Contributed by: Emiliene Alemkeng
Most of the time, we neglect our Novel title and pay more attention to the story line forgetting that, the tittle of the novel should however not be underestimated at all because the title is what calls the reader’s attention first. At a first glance, a reader should be intrigued and want to inquire what the story is talking about? Below are ten tips on how to make your novel tittles captivating.
Identify your audience
Identifying one’s audience is one of the most important guidelines to follow and should never be neglected at all. You should know who you are writing to before drafting your title. Is it a kid’s story? Then you should probably play on simple words to their level. If a teenage story, you check on puberty or romantic themes and if adults or the general public grab featuring themes from the novel which depicts societal issues.
Title should reflect your story line
Titles can be very captivating when you pick ideas from your story and draft. It can be a summarised sentence of what your story is talking about. Descriptive style of writing your title creates imagination in the reader’s mind and as such, that reader will of course want to read your book. Take for example Chaucer’s narrative poetry the Canterbury tales because it arouses interest in its reader.
Make it simple and don’t spend time on it
Make your titles as simple as possible so that your audience can also memorise it easily. Complicated or difficult titles bore the readers. If a reader wants to read a book, it’s in order to entertain themselves not forgetting that they read in order to quote and brag about it so I don’t see how they will get interested in a complicated title that they cannot even memorise. Spending too much time on creating your novel titles will only make it more complicated. Just look how simple Nkengasong’s title Across the mongolo is.
Make a prank didactic title
Making a prank didactic title does not mean you tell your readers you know too much and want to teach them. Remember it’s a novel title we are talking about not a scientific book. There are topics readers are very willing and ready to learn about. Topics on societal evidences, Sex, wealth, popularity and others. You can use them to form your titles, take for instant, grow big and rich or make her beg for more. It should however match the main idea in your novel.
Use metaphors, paradoxes, and clichés
Also think of using some stylistic devices to search for novel tittles. Contrasting sentences will definitely make the readers inquisitive. A catchy novel tittle can make just anybody curious, be it a book lover or not. A title like Lords of the flies extremely calls the reader’s attention because we are eager to know how flies have a lord.
These guidelines are very important and necessary but it does not stop you from making more research like reading other successful writers and how they present their titles. Don’t forget to pay attention on subtitles on Amazon and others for it can guide you more.
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