Coming up with a catchy title is one of the most crucial and hardest to achieve tasks. I know I often struggle with it; even as I am writing this, I wonder what to call a story the summary to which I plan to upload today in my Upcoming Projects. However, I got a request by XXxMadzxXX to share my two cents on the topic so here is the first chapter with tips - some popular, some more innovative - about how to pick a title. But first...

Why is it crucial to come up with a good title for your book?

What is the first thing you notice about a book? The cover. 

What is the second thing? The title.

And that is why it is so important - because a good title will make a person check your book and a bad one will put them off.

How to create a title? Answer these questions:

What is the main theme to your story?

What is the main conflict?

Is there a lesson in it?

Write your responses down and you'll find some key words to work with; take those words, keep in mind that your title must be relevant to your story and begin a list with possible titles. Also, don't forget to check whether you spelled the title right before you publish your story.

Tips that can help you create a good title (with a few examples):

~ Do some research. Look at books in the genre you are writing in and see what they are using. Don't copy the titles though.

~ Use your audience's language. Don't use fancy, university-level or technical terms if you are aiming at the average 13-18 years old teenager.

~ Don't make it too long. Most people would say that you shouldn't go for more than seven words. I have one really long title - When the human's away, the cat doesn't play. Why did I use it? I got inspired by the saying 'When the cat's away, the mice will play'. Since my one-shot is about a cat (and from a cat's POV) who is left alone in the house, I thought it would be appropriate. If you think your title is brilliant, don't shorten it.

~ Don't write the whole title in capital letters, it feels like you are screaming at your readers. An exception could be a one-word title like a name (more about names as titles after a few tips).

~ Word play/double meaning. I tried that with Hunt Me Down. How is that word play? One of the characters - Hunter (or Hunt) is 'hunting' (that is to say, trying to seduce) the main narrator of the story. Can you think of other examples with books you have read?

~ Alliteration. That is the when words that are next to or close to one another start with the same sound. A lot of people find that alluring. Examples: Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, PayPal, Coca-Cola, Dunkin' Doughnuts, Bed Bath & Beyond, Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers... You get it, right?

~ Avoid giving away too much information with the title. Show the main theme, but don't disclose the ending or a major plot twist. Would it even be a plot twist if people know about it from the start? I think not.

~ Keep it simple. The girl who wore glasses and rode a bike and fell over my brand new, very expensive car with costume paint job is a complete nightmare. Yes, we find out how/why the characters met and it is obvious that this particular girl will be a MC (main character), but most people would lose interest at the first 'and'.

~ A lot of people would advise you not to use cliches; they'd tell you to avoid The Bad Boy and the Good Girl or The Jock and the Nerd; then again, a lot of people are looking exactly for that type of books. That gets us back to what I told you before: know your audience and use their language.

~ Names as titles are another example of a divided audience: some say it's a good thing, some say it's just lazy. I'm thinking about the movie Lucy here; by itself the name isn't anything special, yet a lot of people enjoyed the film. They probably watched the trailer before they saw the movie though. So, how can you make your name-as-a-title title better? Alliteration. Word play. A peculiar name.

~ Think of the theme of your story, google it, but search for images. Write random words that describe the images that grab you the most - just a couple of words per each -  and work with those words.

This is it for this chapter; expect more tips in PART II. If you found this useful, please support it with a vote; if you have questions, don't PM me but ask them in the comments so that others might read my replies as well; if you want to request tips on a certain topic (be it about wattpad or writing in general), just comment in whichever chapter.

Note: The Help Book is undergoing edits so that the information in it will be up-to-date. The chapters that are edited will have edited on *date* in brackets, after the chapter's title.

Thank you for reading and have a great time on wattpad, everyone!