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

[rosefyre.livejournal.com]

I'll pretty much read anything...as long as I'm in the mood. If I'm in the mood for porn, I won't read anything rated less than R. And if I'm just bumming around, I'll go down my flist until I find a rec, and read whatever it is, whatever it's rated. And if I have no time, I won't read anything. Period.

I have to agree that Untitled puts me off, but bad titles don't - I know that mine have pretty much been not so great as well. I mean, my last three pieces were Moonstone, Sibling Rivalry, and Snozzberry Sauce. Not very exciting. Therefore, if something has a one word title that's not wonderful, I'll still read it most of the time.

I will, however, read untitled pieces if they're by favorite authors...because I'll read anything by favorite authors.