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March 16, 2005
Telltale Titles
Titles are only a few words long. So why is it sometimes hard to come up with a good one? Because a title is more than a name to identify a story, piece of music, or movie. It must inform and entertain at the same time. To begin with, a title should be easy to remember and say, so readers looking for the story can find it. For example, the two words "Harry Potter" or "Star Wars" in a title now have meaning to people all over the world.
A title should attract the attention of readers who would want to read the story. For example, a pun or joke works well in a title for a humorous book. Exciting words, such as "clash," "struggle," or "battle," signal a more adventurous story.
As if all this weren't enough for a poor writer to think about, science fiction writers face an extra challenge. Many want to include something about the science they are using in their story, to attract readers who are interested in that topic.
No matter what, a title should be unique and interesting.
Challenge: Multipurpose Titles
Look at the titles shown above. They're all from science fiction books. Some titles accomplish more than others do.
- Pick three titles that you think could easily be used for a story that wasn't science fiction. How did you decide?
- Next, pick three titles that you feel could be used only for science fiction. How did you decide?
- Finally, imagine that you have to write a science fiction book report comparing different ideas in the same area of science. The librarian gives you this list of available books as a starting point. Using only the titles, pick a topic in science and select the books that you feel might be about this topic.
Going Further: Look up information in the books that you picked. As a way to find suitable books, how well did this method work?
This week's recommended scifi books
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