Heavyweight Titles

It isn't really smart to judge a book by its cover. But...sometimes that can be a pretty good strategy for picking out books that you might be interested in. Because, when you think about it, what's the first bit of writing that you look at when you pick up a book? The title.

Titles are tricky, because there are a couple of very serious matters involved in creating them. First of all, they need to be catchy enough to get the reader's attention. Then, they have to be mysterious enough to make a reader wonder, so that they'll read the book. Humans are driven by curiosity. A good title also has to give the reader a hint about the subject matter, or plot, without giving too much away.

So, when writers are coming up with titles, they are under a lot of pressure. So they work hard, very very hard, and may spend hours, days, even weeks and months thinking over their titles. After all, when you write your awesome novel, you wouldn't want someone to pass over it just because the title isn't good enough.

When you guys did your profiles of each other, there were a few titles that really stuck out.

1. Perfect is as Perfect Does
This was great because it sort of hinted at the subject matter, how perfect this person is, and it also alluded to Forrest Gump, where his mother says, "Stupid is as stupid does." Allusions are good when you are trying to pack a lot of meaning into a small amount of writing.
2. The Runner
This one I liked because it was simple, but at the same time very powerful. And it all hinges on one word: "the." When you say someone is "The Runner," it's a very different story than it would be if it were called "A Runner." Think about that.
3. Diva in Disguise
This one is just cute, and also very well-suited to the person it was written about. See, it's true to its subject matter. Also, it's got that nice alliteration with the two "d" sounds.
4. Uniqueness in Hiding
Again, this one was good because of how well it matched the person it was about. Also, it has a great sort of feel to it, because I like the word "uniqueness." People own their uniqueness, and they can choose to show it or, in this case, hide it. That's very cool, to think about someone who's truly unique, but for whatever reason, they decide not to show it all of the time. Very interesting.
5. Monizzle
Ok, so this one was my favorite. It's just so...well...it's very unique. It sticks out. And it's funny. This one suited the writer very well I thought, and the rest of the profile was very well written and had that same kind of "Monizzle" feel to it. It's got a great, comfortable, humorous tone.

For this post, I want you to find a book or story title that you like, any title at all (school appropriate of course), and then do exactly what I just did: explain why you like it.