Even though there are many celebrations going on at this time, I managed to destroy a whole notebook and waste more than a day before deciding on the right title and the contents of this newsletter. As I scribbled down notes with different ideas, a single question kept nagging at me:

Sometimes, I'll have the title before ever writing a single word; other times - times like this - not so much. The more I wrote, the more it nagged at me and I got to the point of ripping out pages upon pages of half finished articles only because I couldn't think of a proper title. Precious time wasted with nothing to show for it! The same thing happens when writing any type of story. The pressure becomes overwhelming and in the end, the story stays unfinished because of the few words which should have graced its introduction as a great headline. The fact that I thought I don't buckle under pressure goes to show you how wrong I could be about myself. Luckily, this isn't about me.

Up until now, I used to be a firm believer that the title should always reflect some aspect of the content. How else would the reader know what it is about, right? A small hint of some kind to make a person flip the page and read more, or turn the book to read the blurb. Stubborn in my own beliefs, I wanted to stand my ground, but I wasn't so sure about this any longer. Being stuck in the misery of my own mystery and the inability to solve my own dilemma I went on a search to find the answer.

As I looked at and read the titles of various articles and books, I couldn't help but cringe at some. While the titles of articles most certainly should focus on the content, books and stories of any kind don't necessarily have to. Especially those containing mystery in them. The point of mystery is to keep the unexpected inside the pages and not blurt it all out right at the start.

I don't know about you, but I don't like those, what some call, catchy titles either. Catchy, to my ears, sounds cute and mystery is anything but! A Pizza To Die For may be a great book, expertly written, but not only did the name make me lose my appetite (which rarely happens!) it already told me half of the story. First-Degree Fudge will not stop me dead in my tracks so I can look more into it. There's too much chocolate in it anyway, so I'll keep moving. However, if I pass by a book titled The Body Farm, I just may experience that involuntary shiver which, in spite of my better judgement, would draw me in and make me pick it up. Just because curiosity killed the cat doesn't mean the same fate awaits me while reading a book.

Even though a badly chosen title doesn't mean that the story itself is bad, it will always count for half of what you've accomplished. It's definitely the icing on the cake, no matter how good or bad the cake actually is. While you're not supposed to judge the book by its cover, {insert title here} Chapter 1, will hardly get you noticed.

As I concluded my research, I felt more at ease again. A title for a book/story should at least hint at what it could be about, not what it is about. That's what the blub is for. You want the reader to guess as to what the plot might be so you hand them a riddle which will lead them to the rest. It should chill them, freeze them to their core, because that's the only way those words will leave an echo in their bones. When time passes by and they see that title again, you want them to picture all the scenes all over again as if they'd just read it! ..all that because of a few words. Which means.. Be original! Daring. Inventive. And don't forget to "insert mind-boggling title here".


~ Blue Witch

P.S. You probably forgot to read the title of this newsletter, but I forgive you nonetheless. There's a lot going on at the moment.