On titling fics

[themostepotente]

I'm hard pressed to admit -- sometimes the title of a fic is the deciding factor on whether or not I read it.

Titles can be very eye catching, and sometimes I need that stimulus (can I call it this?) to attract my attention.

Witty, clever, thought provoking -- anything really. I just need to make that connection.

To me, there is nothing worse than a poorly titled fic. Does anyone else share these sentiments?

Do poor titles affect your judgement? Does the word 'Untitled' tend to turn you off?

How do you go about choosing an appropriate title for your fic? Song titles, catchy phrases?

What about sharing story titles with a well-known author? So many fics out there. It has to happen more often than not.

Share your thoughts, please :-)

--P

Comments

[puppy-tenchan.livejournal.com]

I don't even read the title of a fic 90% of the time. When I look at a fic, I look for the pairing, the rating and the summary. Title and author don't matter to me, unless I find the fic really good and want to tell someone about it.

That view is about the same, when I make my own titles. They don't matter that much, so they come last. When the fic is finished, I look what has become of it, see if there is maybe some reoccuring topic, word or scene and ponder how I can put that into some witty One-Liner. =D Because I like One-Liners.

[gmth.livejournal.com]

I don't even read the title of a fic 90% of the time. When I look at a fic, I look for the pairing, the rating and the summary. Title and author don't matter to me, unless I find the fic really good and want to tell someone about it.

I'm right there with you, although I do look at the author. There are some writers whose stuff I just won't touch, regardless of pairing/rating/title.