The Anatomy of a Perfect Title: What Every Writer Should Know
Have you ever stared at the top of a blank page, not looking at the story but looking at the title, and felt like a complete idiot because you can’t put a name to the thing that it took you 120,000 words to write?
You’re not alone.
In my consulting work, titles stop more writers cold than plot problems, character arcs, or even rejection letters.
Why?
Because deep down, we know what a title is supposed to do.
The title is a promise.
A title is not a label. It is not a header. It is your contract with the reader. It tells the reader what journey they can expect from spending time with you, whether a poem, a short story, or something as long as War and Peace. If that promise is fuzzy, vague, forgettable, or even misleading, you’ve lost the reader when they first hit page one because they know that the promise of the title doesn’t match the content, tone, or even writing style of what they are starting to read.
Today’s Success Point is this. A great title infuses clarity, curiosity, and emotional tone. If your current title doesn’t do that, you might want to think through that blank space at the top of your work once again. A better title may be waiting for you.
Let’s break it down.
Focusing on clarity, does your title communicate the right genre or focus within that genre? If you’re writing a thriller, does the title sound like a thriller? A title like The Quiet Hour may feel poetic, but if it’s about a terrorist countdown, there is no doubt your reader, looking for a literary novel, will be slightly disappointed, maybe even a bit misled. At the same time, the person looking for a thriller will probably not give The Quiet Hour a second thought, much less a purchase.
Let’s look at a curiosity. There must always be something puzzling about the title as if it hints at more. A good title opens a loop in the reader's mind. If you know about The Girl Who Lived Twice, several questions are in that title. Who is the girl? How did she live twice? Maybe even, why did she live twice? A title should imply questions. Those questions make the reader want to open the cover and read the opening page.
Emotional tone is essential. It gives the nuance of what is to come. Dark Blood will intrigue differently than The Doctor’s Orders, even if it is the same book. Ensure your title hits a reader viscerally so their emotions come into play.
Using these three considerations, you’ve pulled in everything about the reader: their mind, intellect, and emotions. If written (titled) with care and precision, this trifecta will carry the reader through to the end, riding on your promise like a surfer on a board.
Look at your title again now. Does your title do these three things? Does it offer a sound promise that you can give containing clarity, curiosity, and emotional tone? If not, it’s fixable. Start brainstorming. Make a list of twenty-five, fifty, or even a hundred ideas about your story, phrases, and aspects that capture the nuance of your tale.
Here’s a trick for brainstorming: gather good ideas and bad ones. Don’t judge. Write quickly. The perfect title isn’t found; it is earned by writing out tons of bad ones. Like marriage, don’t set out at the start to marry the first person you date. That person may be the one, but keep your mind open at the beginning. Don’t stop until you find the perfect one. And you know the perfect one; I have given you the formula.
Today, give your title the attention it deserves. It is the first thing a reader sees and the main thing that will pull them in. Give them clarity, curiosity, and emotional juice.
Now, name your work like it matters.
Because it does.
And while you’re at it, visit https://claystafford.com and sign up for my weekly Success Points newsletter—packed with actionable insights on writing, productivity, and creative living. While you're there, check out the daily Success Points edition for inspiration you can use every morning to start your writing day.
Let’s write something great together.
