This one is so damn easy.
And yet, so damn hard.
See, coming up with the new and proper titles for stories is a difficult act, sometimes — you either have the title going in (which makes it easy), or you need to think of a title for a story, and that’s when (for me, at least) it gets hella hard. Thinking of a title for a pre-existing story is the one time when I really get vaporlock in my writing. I just sit there, stammering. “THE… THING ABOUT THE STUFF. THE… THE NIGHT THE EVENT HAPPENED. THE HAPPENING. THE STUFFENING. THE SWORD OF THE NIGHT OF THE REVENGE OF THE RABBIT OH GOD THIS BOOK DOESN’T HAVE SWORDS OR RABBITS AND BARELY ANY REVENGE AT ALL.”
I’m not good at titles.
Ray Bradbury was famous for making up a list of titles and then writing stories to match those titles. And that’s a little bit of what we’re going to do here, today.
All I want you to do is come up with a title.
One title.
No more.
Then take that title and plop it into the comments below.
Next week, you will all have a chance to scout out the completed list of titles in the comments and write a story geared toward one of those made-up titles (one you did not yourself invent).
That’s it. That’s all. Easy, and yet, difficult.
GET THEE TO THE TITLEMOBILE
mannixk says:
Watch Out for Gnomes
September 18, 2015 — 10:13 AM
terribleminds says:
Reminder folks — one title only.
September 18, 2015 — 10:27 AM
zklimczak says:
That’s an awesome title Chuck! 😉
September 18, 2015 — 11:23 AM
Joshua M. Neff says:
“Reminder, Folks–One Title Only” sounds like a Harlan Ellison story.
September 18, 2015 — 11:36 AM
kirizar says:
Opps. Sorry. I didn’t see that. Mea culpa.
September 18, 2015 — 12:39 PM
Justin Gustainis says:
“Dying Is My Business”
September 18, 2015 — 10:46 AM
Killerpuppytails says:
Channelling Nick Kaufmann there? (It’s a good read, too.)
September 18, 2015 — 12:26 PM
finnwinter says:
Edna’s Got an Ax to Grind
September 18, 2015 — 10:49 AM
Raul says:
From Obsession to Insanity
September 18, 2015 — 10:53 AM
tomahawkrob says:
Shoot’n the Fairy
September 18, 2015 — 10:59 AM
glenavailable says:
Always have wanted to..
September 18, 2015 — 4:40 PM
Melissa McShane says:
Tidal Blood
September 18, 2015 — 11:00 AM
Carlywrites says:
The First Apology
September 18, 2015 — 11:14 AM
C.Steven Manley (@cstevenmanley) says:
One Dragon at a Time
September 18, 2015 — 11:16 AM
Carl says:
Casual Doomsday
September 18, 2015 — 11:23 AM
digitakskylight says:
Android Rebellion
September 18, 2015 — 11:26 AM
Alex says:
Apocalypse Next-Week (a play on Apocalypse Now in case that wasn’t obvious…which it might not be.)
September 18, 2015 — 11:28 AM
Mat Hockey says:
The Stomach and Friends
September 18, 2015 — 11:31 AM
dontgetitrightgetitwritten says:
“Seven Hundred More.”
September 18, 2015 — 11:31 AM
Joshua M. Neff says:
Like my hero Ray Bradbury, I have a list of titles for stories-to-be. I’ll pick one from the list…
“The Man From the Ministry of Fog”
September 18, 2015 — 11:32 AM
mannixk says:
Awesome!
September 18, 2015 — 12:04 PM
Joshua M. Neff says:
Thanks!
September 18, 2015 — 12:11 PM
Larry H Pena says:
*like*
September 18, 2015 — 12:10 PM
Rachel E. Bailey says:
“The Man From the Ministry of Fog”
Sounds like one AMAZING Steampunk adventure. I may try to write something for it. A vignette, at least. Though this has the feel of a novel, honestly.
September 27, 2015 — 1:28 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I’m pretty sure he lives in my town. At least, if we don’t have a Ministry of Fog we should. We certainly have the fog.
September 28, 2015 — 11:44 PM
Pavowski says:
An Infinity of Stevens
(I know the challenge next week will be to use somebody else’s title, but I so want to write this story lol)
September 18, 2015 — 11:35 AM
mannixk says:
This intrigues me and makes me laugh at the same time.
September 18, 2015 — 12:05 PM
entrebat says:
“Malkovich, Malkovich.” 😉
September 18, 2015 — 8:02 PM
T Hammond says:
The Dragon Gods (actual title of book 2 of my trilogy)
September 18, 2015 — 11:39 AM
Elizabeth Mallory says:
The Lordling’s Cabbage
September 18, 2015 — 11:41 AM
jessicodes says:
This one has to roll around in my head a bit yet. Did you already think of the story a bit?
September 19, 2015 — 7:00 PM
Mark A. Sargent says:
The Color Of Loss
September 18, 2015 — 11:43 AM
Winette Jeffries says:
Collider-Scope
September 18, 2015 — 11:44 AM
Marco Cultrera says:
Rejoining the hive
September 18, 2015 — 11:51 AM
glenavailable says:
This has a certain buzz to it.
September 18, 2015 — 5:11 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
HA!
September 30, 2015 — 7:57 PM
gloriousmonsters says:
Things The Devil Knows (I’ve been reading Joe Hill, ok, Ihave the Devil on the brain now)
September 18, 2015 — 11:51 AM
Latedra says:
Good one.
September 18, 2015 — 12:16 PM
Darth Stormageddon™ (@marginal_error) says:
“Lost Memories”
September 18, 2015 — 11:52 AM
[tone·milazzo] (@ToneMilazzo) says:
Aleister Crowley and the Chocolate Factory
September 18, 2015 — 11:52 AM
Janet Vandenabeele says:
This one’s my favorite!
September 22, 2015 — 12:41 PM
David Barnett (@davidmbarnett) says:
The Inconsolable Grief of Mr Edmund Crabb (Deceased)
September 18, 2015 — 11:53 AM
Michele Blood says:
Monkey Business
September 18, 2015 — 11:53 AM
thanosrules says:
I’ll take this one… also the name of A Skid Row song….hmmm.
September 28, 2015 — 8:10 PM
missalimcd says:
The Mysteries of Her Head
September 18, 2015 — 11:54 AM
boundbeautifunk says:
I did this one! Link is on the story page.
September 29, 2015 — 6:37 PM
David Benson says:
Neon Sky
September 18, 2015 — 11:55 AM
glenavailable says:
Movie wise, could this be the sequel to the Tom Cruise/Penelope Cruze film from 2001 Vanilla sky?
September 18, 2015 — 4:44 PM
Dustin Miller says:
The Rocks Above
September 18, 2015 — 11:56 AM
Flanders says:
The Evil Alien Overlord’s Social Media Intern
September 18, 2015 — 11:57 AM
GreenWillow says:
Ha-love this one.
September 18, 2015 — 1:23 PM
Nick says:
H is for Hammer Time
September 18, 2015 — 11:57 AM
cistotrans says:
Bountiful Void
September 18, 2015 — 11:58 AM
Mark Alan Schultz says:
14, With Opinions
September 18, 2015 — 11:59 AM
Maha717 says:
Metaphorical Hope
September 18, 2015 — 12:01 PM
Jennifer Wong says:
Mandarin Thong
September 18, 2015 — 12:03 PM
kirizar says:
Please, somebody pick this one. I don’t think I could do it justice. But I want to see what a clever soul comes up with for Mandarin Thong!
September 18, 2015 — 12:42 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Omg, it’s SO tempting, Mandarin Thong!
September 30, 2015 — 8:00 PM
Jams Fernglerberg says:
The Future Is A Windowless Building
September 18, 2015 — 12:05 PM
Fatma Alici says:
“Inside a Tangled Mind”
September 18, 2015 — 12:08 PM
Carl Eichelberger says:
The Demon in the Ice Cream Truck
September 18, 2015 — 12:11 PM
glenavailable says:
Can already picture the sequel – “The Demon with Sprinkles in the Ice Cream Truck.”
September 18, 2015 — 4:47 PM
Mat Hockey says:
Son of the Demon in the Ice Cream Truck
September 19, 2015 — 9:54 PM
Janet Vandenabeele says:
The Demon and the Rocket Popsicle
September 22, 2015 — 12:42 PM
glenavailable says:
I’ll see your Demon and raise you one PADDLEPOP LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE.
September 24, 2015 — 9:09 PM
Latedra says:
The Incomplete Lack of Control: Charlie’s story
September 18, 2015 — 12:14 PM
Larry H Pena says:
Warlord of Hollywood
September 18, 2015 — 12:16 PM
GreenWillow says:
On the Occasion of My Mother’s Ninety-First Birthday
(True story!)
September 18, 2015 — 12:21 PM
kirizar says:
The Defective Detective or Gumshoe Defective…take your pick.
September 18, 2015 — 12:23 PM
Kat French says:
“It Was On Fire When I Got Here”
September 18, 2015 — 12:26 PM
glenavailable says:
This one burns brightly and demands to be written.
September 18, 2015 — 5:25 PM
Michael J. Martinez says:
Blood, Bullets and Bacon
September 18, 2015 — 12:26 PM
1batfastard says:
Hi All,
[edited out by wendig]
Geoff.
September 18, 2015 — 12:30 PM
terribleminds says:
Geoff —
Please choose one title instead of commenting with a massive list of them. Thanks.
— c.
September 18, 2015 — 12:37 PM
NinjaGW says:
“Beers of the World After”
September 18, 2015 — 12:33 PM
Ashlee says:
This is the one I’m using – thank you!
September 25, 2015 — 5:29 PM
J. Lannan (@jLannan) says:
And Everyone Knows I’m Next
September 18, 2015 — 12:38 PM
1batfastard. says:
Hi All,
Apologies in that case then – The Claustrophobic Agoraphobic…
Geoff.
September 18, 2015 — 12:58 PM
jessicodes says:
No space has the space.
September 19, 2015 — 7:01 PM
brucearthurs says:
The Glory Dogs and the Cat of Ultimate Pain
September 18, 2015 — 1:04 PM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
A Most Unholy Session
September 18, 2015 — 1:07 PM