Epic title quest!

by Richard Perkins

After completing my first writing week on my second novel, I turn my thoughts to that all-important element of novel development: the title! Because calling it WIP, or Eliza’s Story somehow lacks the attention-grabbing zing an epic fantasy title requires. And there’s no way I’m calling it Renegade’s Door 2: The Sequel. ;-)

Any suggestions from my readers, humorous or otherwise? Here’s the thumbnail sketch:

Eliza, our gutsy medicine woman on the go, struggles to come to grips with a budding power over the energy that divides life from death, while coping with the loss of her lover, an conflicted man she only knew for a short time before he was stripped away from her by his own vengeful order of elemental mages. Left alone to bear and raise the child of their brief union, she must face the unfamiliar world of political intrigue, brewing rebellion, and shifting alliances, while protecting herself and her son from misguided powers that seek to control his destiny.

Catchy, no? Too long for a title though. The right tag line will come to me… eventually. In the mean time, drop your own suggestions in the comment box.

My first week of writing has gone well. I’ve managed to stick to my words per day target, by and large. Which means that I should be on track to reach 90,000 words and the end of my outline by midnight on July 31st. I had about 15,000 words and five scenes completed last night. Here’s the trend chart, for those of you who, like me, prefer your numbers in picture form. Cheers from the wannabe author!

julno-statsPS – After getting rejected by Tor, my Renegade’s Door manuscript is on its way to DAW Books. Submission Editor Peter Stampfel is likely to reject it also, but who knows? Wish me luck!

Filed under: Journal, Novel

6 Responses to “Epic title quest!”

  1. Jena Isle, on June 27th, 2009 at 9:28 pm Said:

    That’s quite a feat Richard! Congrats on your NanoWrimo.

    A title for your novel? Hmmmm…let me see…”Blue Sky” of “Blue Skies” Rationale: the sky represents the ever-changing, dynamic stages of life… or ” The Revolutionary” . It seems , I’m not in my best thinking mood at the moment. Let me come back when I can think of a more appropriate title. Good luck!

  2. Richard Perkins, on June 28th, 2009 at 7:06 am Said:

    Jena – Thanks for the suggestions, though none of them seem quite right yet. I’m still mulling over some ideas, myself.
    Cheers.

  3. Stephanie, on June 28th, 2009 at 2:30 pm Said:

    Titles are a challenge for me so my recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt.

    I favor short titles, ones that either represent a character, evoke a distinct scene in the book or give the readers insight into someone.

    Reading your synopsis made me think of titles like “Healer’s Magic” or “Eye of the Storm”.

  4. Richard Perkins, on June 28th, 2009 at 6:07 pm Said:

    Stephanie – Good suggestions. I like short titles as well. The first book in this series was called The Renegade’s Door, and I called the initial development work for this world the Doormakers’ Fall series. (That’s the novel I never finished, but hope to get back to some day.)

    Healer’s Magic has some potential. It starts my free association mind churning in the right directions at least… Spirit Healer, Mother of Spirit, Spirit Gate, Heart of Spirit, Spirit Touch…

    Cheers!

  5. Aron Sora, on July 5th, 2009 at 4:01 pm Said:

    How about,

    “In medicine, even the dead don’t sleep”

  6. Richard Perkins, on July 6th, 2009 at 8:28 am Said:

    Aron – Interesting, but it suggests an undead, zombies, and vampires angle that isn’t really part of this plot. Cheers.

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