Changing your title midway through a story, bad idea?

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I always use some sort of title when I start writing a story. Just to give it a name to keep track of stuff, and so when my friend is reading over stuff for me we can reference stuff by a name. Oh hey I think you need to rework the second paragraph in Stuff And Nonsense.

Sometimes the name I tack on, in the beginning, stays sometimes it changes.

So while listening to music and writing the other day I heard a line, A Trapdoor In The Sun, and thought, wow that would be a nice title for No Such Thing As Time, but I'm not sure I should change the title after 15 chapters in.

Ever change a title after writing and posting several chapters?

 

[KeithD]

I have never posted before it all is finished and never will, but I've changed titles while writing--either because everything changed while writing or a better title occurred during writing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Ever change a title after writing and posting several chapters?

No. You'll just confuse your readers, big time. Half will think you've stopped a story mid-stream, the other half will wonder what on earth is happening. Stories with different titles would be seen as separate stories.

Really bad idea!

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I have never posted before it all is finished and never will, but I've changed titles while writing--either because everything changed while writing or a better title occurred during writing.

That's what I usually do, post as one long story, or submit all of a story's chapters at once to be posted over a few days, but with this one I didn't. And I only guess I didn't because it's longer than my usual stuff.

No. You'll just confuse your readers, big time. Half will think you've stopped a story mid-stream, the other half will wonder what on earth is happening. Stories with different titles would be seen as separate stories.

Really bad idea!

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking. Wish I had thought of the other title at the beginning.


Thanks guys!

 

[gunhilltrain]

It's an evocative title; I suspect you might be able use it for some other story.

Haven't there been a few stories or movies which were created from a phrase and then that became the title? It's sort of doing it backwards, but it might work occasionally.

P.S.: The closest thing I can come to that is this: a list of novels inspired by song titles, and songs inspired by book titles.

https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/bookish-playlist-10-books-inspired-famous-songs/

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

It's an evocative title; I suspect you might be able use it for some other story.

Haven't there been a few stories or movies which were created from a phrase and then that became the title? It's sort of doing it backwards, but it might work occasionally.

P.S.: The closest thing I can come to that is this: a list of novels inspired by song titles, and songs inspired by book titles.

https://offtheshelf.com/2017/08/bookish-playlist-10-books-inspired-famous-songs/

OMG I love that list!
Thanks for posting that.

Funny story, some night when my kids and I are bored we read shitty fanfic at Wattpad and we plan on writing a Beatles fanfic and one of the lines we have planned is something like
Doesn't it feel good, my Norwegian Wood...
We also think instead of the usual "I'm cumming" we're going to say "Beep Beep and Beep Beep and Yeah"
Also really need to reference Baby you can drive my...car?

So many funny sexual reference puns in Beatles songs.

Yeah I'll probably use it at some point, or If No Such Thing As Time gets amazingly popular and I publish it, I'll change the title! hehehe

 

[Hypoxia]

No. You'll just confuse your readers, big time. Half will think you've stopped a story mid-stream, the other half will wonder what on earth is happening. Stories with different titles would be seen as separate stories.

Really bad idea!

Quite right. Give spinoffs separate identities, sure. But don't muddle your main story.

Haven't there been a few stories or movies which were created from a phrase and then that became the title? It's sort of doing it backwards, but it might work occasionally.

SNAKES ON A PLANE came thusly IIRC.

A basic writer's exercise: Compose a catchy title and a snappy first sentence or paragraph. A few of my pieces started there. Let the title drive the story. It's almost easy.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

-snip-
We also think instead of the usual "I'm cumming" we're going to say "Beep Beep and Beep Beep and Yeah"
Also really need to reference Baby you can drive my...car?

Oooh! Autoeroticism! *grin*

 

[Hypoxia]

Oooh! Autoeroticism! *grin*

No, that's either fucking on the hood, or a [insert ethnicity] terrorist tries to blow up a car but burns their lips on the tailpipe.

 

[gunhilltrain]

No, that's either fucking on the hood, or a [insert ethnicity] terrorist tries to blow up a car but burns their lips on the tailpipe.

To me metrosexual sounds like someone who has sex on subways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D90YGaEU0G4

 

[oggbashan]

To me metrosexual sounds like someone who has sex on subways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D90YGaEU0G4

For me it's Parisian subways. London is too much like this:

https://youtu.be/CWX_SHVILEA

Paris:

https://youtu.be/_V-b8QIYOpM

 

[Sonatatre]

Changing the title of a work that have already had a lot of chapters posted is probably a bad idea.

As far as changing the name of a novel or other writing, in traditional publishing it is very rare that a book goes with the same title from concept to publishing. A written work is bound to change a lot during the time of writing, and all the editing processes. Then the agent will give their input on it, and then the publishing house. I have even heard some people say that if the book keeps the same name through out it all, you have probably done something wrong. I do not agree with that statement though.

For me it has been a mix of both. Mostly I have kept the title. Sometimes I should have changed it. Sometimes the first title have been very basic and the purpose have always been to come up with something fitting once the story is completed.

 

[Hypoxia]

Back to title-driven stories. One famous set: an ASTOUNDING SCIFI magazine reader's reviews of stories in an issue one year in the future. Editor / slimebag Campbell loved that, and commissioned all those stories to be written, including Heinlein's classic GULF.

ObTopic: No, don't change titles mid-continuity. That path is madness. Finish, then consider spinoffs. A magazine may change names without too much loss, as WHOLE EARTH REVIEW ==> CoEVOLUTION QUARTERLY or ASTOUNDING ==> ANALOG. Many pulp-magazine-original stories were renamed for book publication -- but not between chapters.

Okay, I think we've flogged that one sufficiently. (Pardon my adverb.)

 

[Rustyoznail]

No, that's either fucking on the hood, or a [insert ethnicity] terrorist tries to blow up a car but burns their lips on the tailpipe.

Nah. Gear sticks, handbrakes, or towballs...

And on topic. No. Just don't. For ask the reasons mentioned.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I loved the title so much I went ahead and started a new story using that title. I had started writing it while I was in Boston last year, but was writing it in a notebook, so last night I transferred what I have already written to my laptop.

Now I'm not tempted to use it for the old story.

 

[gunhilltrain]

OMG I love that list!
Thanks for posting that.

Funny story, some night when my kids and I are bored we read shitty fanfic at Wattpad and we plan on writing a Beatles fanfic and one of the lines we have planned is something like
Doesn't it feel good, my Norwegian Wood...
We also think instead of the usual "I'm cumming" we're going to say "Beep Beep and Beep Beep and Yeah"
Also really need to reference Baby you can drive my...car?

So many funny sexual reference puns in Beatles songs.

Yeah I'll probably use it at some point, or If No Such Thing As Time gets amazingly popular and I publish it, I'll change the title! hehehe

I believe "Clean Machine" (the fire engine) in Penny Lane is British slang for a virgin - or her body, anyway. Somewhat similar is the Mister Clean character in Apocalypse Now, with his nickname referring to his virginity.

As for automotive song titles, I think we know what Little Red Corvette, Freeway of Love, and Pink Cadillac are actually referring to.