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
Quill Shiv says:
The Trial of Gary McGee
September 18, 2015 — 9:40 PM
Nike Wind says:
The Black Hole.
The Adjustment.
September 18, 2015 — 10:03 PM
dontgetitrightgetitwritten says:
“The Adjustment”– love it, and wrote it. 🙂 Will post next week and link back here, just in case you’d like to see it…
September 22, 2015 — 1:04 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Love love love your handle, btw.
September 30, 2015 — 5:46 PM
dontgetitrightgetitwritten says:
Thank you much! 🙂
October 1, 2015 — 10:26 PM
j.k.miles says:
I want my jetpack!
September 18, 2015 — 10:30 PM
gfirestorm says:
Two Drops of Silver
September 18, 2015 — 10:41 PM
glenavailable says:
Gold!
September 19, 2015 — 3:10 AM
dante says:
Love your replies to some of these titles. Haha
September 19, 2015 — 5:07 PM
glenavailable says:
It’s definitely a party waiting to be joined as I see it. Thanks for that!
September 19, 2015 — 5:09 PM
dante says:
No problem. Did you submit a title?
September 19, 2015 — 5:10 PM
glenavailable says:
“Mr Dastardly”, but since that has garnered no reaction, if I had my time over again I’d embellish it to –
“Mr Dartardly Meets Tourniquet Ted” (The Serial Killer Chronicles Volume 9)… not that there’s been a previous eight volumes but just to give the illusion and feel that this is a well-established, successful, not-to- be-ignored series.
September 19, 2015 — 5:24 PM
dante says:
I liked Mr. Dastardly. And putting Volume 9 on it is a good idea to get responses haha.
September 19, 2015 — 5:27 PM
glenavailable says:
Thankyou and thankyou to Chuck for making our exchange possible.
September 19, 2015 — 5:31 PM
dante says:
Yes, yes. Thank you Chuck
September 19, 2015 — 5:33 PM
lightningstarlight says:
Kilara
September 18, 2015 — 10:44 PM
Russell says:
The Sound of Fire
September 18, 2015 — 11:38 PM
Tom Moore Jr says:
Stardust Dancer
September 19, 2015 — 1:58 AM
Giana says:
It brings to mind either a fantasy or a sci-fi. Very cool.
September 19, 2015 — 11:14 PM
G T Moore Jr says:
Thank you! Kind of the tone I was aiming for.
September 20, 2015 — 11:41 PM
nkharrold says:
She Never Dies Quietly
September 19, 2015 — 2:03 AM
Alison DeLuca (@AlisonDeLuca) says:
Grisly and creepy, by which I mean: excellent.
September 19, 2015 — 1:02 PM
Giana says:
*like*
September 19, 2015 — 11:15 PM
lucie says:
Love!
September 25, 2015 — 12:35 PM
paigevest says:
After choosing several titles that I liked and experimenting with a few opening sentences, I’ve chosen this one for my story. Thank you! I’ll link to it on Chuck’s new post, as well as back here.
September 26, 2015 — 1:59 AM
paigevest says:
I’ve added a link to my story link in the proper blog post but I wanted to pop it in here, too. thanks for the title!
http://writingaboutreading.com/writing-about-writing/ffc-wendig-title/
“She screamed when I killed her for the last time. Of course she had. She always did.”
September 29, 2015 — 11:03 PM
glenavailable says:
Really, really good.This one deserves a (traditional) publisher.
September 30, 2015 — 11:30 PM
mat says:
Trailing Clouds of Glory
September 19, 2015 — 2:27 AM
kirizar says:
I misread this as Trailing Clouds of Gary… An entirely different sort of precipitation.
September 26, 2015 — 9:08 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
I misread it as Tailing Clouds of Gory.
September 30, 2015 — 5:48 PM
kirizar says:
That sounds like a book in the George R. R. Martin Game of Thrones Series–if only he was required to use a title to describe the content. (Great writer, by the way, I just need someone to hold me after I’ve read one of his books.)
September 30, 2015 — 8:25 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
🙂 thanks, I’ll check him out.
September 30, 2015 — 8:42 PM
kirizar says:
Only if you like gratuitous violence and debasing women in fiction. In fact, I’d recommend the HBO series to save you time. It really brings the story to life to see someone beheaded, be-handed, be-…uh…let’s stop with the body parts for now. Let’s just say, if there is a part that can be chopped off, Martin has made it a goal to cover the entire body of work so to speak.
October 1, 2015 — 7:16 PM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Oh, okay got it. I thought you meant “hold me” as in cuddle, not “I’m scared shitless and human beings suck.”
October 2, 2015 — 1:24 AM
john freeter says:
Nobody’s got to know
September 19, 2015 — 2:27 AM
glenavailable says:
On the contrary, everyone’s got to know. This is brilliant!
September 19, 2015 — 3:13 AM
john freeter says:
Thanks! Here’s a really brilliant title though (sadly not mine): Do you remember love?
September 20, 2015 — 3:29 AM
glenavailable says:
To selflessly acknowledge the originality of another – that’s what I call citing with honour. Well done John, but I still say yours is the title that launches a thousand conspiracies and countless noir-ish arterial subplots!
September 20, 2015 — 3:38 AM
myzania3350 says:
In Full Flight
September 19, 2015 — 3:10 AM
kimrepresents says:
One More
September 19, 2015 — 3:13 AM
Brian L. says:
Finders Minders, Losers Boozers
September 19, 2015 — 3:51 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Lol, *perfect*!
September 30, 2015 — 5:49 PM
Princess of Dragons says:
Falling Flames
September 19, 2015 — 4:35 AM
angel011 says:
How to Hide the Body in 5 Easy Steps
September 19, 2015 — 6:50 AM
jessicodes says:
Please tell me that you already wrote this story. Seems like required reading.
September 19, 2015 — 6:53 PM
angel011 says:
Sadly, no. But I’d love to read it!
September 20, 2015 — 5:38 AM
Ethan Asplin says:
Jump. Don’t look back.
September 19, 2015 — 8:12 AM
betsymiller2013 says:
I might give this one a try. Sounds like it could be implied as the last line of the story.
September 25, 2015 — 12:40 PM
Ivory Kelly says:
CD21
September 19, 2015 — 8:44 AM
SamKD says:
The complement receptor?
September 20, 2015 — 9:41 AM
Ivory Kelly says:
I’m not too sure what that is…
To be fair, I’m not too sure what the story would be, either, this title just popped into my head and generated quite a few possibilities.
September 21, 2015 — 8:31 AM
SamKD says:
Sorry…science geek went there first. It’s a protein on the outside of white blood cells and (per a journal article,)
“CD21 is important as a receptor for Epstein-Barr virus and HIV.”
September 21, 2015 — 9:03 AM
Melissa Clare says:
Ahhhh hahaha! Fist bump, science nerd.
September 22, 2015 — 3:57 PM
SamKD says:
Fist bump 🙂
September 23, 2015 — 8:19 AM
Mary Upton says:
Sorry got two and I can’t decide which one. “It’s Not Easy Being Queen!” and “My Mother’s Children.”
September 19, 2015 — 8:56 AM
J.T. Wilbanks says:
The Fine Art of Becoming Nothing
September 19, 2015 — 9:00 AM
entrebat says:
I’ve actually written something on this before work this morning. Not quite fiction, but not quite fact either.
Will post later on.
September 25, 2015 — 1:31 PM
maddaandhalfofthewholestory says:
Intended for Later Use
The Prolific Life of Isabelle Parceley
Coblestones of the Road
Luggage, Skies and Fans
Off the top of my head!
September 19, 2015 — 9:21 AM
Widdershins says:
And … ‘Off the Top of my Head’ 😀
September 19, 2015 — 5:34 PM
glenavailable says:
Good one Widdershins, or may I call you Widdie for short?
September 19, 2015 — 5:42 PM
Widdershins says:
LOL … Widds works for me. 🙂
September 19, 2015 — 5:44 PM
glenavailable says:
Widds it is. Your type of humour adds spark to a forum such as this and hopefully prevents people from taking themselves too seriously in the way that textual analysts are known to sometimes do. Well done.
September 19, 2015 — 5:49 PM
thenotebook183 says:
Under The River
September 19, 2015 — 9:26 AM
sodmikail says:
The Shipping List
September 19, 2015 — 9:38 AM
Amy says:
Raising Werewolves
September 19, 2015 — 9:50 AM
amydrees says:
How the Rain Gets In
September 19, 2015 — 9:51 AM
Giana says:
Sounds sad… and creepy :}
September 19, 2015 — 11:16 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I borrowed this one for this week’s flash–I’ll use another next week, when we are really supposed to be doing it.
September 23, 2015 — 2:27 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Here’s the story:
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2015/09/friday-flash-fiction-how-rain-gets-in.html
September 25, 2015 — 11:02 AM
Apep says:
No Man’s Land
September 19, 2015 — 10:04 AM
John Kilgallon says:
Kennel Hell
September 19, 2015 — 10:09 AM
Miri says:
Fourth Child, Third Son
September 19, 2015 — 11:00 AM
parallaxduality says:
Happily Never After
September 19, 2015 — 11:00 AM
Janet Vandenabeele says:
Scream for the Silence.
September 19, 2015 — 11:16 AM
Christopher says:
Grey Coffee
September 19, 2015 — 12:19 PM
jessicodes says:
eww. Don’t drink that!
September 19, 2015 — 6:52 PM
Louis Shalako says:
Easy Street.
September 19, 2015 — 12:54 PM
Hannah says:
Girl Lost or the Adventures of Space Boy Dan
September 19, 2015 — 1:19 PM
jessicodes says:
Is that one title?
September 19, 2015 — 6:54 PM
Hannah says:
yup 🙂
September 20, 2015 — 3:59 PM
addicted2black says:
Unscripted, Heavily Edited
September 19, 2015 — 1:49 PM
percykerry923 says:
Bloodlust: Rebirth of The Sanguinarian
September 19, 2015 — 2:48 PM
Anna says:
Omg! I can almost see the video game… Nice one:)
September 20, 2015 — 2:50 AM
percykerry923 says:
Gracias Anna 🙂
September 21, 2015 — 8:31 AM
Black Boot says:
Sun Block
September 19, 2015 — 3:46 PM
Medina says:
How to Sing Butterflies
September 19, 2015 — 4:18 PM
wrutr says:
The Baby
September 19, 2015 — 5:03 PM
kirizar says:
Can I just say, ever since Rosemary’s Baby I have been creeped out about stories about babies?!
September 26, 2015 — 9:12 AM
Vangreto (@vangreto) says:
“The Devil’s Restroom”
September 19, 2015 — 5:14 PM
Carolina Mac says:
River Rage
September 19, 2015 — 6:42 PM
decayingorbits says:
A Smell of Roses
September 19, 2015 — 6:51 PM
jessicodes says:
The Conception: Tothe and the Last Armies
September 19, 2015 — 6:52 PM
dangerdean says:
There is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast.
September 19, 2015 — 7:16 PM
dangerdean says:
Of course, I didn’t make up this title, per se, as it’s a song from The Mikado. Still, I’d like to see what story comes from it.
September 19, 2015 — 7:42 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I sang that once!
September 27, 2015 — 7:03 AM
Ridley Kemp says:
Best Friends Forever: A Clint the Fish Adventure
September 19, 2015 — 9:38 PM
Heather Gois says:
Full Blood
September 19, 2015 — 10:46 PM
Giana says:
Josh Has To Die
September 19, 2015 — 11:17 PM
jessicodes says:
poor Josh
September 20, 2015 — 12:14 AM
Ridley Kemp says:
Reckon Josh had it comin’.
September 20, 2015 — 12:35 AM
mentalmachinations says:
Empty Rictus
September 20, 2015 — 1:48 AM
parzival says:
Treading water: A sinking story
September 20, 2015 — 2:23 AM
Kira Jessup (@kirajessup) says:
No Escape
September 20, 2015 — 2:46 AM
jjtoner says:
That’s a movie in the cinemas right now. When I heard the title I thought it was Noah’s Cape!
September 27, 2015 — 2:06 PM
Baronger says:
A place at the Hearth (this article is serendipitous as I finally came up with the title after months of working on the book with no name (ooooh ‘the book with no name’ why not))
September 20, 2015 — 3:16 AM
Carlos Matthews Hernandez says:
The Book With No Name reminds me of “This Book Does Not Exist.” http://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Does-Not-Exist-ebook/dp/B003ZUYPKS
September 25, 2015 — 4:55 PM