Titles: The First Impression a Novel Makes

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A new mini-feature starts this week here at Fic-U--the Afternoon Rewind. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'll pull an article out of the archives that still offers useful advice, even if it's been gather e-dust for a awhile. Today's rewind is all about how titles affect our novels. 
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with titles. They either come to me like bolts from the blue, or I spend months struggling to find the right one. Usually, the easier the title comes to me, the more well-formed the story idea is.

When this happens, I know I've tapped into a critical element of the story, and that element will likely resonate throughout the entire novel. That's the power of the right title.

The cliché says you can't judge a book by its cover, but readers do judge them by their titles. A great title will catch the eye and entice a reader to pick up your book, while a bad title will keep readers away or attract the wrong readers for your story.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com