http://www.conteonline.net/2009/02/02/naming-our-children-a-brief-editorial-on-titles/ A journal of narrative writing. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:25:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.conteonline.net/2009/02/02/naming-our-children-a-brief-editorial-on-titles/#comment-5363 Arlene Mandell Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:10:04 +0000 http://www.conteonline.net/?p=32#comment-5363 Yes, you are saying what needs to be said. A poem with the title "Spring Flowers," is uninspired and no doubt uninspiring. "Memories" promises to be . . . not worth reading. For every poem is composed of snippets of memories, not just of our life experience, but memories of what others have written, bits of the mind's string too short to use. I believe in making my titles informative in some way and not stating the obvious. For example, I have one (published) poem with the title "Yosemite's Triumph," but see no need to repeat the location within the poem. Another, "At Beth David," does not include the word "cemetery" or any specific mention of the religious affiliation of that cemetery. That information is there by inference. Sometimes, however, a truly inspiring poem just need a bit of an editor's guidance. Though some may approach perfection, ere are no perfect poets. Yes, you are saying what needs to be said. A poem with the title “Spring Flowers,” is uninspired and no doubt uninspiring. “Memories” promises to be . . . not worth reading. For every poem is composed of snippets of memories, not just of our life experience, but memories of what others have written, bits of the mind’s string too short to use. I believe in making my titles informative in some way and not stating the obvious. For example, I have one (published) poem with the title “Yosemite’s Triumph,” but see no need to repeat the location within the poem. Another, “At Beth David,” does not include the word “cemetery” or any specific mention of the religious affiliation of that cemetery. That information is there by inference. Sometimes, however, a truly inspiring poem just need a bit of an editor’s guidance. Though some may approach perfection, ere are no perfect poets.

]]> http://www.conteonline.net/2009/02/02/naming-our-children-a-brief-editorial-on-titles/#comment-5286 Sandra Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:09:06 +0000 http://www.conteonline.net/?p=32#comment-5286 Thank you so much for this important essay on titles. I've often wondered why more editors don't rant about this very subject. I think writers who shirk their title-writing duties do a disservice to both their own pieces and their readers. My only rule is this: write the title so that someone scanning the table of contents will read yours first. You say the same thing here but with much more instruction on how to get there. Bah humbug to lazy title writers. To slap a careless title on something and then just send it out in the world is to leave the house without your pants. Cheap thrill for you, annoyance for the rest of us. Just as bad as "Untitled" is the same title used over and over again with a different number on the end (sorry, John Berryman). Thank you so much for this important essay on titles. I’ve often wondered why more editors don’t rant about this very subject. I think writers who shirk their title-writing duties do a disservice to both their own pieces and their readers. My only rule is this: write the title so that someone scanning the table of contents will read yours first. You say the same thing here but with much more instruction on how to get there. Bah humbug to lazy title writers. To slap a careless title on something and then just send it out in the world is to leave the house without your pants. Cheap thrill for you, annoyance for the rest of us. Just as bad as “Untitled” is the same title used over and over again with a different number on the end (sorry, John Berryman).

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