Finding the Right Title

If you are a writer, I would hazard a guess that you've wrestled with finding titles for some of your work. As a reader, you've probably been intrigued by more than a few titles that led you to reading the books. Titles draw potential readers in, and those readers include agents and editors. I believe a certain magic happens when a writer discovers the perfect title for her work. I'll never forget the moment the right title for my romance novel revealed itself. I was driving from my home in Bend to my parents' home in Tigard, Oregon. I'd crossed the Cascade mountains and was cruising up I-5. Words were swirling in my head as I thought about what I wanted the title to convey. Something about "home" I thought. And there it was: Home of the Heart. Perfect!

Choosing a title for the memoir was a different experience. I gave it several titles as I worked on it over the years, but none were satisfactory. In a critique session a couple of years ago, one of my partners, a woman with a rather sardonic view of life, sighed and said, ""Just call it God, the Devil, and Divorce." Although she was joking, I immediately knew she'd nailed it. When I give people the title, they seem to get the gist of it right away. That happened again yesterday when the response was a chuckle and the comment, "Something for everyone!" 

My experience meeting with editors and agents at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference a couple of weeks ago reinforced the value of my title.
   "Perhaps you'd be interested in my memoir," I told an editor at lunch one day.
   "There's not a lot of call for memoir unless you're famous or it's controversial," he replied.
  I smiled. "I'm not famous, but I think you'll find mine controversial enough. I've titled it God, the Devil, and Divorce."
   His eyes lit up. "We need to talk."
I came home with his request to see the entire manuscript plus interest from two agents. The title is opening doors for m.e.

It's taken me a while to find a good subtitle, though. When I finally identified my ex-husband's behavior as "crazymaking," I thought it would be good to include that word, as well as maybe something to indicate my marriage lasted twenty-five years, but I wan't completely happy with the combination of words I experimented with. Then there I was, driving again ... this time on the way to the Denver airport ... and the words, "A Love Story" came to me. As odd as it may seem, despite all the hurt and confusion I experienced in my marriage, I now see how my life has become a love story. I think about God's comfort and provision for me during my darkest hours, and how he blessed me with my now forever husband. What greater love than these?

If you're searching for the perfect title, check out this article by Rachelle Gardner: ​http://www.rachellegardner.com/create-a-compelling-book-title/  If you've settled on a title, I'd love to hear your process. Or, as a reader, what title has grabbed you and why?

Blessings,
Linda