopes of a higher ranking.  

Great to know! Thanks!

Thanks, Jody. I always try to write something new and fresh, but this is a great little tidbit to be aware of.

Noted, thanks!
Sometimes I retitle things based on feedback but for the Contest I'll revert to any old titles (I don't change how I track a story, so this should be easy!)

I second the vote for a title lesson ? . That's my favorite part of writing something, but I have no rhyme or reason to it other than what feels right. It'd be nice to learn a rhyme or reason. 

My science brain just gobbled up all of this information like a hungry mantis. Thank you for the peek behind the curtain at the cogs of this machine. It baffles me that you guys can get through such a massive number of submissions...not once, but four times a year. 

I sometimes change the title of a story after I make meaningful changes to it because the old title doesn't fit anymore  or the revisions have revealed a better title - certainly not to try to fool anyone :). Will keep this in mind for future with my submissions here to note the old title the way you've suggested. 

Here's a helpful article on the craft side of titles, written by John Joseph Adams: https://www.sfwa.org/2016/05/27/zen-art-short-fiction-titling/

Hopefully Scott Parkin won't mind me quoting him directly. Here's a titling story for his winner, Purposes Made For Alien Minds:

I found out just how close I came to being actually rejected, and it turns out the five-device may have saved my bacon. He thought my original title (Just Another Problem to Solve) was bland, but liked the premise and first contact theme, so he meant to click Hold and set it aside, but apparently accidentally clicked Reject (the buttons are right next to each other in the UI).

It wasn't until he went back to his hold pile and couldn't find the first contact story that he rescued it. If not for the five-thing he might not have remembered or found it---he'd long forgotten my boring title. (Important Safety Tip: titles matter---a lot.)

Phew...

@jodylynnnye I'm so encouraged to know you remember our stories! Does this advice about titles also encompass stories I may have sent in before you were the coordinating judge?

Thank you for all your work and care for us aspiring authors!

So on this note, if I take a previous HM and really focus in on one scene, (essentially cutting more than 3/4 of the original story, but this is still a very key scene to that old story and thus may spark memories) should I still consider it a resubmission and use the old title? The old title doesn't work on this focused in scene so I'd take the above advice and use *Sparkling New title* (previously: old Lame boring title).

If over the course of editing, you decide that your title really, really doesn’t suit the story anymore and it’s worth changing, please note the original at the head of your story like this:

If your story becomes a Finalist, it will go to the other judges under its new name. That will keep my books in order, but enter the final voting with the title you want it to have now. Thanks!

I think Jody is asking to be alerted to the title change. It is a huge change after all.

Thank you Jody!

I usually enter new stories every quarter but I have reentered and retitled before because I felt a new title suited better. If I do that again I’ll use both titles as you’ve asked! I love having this new insight into your process and knowing that you are keeping track of what we’re sending you with such an organized system. 

Thank you, Jody!

This is really helpful to know as I have an SHM I am thinking of reworking. I am not great at titles though, so my cover page would probably be more like:

Terrible New Title

(previously Old Terrible Title)

@cweaver Hi, Catherine, I only know if a story has been submitted before I took over is if Kary English tags it for me. I jot a reminder of that in my notes.

Thank you for this clarification - I was curious myself how that would work

Thanks for this! It helps to know we can resubmit after putting in more work. 

Posted by: @Anonymous

↑

The opinion that titles are very important can lead to discussion and different points of view. In today's society, many people are judged and identified by their accomplishments, titles, or professional titles. Titles can serve as a sign of success and status in society.

Welcome @alyssabaker Please don't forget to introduce yourself here on the forum:

https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/about-the-forum-start-here/new-users-introduce-yourselves/

Spam bot Alyssa has been blocked, and her comments have been removed.