Writing Titles

Titles, depending on who you are and your thoughts on titles, can be very hard things to come up with. Even harder to come up with than the actual chapter, page, or whatever it is that you are writing that needs one. The reason they are harder to come up with is because you need to sum up basically the entire, for me at this moment in writing my story, chapter in something short. You don't want the chapter to be too long, otherwise it just looks funny and you end up giving too much away, but it can be just one word, if the one word fits.

I love titles, it gives you a sense of what is ahead of you in the story. Inviting little tidbits that get you reading ahead to find out what happens in chapters called 'The Jaws of Death', 'Skirmish in India' and 'The Body in the Ice Float'*.

My story, Of Lights and Shadows, is my second one to include chapter titles. I decided I was getting tired of just labeling them as Chapter One, Chapter Two, and so on, so I started naming them. And it has been most fun. I just love coming up with them, it is a challenge sometimes, I will admit, when there just doesn't seem to be anything in the chapter worth mentioning in the title or when you can't come up with a title that has anything to do with the chapter and so on. But in the end it is just so worth it, and, I hope, it adds to the story as well.

So just to get you interested in my story I thought I would post the chapter titles that I have come up with so far for my novel for you all to read. There are 12 chapters so far and I'm still writing the story so more will come, but here is what I have:

While My Baby Silently Sleeps

The Devil in the Deep Blue Suit

Home is Where the Drugs Are

The House of Silence Mourner

Their Kidnapping Consultant

Back in New York City

A Shot in the Night Time

Interviewing the Witnesses

They Shot Him Twice

A Little Touch of Black Mail

Another Clue to Follow On

The Eyes of a Snake

I hope they make you want to read the story just like they make me want to.

-Peter.





*None of those are actual title headings that I am aware of, they were made up on the spot by me.