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message 1: by J. (new)

J. Burton | 18 comments Hey gang.

I've been developing this YA novel series lately (I won't start writing until I'm done with the pulp SF novella series I'm doing right now) and wondered if I could seek some advice as to the series title.

It's (I'm gonna be vague here) about a group of 6 teens from various places in the US who suddenly find themselves together in their dreams, placed in certain areas so as to combat the forces of evil.

I was using the working title of "The Dreamtravel Chronicles" but I'd like to change this now, since I don't like it and I have a tendency to get unduly wedded to working titles.

Do any of you guys have opinions on the following titles:

"The Dream Odyssey"
"The Sleepwar Cycle"
"The Dreamsoldier Chronicles"
"The Dreambattle Archives"
"The Dream Crusades"

As compensation for your help, I shall reward you with a hearty hurrah. (And who doesn't want that?)


message 2: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Emme (Lisa_Emme) | 212 comments I like "The Sleepwar Cycle" or if I could combine two, I'd say "The Sleepwar Chronicles" (especially if these are going to be told from one particular character's POV).


message 3: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Reed (samthewitch) | 3 comments I really like 'The Dreamsoldier Chronicles' (Being in the YA audience myself) but I like the Archives part of the one below it. So maybe "The Dreamsoldier Archives"? Just an idea.


message 4: by J. (new)

J. Burton | 18 comments Thanks for the thoughts, guys.

I know it's extremely early to be deciding a title (and I can always change it later) but I find that the working title for me starts to shape how I think about the book(s) and it becomes so embedded that I have trouble altering it.

Oh, and the idea for now is to have each of the six books told from a different character's POV.


message 5: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Emme (Lisa_Emme) | 212 comments J. wrote: "Oh, and the idea for now is to have each of the six books told from a different character's POV. "


I'd definitely go with ______ Chronicles then. I still like Sleepwar. Dreamsoldier screams romance to me for some reason.


message 6: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Reed (samthewitch) | 3 comments Lisa wrote: I'd definitely go with ______ Chronicles then. I still like Sleepwar. Dreamsoldier screams romance to me for some reason.

Or, instead of singular Dreamsoldier it could be Dreamsoldiers plural- since there's six of them. I just think Sleepwar sounds too much like the war isn't real or something like that. I dunno, that's just my humble opinion.


message 7: by K. (new)

K. Kidd | 49 comments Sounds like a great series! I like "The Dreamsoldier Chronicles."

Another thought - "The Dream Threat Chronicles"


message 8: by Micah (new)

Micah Sisk (micahrsisk) | 1042 comments Lisa wrote: "I like "The Sleepwar Cycle" or if I could combine two, I'd say "The Sleepwar Chronicles" (especially if these are going to be told from one particular character's POV)."

Same here. "Dream" anything just screams of cliché to me. I got sick of anything with that word in the title back in the '80s when marketing agencies came up with the New Age music catch-all genre. It's become such a fluff title word that it almost means nothing to me.

Sleepwar sounds fresh, implies both dreaming and fighting, rolls off the tongue nicely, and has a sense of mystery to it.


message 9: by Anita (new)

Anita (anitalouiserobertsonyahoocom) | 50 comments Dreambattle Chronicles (delete "The")


message 10: by J. (new)

J. Burton | 18 comments Thanks for everyone's thoughts so far.

It's interesting to see what connotations different words bring up for different people.

Looks like so far people are being drawn (by and large) to either "Sleepwar" or "Dreamsoldier" - with a lot of difference in opinion on "cycle", "chronicles" or "archives".

I get the dislike of "dream" and that 80s fantasy overuse it summons up. I did try some other "sleep" alternatives ("Sleep Soldiers", etc.) but didn't think any of them sounded good.

I'll continue thinking about it - and thanks again for your help!


message 11: by G.G. (new)

G.G. (ggatcheson) | 2491 comments How about 'Sleepwalkers Chronicles'?


message 12: by C.D. (new)

C.D. (skymama) | 3 comments I like Dream Soldiers. Not one word, but two. Also, no "the". Just saying.


message 13: by Charles (new)

Charles Hash | 1054 comments I like the Sleepwar Cycle.


message 14: by Owen (new)

Owen O'Neill (owen_r_oneill) | 1509 comments #1 "The Dreamsoldier Chronicles"
#2 "The Sleepwar Cycle"


message 15: by J. (new)

J. Lennington (judylennington) | 1 comments I like The Dream Crusades.
And, Dream Soldiers. w/o the chronicles
or how about Dream Warriors?


message 16: by Charles (new)

Charles Hash | 1054 comments Cuz there was a Dokken song called Dream Warriors. Not that it should be a reason, but it could be. :)


message 17: by Nik (new)

Nik Krasno Didn't hear hurrahs and see fireworks.

Agree with Micah. "Dream" sounds cliche to me too.

Maybe: "The HiberCrew" or something like "nap/slumber warriors" -:) or "Dormant squad"


message 18: by Micah (last edited Jul 15, 2015 06:04AM) (new)

Micah Sisk (micahrsisk) | 1042 comments Charles wrote: "Cuz there was a Dokken song called Dream Warriors. Not that it should be a reason, but it could be. :)"

Aside from my "dream" aversion, I dislike Dreamsoldier or Dream Soldier because it could be misconstrued as a romance thing. Dream date, that kind of thing ("Oh, he's my dream soldier!").

Plus: "Dream Soldier is the fourth album by soul singer-songwriter Des'ree..." And "Dream Soldier is a feature length action documentary about war and escapism, heroes and history." [wikipedia]

OTOH, Awakening to the Great Sleep War (1982 Austrian novel by Gert Jonke) is the only sleep war reference I can find, so there shouldn't be much of a popular culture conflict with those titles.

As for Chronicles, Cycle, or Archive...none of them really matter. They're all kind of catch phrases anyway.


message 19: by Igzy (new)

Igzy Dewitt (IgzyDewitt) | 148 comments I like the Sleepwar Cycle, and Sleepwar Chronicles suggestions. Catchy contraction you've got there.


message 20: by Christina (new)

Christina McMullen (cmcmullen) Charles wrote: "Cuz there was a Dokken song called Dream Warriors. Not that it should be a reason, but it could be. :)"

Yep, the first thing I thought when I saw dream was the later Nightmare on Elm Street flicks (Dream Warriors being the title of and theme song for the third one).

I like Sleepwar. I like it as one word as well. In fact, my suggestion is to drop the second word and just go with Sleepwar Book #X, The Sleepwar series, or something similar.


message 21: by J. (new)

J. Burton | 18 comments Well, "Sleepwar" seems to be the favorite, for sure! Thanks for all your input so far, I appreciate everyone's time.

Oh, I believe I promised you one of these:

"HURRAH!"

Now don't say I never gave you nuthin.

(Seriously, thanks everyone for the suggestions. Although I'm still writing a different series right now, I'm spending a lot of my thinking time trying to break the story for Book 1 of this Sleepwar series. A lot of work still ahead.)


message 22: by Sam (new)

Sam Friedman (sam_ramirez) | 83 comments Dreambattle Archives stands out. Chronicles is overrused is novels. But I don't see too many "archives", or "dreambattle."


message 23: by Ellen (new)

Ellen Ekstrom (grammatica1066) | 63 comments I like "Dream Crusades," but then I'm a scholar of medieval history. "Dreambattle Archives" is by far unique. What's the title that you first thought of, or pulled you in? I find that the title that just pops up in my head is usually the one that fits, though I have to confess my book "The Legacy" went through seven title changes before it went to press back in December of 2004.


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