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.

Of Lights and Shadows' Summary

Children under the age of 13 are slowly being kidnapped with no warning, threats, or demands, and then showing up dead in seemingly random places around the City of New York. The police are so desperate they turn to the only man they know of who might have a chance of finding the Shadow, ex-cop Dastardious Hollow. A man currently serving time for murder.

With really no interest what-so-ever in the case, Hollow accepts just so he can have the please of finding the Shadow before his rival, Mulligan, does, and for the chance of turning down the promotion Mulligan has so eagerly sought for six long years. The one he sought when he arrested Dastardious for murder.

With the clock ticking before the Police Commissioner gets tired of him and sends him back to prison, will Dastardious find the Shadow before Mulligan? Even with help how can you find someone who never leaves a clue?

The above is a summery I wrote for my latest book, Of Lights and Shadows, to be published in June. It's still a bit of a work in progress, I'm not too sure about the content of it. Not sure if it's right, enough, too much, or what. I've had some advice but I'm still not sure.

The book I'm still writing. I've got the end to work on, but to get to the end I have to edit the beginning because the beginning leaves no room for an ending. It will just continue to go on and on until it fizzles with nothing. So I'm working on that. Not working really really hard at it, I'm a bit lazy and also have other stuff on my plate. Though that's no excuse considering the amount of time I spend on the computer should be enough to finish the rest of the edit in a day. But let's move on from there, I'm making myself feel guilty and I don't want to do that.

Um, what else? I think I should really start advertising this blog to people who are interested in what I have to say rather than just leaving it to chance that someone will come along who'll like it. Unfortunately I don't really know where to advertise my blog, and it's also doing something I don't like doing: going out there. It's terrifying. I prefer to stay inside away from having to do anything like that. But it's my own fault for starting to publish, I have to take that what comes with it.

Any suggestions of where I could advertise this blog and my story and whatnot would be greatly appreciated. I worked on the comments and now people can post them, I did that a little while ago but didn't end up saying, I don't think. 

-Peter

New Years Day

Happy New Year! That's what everyone's saying, you walk outside into the heat of a hot, muggy, Australian summer day and you're bombarded by the sounds of a million cicadas wishing you a happy new year.

A year has come and gone and I'm just amazed, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it all. It seems really short but sometimes looking at it you realise that it wasn't short at all. The thing I have trouble getting my head around is the fact that it's only been one year that has just past. So much happened last year that I kept thinking at least 2 or 3 years past. It's just... really weird.

All and all it wasn't too bad of a year. I turned 16, got an amazing girlfriend, lost my amazing girlfriend but still remain best friends with her so that's not bad at all. Got my learners, became better friends with my friends, got to know my God better, which is totally true. Finished year 11, self-published my very first book, wrote another one that I plan on self-publishing this year. Went to my first concert (Bon Jovi you rock!), and made some great new friends. (This is not in the order that it happened, I couldn't be bothered writing it in chronological order.)

And it's day one of a brand new year and already I see it as being a busy year. I have year 12 to complete, 6 months to finish writing my new book and edit it until gleams with correct SPaG, about 70 or so hours to clock up in driving, and I'm quite sure that a great many unforeseen things will happen before this year is out. Some of it will be great and some of it will be sad I'm sure, there is not much way of knowing. But I enter this year gladly.

I wish you all out there a great year!

-Peter.