Title regret.

[Cruel2BKind]

Does anybody ever have any serious title regret?

For my first story, I remember that I wanted to name it 'Stockholm Syndrome' but I completely forgot about the original plan and the story series is still called 'Poor Simon'. I've grown to accept it a little more over time, but after I posted the first three chapters I suddenly remembered and instantly regretted it.

I also wished I had started fewer of my stories with 'The'. I believe it gives you a boost in views if you are immediately visible near the top of a page in the index, so when you start your title with a 'the' you end up getting buried in the 't' section.

I love a few of my titles, but others I just feel a little bored about, like 'I should have done better than this'. (A Quick Burble About Dialogue, Shy Jared, and Poor Simon)

I just feel like it's too late to change the titles, I know that some people might have a hard time finding it again if I tried to submit an edit. So I feel like it's too late, and I just have regrets.

Anybody else?

 

[AprilSmithSucks]

I think you should go ahead and change the title to your choosing.

If people liked your stories and tried to find them again, I imagine they would just assume they "forgot" the title of the story, and they'll try searching text from your stories instead of the titles...At least that's what I always do when I look for a story I can't remember the title of.

My recent finding was a story I liked, called "Reunion". Many stories have that title, so I had to search text instead to find the exact one. I found it a few days ago.

.

 

[loquere]

You could probably request a change by resubmitting it as a edit. Just make sure to request a title change during the submission process.

 

[sr71plt]

I've later thought of what would be a better title, but I don't bother to change it.

 

[loquere]

I've later thought of what would be a better title, but I don't bother to change it.

I'm always thinking the one thing I do well, is come up with titles.

 

[sr71plt]

Like The Serial Killer for the name of a club?

 

[slyc_willie]

My worst title, by far, is "My Red-Headed Slut." *groan* I admit it's as ridiculous as can be. I wrote the damn story during my initial foray to Lit, some seven-plus years ago. It's a cheap thrill non-con fantasy, not particularly well-written, but I've left it alone since it continues to be favored.

I suppose I could re-title the story, but as the Brits would say, I can't be arsed to do so. What would I call it? "A Night In the Parking Garage?" Sometimes, a bad story is better left with a bad title. It's sort of like telling the reader, "don't expect too much from this story."

I'm much more conscious now of the titles I give my stories. I, too, tend to shy away from anything starting with "the," but sometimes, it just fits. A series I am working on now will probably begin with "the," as a matter of fact. That singular article seems to lend itself to granting a strange level of prominence to a story . . . assuming the author can follow through with adequate content.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I have one that makes me cringe every time I open my author page. "Old Flame, New Game" is just abysmal. When I finished that story I had no idea what to call it. Usually I have at least a working title which may or may not become the final title, but I was clueless with this one. I asked my editor for a suggestions, and that was all she could come up with. I didn't like it at the time, but I had nothing better. I still regret that decision. Not surprisingly, the individual chapters of that story are among my lowest rated, viewed, and commented.

 

[Neonurotic]

I'm pretty good with titles and only ever changed a title once on a Literotica story. Titles (working or final) are created first and what I usually draw inspiration from for a story or a poem.

 

[TxRad]

My only regret was way back when I posted my first story. I called it "Blind Man's Bluff." At the time, I didn't know a well known writer had a series posting by the title, "Blindmans Bluff." I was yelled at for trying to ride his coattails. Just bad newbie luck on my part.

 

[lovecraft68]

Weekends with Laura

It was my first mother son story but the title gives no indication of it.

Other wise I have no issues with any of my titles

 

[JKendallDane]

The one I have really mixed emotions about is titled: 'Interrupted!' It fits fine for the story as a one-shot stroker...which was the only original intent when I wrote it.

But now that I am seriously looking at making it a short series, I'm not sure the title captures what would be the essence and direction of the continued storyline. The problem with any attempt at "fixing it" is that any more descriptive title completely negates the surprise hook ending that makes, what would be chapter one of the series, truly work.

I think I will just live with it and remember the old high school and college adage of: "It's never a good idea to second guess your first answer on a test."

 

[Saxon_Hart]

I can't say I've ever had title regret. I have had mements where I have said "Fuck I should have had a character do or say this," but never regretted a title. Now the title that gets published is almost always the third or fourth title a story has had since it's inception, I think "Eat Your Fucking Cake" is the only one that stayed under the same title from start to publish.

 

[49greg]

My first story was "A Bad Vibe" a young man was at a HS graduation party and felt a bad vibe in the air, and sure enough evil was happening. It was meant to be a one-off. After it was up I didn't like the title.

Then I started getting requests to tell the rest of the story. So I did and Really screwed up.

I compounded the error by forgetting the 'A' in the title when I posted the next one. So they didn't show up as part of a series. I was new and didn't know I could do an edit and re-enter. Still not sure I could do it and change the title. So with 3 or 4 more in the 'bad vibe' format the original stands alone.

So now if I want to keep the original listed right above the rest of the series I can't title any stories that start with "A" unless the second character puts it alphabetically before "A Bad ..." not many would.

So - if I did the edit/correction thing, I have the method copied somewhere, can the title be changed?

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I can't say I've ever had title regret. I have had mements where I have said "Fuck I should have had a character do or say this," but never regretted a title. Now the title that gets published is almost always the third or fourth title a story has had since it's inception, I think "Eat Your Fucking Cake" is the only one that stayed under the same title from start to publish.

I love it when a title is just THERE. With some stories, the title isn't important, but on others, it feels much bigger and better when it matches.

'Alone at the End of the World' was a story where I knew the title before I knew the story. Same with my newest story,

'Not Good People'

 

[TxRad]

My first story was "A Bad Vibe" a young man was at a HS graduation party and felt a bad vibe in the air, and sure enough evil was happening. It was meant to be a one-off. After it was up I didn't like the title.

Then I started getting requests to tell the rest of the story. So I did and Really screwed up.

I compounded the error by forgetting the 'A' in the title when I posted the next one. So they didn't show up as part of a series. I was new and didn't know I could do an edit and re-enter. Still not sure I could do it and change the title. So with 3 or 4 more in the 'bad vibe' format the original stands alone.

So now if I want to keep the original listed right above the rest of the series I can't title any stories that start with "A" unless the second character puts it alphabetically before "A Bad ..." not many would.

So - if I did the edit/correction thing, I have the method copied somewhere, can the title be changed?

The easy way to fix that is to PM Laurel and tell her what you need done. Give her links to all the stories involved, the title changes and the order. It's an easy change for her with no edit needed.

 

[robertreams]

I have noticed lately that Alphabetical lists now place all the "the"s together. The list of the movies on Dish has about 200 "The"s. It used to be, and made more sense, (gee I wonder if the library has changed), "the"s were classified by the first 'real'word. Thus: Tell Tale Heart, The, Edgar Allen Poe.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I have noticed lately that Alphabetical lists now place all the "the"s together. The list of the movies on Dish has about 200 "The"s. It used to be, and made more sense, (gee I wonder if the library has changed), "the"s were classified by the first 'real'word. Thus: Tell Tale Heart, The, Edgar Allen Poe.

That's what would make sense.

 

[49greg]

The easy way to fix that is to PM Laurel and tell her what you need done. Give her links to all the stories involved, the title changes and the order. It's an easy change for her with no edit needed.

Thanks!!

 

[49greg]

I have noticed lately that Alphabetical lists now place all the "the"s together. The list of the movies on Dish has about 200 "The"s. It used to be, and made more sense, (gee I wonder if the library has changed), "the"s were classified by the first 'real'word. Thus: Tell Tale Heart, The, Edgar Allen Poe.

I know, that's what it used to be, and should be, but, and I'm guessing here, I think that it is because it is easier to get a computer to sort on the first word than figure out how to get it to ignore the 'The' and place it after a comma at the end of the title.

Didn't they also used to sort stories with 'A' as a first word that way as well? Not sure about that.

And in lists of names wasn't McXxxx and MacXxxx sorted as if they were all MacXxx or something like that?

 

[Acktion]

I know, that's what it used to be, and should be, but, and I'm guessing here, I think that it is because it is easier to get a computer to sort on the first word than figure out how to get it to ignore the 'The' and place it after a comma at the end of the title.

Didn't they also used to sort stories with 'A' as a first word that way as well? Not sure about that.

And in lists of names wasn't McXxxx and MacXxxx sorted as if they were all MacXxx or something like that?

Nice to know I wasn't just imagining things and these changes really did happen. The fetuses they have working behind the counters all look at me like "Ok, Gramps has gone fruit loopy."

Say... you don't think it has to do with the fact that people that weren't studious enough to ever darken the door of the library back in the dark ages now have a hand held overgrown calculator to surf the digital library do you? What next? We do away with the Dewey Decimal system? How the frak will we ever find anything?