Best Title Challenge

[annaswirls]

Lifted from the New Poems page.

Pick your favorite 2-3 titles, just for fun!

Titles are a BEAR to many of us, sometimes it is good to take a look at what we like, try to figure out what about it is appealing to us.

Please feel free to do a write in, as I always seem to leave out someone's favorite

 

[Angeline]

This is a great exercise, swirly. I always struggle with titles and it's interesting to think about why I like what I like. My favorite is Still Life with Ice, but I think that's because I remember the poem and what a good fit for it the title is.

So poets, what makes a title good?

 

[annaswirls]

Titles with Numbers:
War Diaries Day Eleven
Epitaph 930
To me, the number gives the poem potential credibility-- in the sense that you feel like there are more of them in the series, that there might be something there


I will not (ask again)

I like the unusual structure of this, the potential for conflict, gives promise.


Learning from Water
made me wonder, what what can we learn from water!!!

Still Life with Ice
I wanted to know, immediately, what that would look like. A teaser.

 

[normal jean]

This is a great exercise, swirly. I always struggle with titles and it's interesting to think about why I like what I like. My favorite is Still Life with Ice, but I think that's because I remember the poem and what a good fit for it the title is.

So poets, what makes a title good?

To me, a good title tells the reader something about the poem, that the poet may not wish to spend time or extra words dealing with in the poem.

That is why I liked Colors of a Masochist. It was a remarkable way to explain the bruises that a person might inflict on ones self to release inner pain.

And I did like Learning from Water. That is a good title. In a way, that one reminded me of your Memory poems.

remember my poem that you sent me a lil note about that you didnt get?

on fascination...

well, what IS fascination? what causes someone to be fascinated by something? it might be something huge or very small. It might be something that the person cannot even explain, and in my mind, I find that fascinating, lol

a few people got it, I had a couple of emails. I truthfully didnt expect even that. Remember when we did one word poems? That was a Lauren/senna Jawa thing, maybe...

but mine was titled-

Open for interpretation

Life

~~~

I got hate mail over that one, and a few WTF's from people who had no idea we do challenges here. I thought it was funny, and Lauren thought t was "fucking genius". I think that was the highest praise she ever gave me on any of my work and I was blown away.


anyway, good to see Anna back with her poles & polls , poking us, making us work and think.




oh yeah, and Pistol Whip, ( youre gonna laugh now) but that one made me think of Homer Simpson. I could imagine him dipping a pistol in whipped cream and saying, ummmm, pistol whip..... I believe they actually used that in an episode.

I can be such a simpleton at times.

 

[annaswirls]

oh yeah, and Pistol Whip, ( youre gonna laugh now) but that one made me think of Homer Simpson. I could imagine him dipping a pistol in whipped cream and saying, ummmm, pistol whip..... I believe they actually used that in an episode.

I can be such a simpleton at times.

hahaha!

my favorite Simpson is "mmmmm floor pie...."


it is good to be here, too, NJ thank you

 

[LeBroz]

but mine was titled-

Open for interpretation

Life

~~~

Missed that one. Sheer brilliance.

.
.

 

[annaswirls]

Here are the poets to go with the titles

War Diaries Day Eleven -
Submitted by pipedream_ink (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/11/07

The Eyes Of The Pigs Are Upon You -
Submitted by ramonathompson (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/11/07


Learning from Water -
Submitted by Paris_Garters (Erotic Poetry) 10/10/07

Still Life with Ice -
Submitted by Klingsor (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/09/07

Monalisa -
Submitted by indianindreams (Erotic Poetry) 10/09/07

Colors of a Masochist -
Submitted by nova4u (Erotic Poetry) 10/09/07

A shell -
Submitted by WitchyNiki (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/09/07

I will not (ask again) -
Submitted by assumepresume (Erotic Poetry) 10/09/07


Epitaph 930 -
Submitted by anonamouse (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/08/07

Johnny B -
Submitted by danielx3 (Erotic Poetry) 10/08/07

Pistol whip -
Submitted by Rumpleteazer (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/07/07

Dompierre -
Submitted by redgiantuk (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/06/07

Rehobeth Remembered -
Submitted by Krenna Smart (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/06/07

Toddler Fodder -
Submitted by Rumpleteazer (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/06/07

Play to lose -
Submitted by darthjser (Non-Erotic Poetry) 10/05/07

 

[vampiredust]

Learning from Water

Now that's a title! makes me want to read on and gives me a lot to think about already. I love it when a poet does that. Kudos to Ms Paris

 

[Angeline]

Do people write their titles right after they finish a poem? I wonder. I've been thinking that I often feel exhilarated but spent after I write a poem, especially if I feel like I really nailed it. Maybe if I gave myself some time/perspective I'd have better ideas for titles. Does anyone find that helps them?

Liar, are you out there? I've always admired your titles. lol. Liar, Annaswirls, NJ, smitherpeter, Bogusbrig--off the top of my head these poets always seem especially creative with titles, I've often thought.

 

[Guest]

.........

 

[twelveoone]

laughs, 930 was a date stamp. 9/30 was when Eluard and I got into it about "relativity" so I wrote something without a present, unless of course you read it as 9:30, in which case she is already dead, and the slippage into past tense was a sign. At least two murderers tripped themselves up with slipping into the past tense.

Which is why I mentioned to WSO she would not want to know more about that protagonist.

I like Rehobeth Remembered, sounds so biblical..

 

[WickedEve]

This was an easy one for me. These jumped out and landed right on me. Ouch.

Learning from Water
Still Life with Ice
Colors of a Masochist

 

[UnderYourSpell]

I use a title that I hope will entice someone to read it in the first place .. I just submitted 'Nipples' !

 

[foehn2]

I'm not totally intrigued by titles. If you're too absorbed in something else at the time, you know, to read the poem or story ... then of what use was a title?

However, I have to pretty much agree with something that was said earlier. Titles I accord to my missives to humanity generally consist of phrases I thought of first, or some key phrase from the piece.

But you know, it is an interesting question. A good title will draw some readers in, and I don't seem to be wonderful at it.

Along the same vein, I wondered why it is called the "Mike and Juliet Show" instead of the "Juliet and Mike Show." She's certainly a lot prettier than he is.