Thoughts on my Title
My Novel, Writing May 8th, 2008Over at Shawn Speakman’s blog (check it out, it rules.) there was a good amount of discussion about the titles of the novels he and I are separately working on. I have great respect for Shawn, his knowledge of the industry and his abilities as a writer, so it’s always a invigorating to get his thoughts on a subject, especially when it concerns something I’m working on.
The problem? He’s not really a fan of Through Bended Grass!
It’s turning into an interesting conversation and I’d love to hear the thoughts of some of you guys who read my blog (though most of you also read Shawn’s). Here’s the exchange:
Shawn:
Aidan: I don’t know if I like Through Bended Grass. I’m not sure what it means, to be exact which I guess is okay, but it doesn’t seem fantasy-ish enough. I like the phrase a lot though; you know me, I like literary titles!The overall series title is The Dark Thorn Cycle:Book One: The Dark Thorn
Book Two: The Kingdom’s Keys
Book Three: The Splintered King
Book Four has no title. It barely has a plot, thankfully! Otherwise I’d probably already be thinking of it.
I respond:
I’ve always been a fan of your titles, Shawn. They always strike a nice balance between poetic and literal. They don’t overwhelm, but they still intrigue.I’m more a fan of The Dark Thorn rather than The Dagda King. I know who The Dagda is, but most people won’t, to them it will just sound like another generic fantasy name.Through Bended Grass is pretty poetic and esoteric, but that’s also how I like my titles! It’s somewhat intentional that it doesn’t sound entirely like a regular fantasy title, which tend to be much more literal, because I’m drawn to titles like The Blade Itself, The Darkness that Comes Before, etc…. Unlike those, however, Through Bended Grass has a direct connection to the plot of the story and will become very clear to the reader as they read on. I like that sort of reward. It helps balance things out.
Of course, I understand that no matter what I name my novel, it will be up to the publisher in the end and I may not have a say. I’d rather have a published novel under another name, but I’d put up the good fight to keep Through Bended Grass.
I’ve got a few threads of my next novel percolating in my head at the moment. It’ll be mostly unrelated to Through Bended Grass, though set in the same universe and will probably have a few overlapping characters, but I try not to let it get too much or else I’ll start neglecting Through Bended Grass for it. It’s nice that you’ll be able to keep using the same characters/world/themes as you move along because it allows you to think so far in the future. I don’t have that luxury, however, as Through Bended Grass is a standalone.
Shawn brings up a good point:
What I like about the titles you posted is their fantasy-ishness (I love making up new words). The words “blade” and “darkness” still have a fantasy quality about them. But your main noun, “grass,” doesn’t. That’s my only grip about the title. Now, if in the novel, one of your characters is talking about a scythe through bending grass as it relates to a retreating army or something, that’d be awesome. Just be readu when a marketing or publicity department points out the noun issue and be prepared with your certain rebuttal! Gotta fight for what we want, ya know?And personally, I don’t think my newer titles have any literary merit whatsoever, just by looking at them anyway. Once the books have been read you’ll see how each title has a double meaning. I wish I could make them more literary but it just isn’t going to happen. All of my energy is going into the book. *sighs*As for your next book, it’ll be nice for you to not have to create a new universe. You’ve already made it with Bended Grass. At least that part will be over with. All of my novels in this cycle will be stand alone, but each does build on the last one as the themes get darker and darker. The great thing about it is I’ve already built the universe, how magic works, the history behind it all, so now I can just sit back and play and have fun.
My response:
That’s a really good point about the non-fantasyness of the noun “grass.” I suppose, however, that that’s what I’m trying to go for in a lot of ways. Through Bended Grass is a fantasy, of course, but it isn’t a fantasy in the same way that The Blade Itself, The Darkness That Comes Before, Lord Foul’s Bane or even The Dark Thorn is (if my assumptions about your melding epic fantasy and urban fantasy are correct.) There are no epic battles, not even close; there is no end of the world at hand, though the antagonist likes to believe otherwise. It’s more a story about people, relationships, family and overcoming struggles – with an interesting urban fantasy setting – more akin to White Apples and The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll, Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn or The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay, than The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan or A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin.From what I’ve read/know of your novels, the titles you’ve picked out worked perfectly for your novels, the story you’re trying to tell and the style of your writing. I’m not sure that a more typical fantasy-like title, littered with fantasy heavy words like “Fey”, “Faerie”, “Sword”, “Hound”, “Spear”, etc… would necessarily fit what I’m writing.
Does all this make some sort of sense?
Like I mentioned earlier, Through Bended Grass has a direct connection to the plot of the novel, first appearing in Chapter Nine, Bended Grass and Four Leaf Clovers, so that’s obviously a benefit for readers, though I’m not sure if that would be enough to convince the marketing department!
When I say universe, I literally mean universe. The next novel I have planned doesn’t take place in Ireland and involves very little of the same themes and plot devices, in fact it’s essentially a standalone novel. I just want to leave things open so that I could connect the two in subtle ways, similar to what Stephen King has done with so many of his novels.
The rules will change as other legends and myths come into play, moving away from the Irish/Celtic mythology and into another area of the world. So in many ways I’ll be back to the drawing board! I’m impressed you’ve already got so much planned for down the road, I can’t wait to get a gander at some of it.
So, thoughts? And don’t feel restricted to just the title of my novels, or Shawn’s, but rather just any thoughts on titles in general. I’m always looking for ways to improve my own writing and a titles is one of the most important things when it comes to convincing someone pick up a novel in the first place.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:52 am
“Through Bended Grass” has always had a Lian Hearn-ish type fill to it for me, so it’s funny that you used that as and example.
However, I’ve only read the excerpt of your book, so I’ve always taken the title with the idea that it would make more sense as a retrospect type of thing after reading all the context.
Titles can be tricky subjects - my “big” project (Both of them) have no title at the moment and I can’t see giving them one until their both finished. On the other hand, I set out working on a short story with a title in mind beforehand - “The Devil on Flight 1661″.
So to me, the idea of title is all subjective. Do I think “Through Bended Grass” is a good title? I’m not real sure, as I haven’t read the entire thing yet. I think it’s good in the same way that I think “The Harsh Cry of the Heron” is good, in an at-a-glance type of way. It succeeds in conjuring images when I read it.
Are they the right type of images though? I don’t know.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:42 am
I looked up “bended” in the dictionary and discovered that it is an archaic form of “bent”, which I knew to be the current usage. Did you consider “Through Bent Grass”?
If you are looking to evoke a literary sort of image, then your title is probably fine. It definitely paints a picture in my mind. I can see a woman walking through waist-high wind-bent grass. It doesn’t convey any promise of action, such as The Blade Itself. Judging from the title, I think it must be a very quiet novel, with personal struggles and personal stakes.
The title of Forging a Legend grew as I wrote the book. I brainstormed a bunch of titles and came up with Forging a Warrior. Then, when I finished the novel, I immediately went back and changed it to Forging a Legend. I don’t think there’s any literary merit in either title; I wanted to convey a sense of mood. When looking at my title, you know someone is going to go through a trial, and a legend will emerge at the other end.
My other novel I have code-named Starcaster on my blog, and it may be the title of it as a series. However, the name I’ve settled on as the title of the actual novel is A Little Night Magic. It’s named after Mozart’s serenade, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, which translates into A Little Night Music. I selected this title because first, that is the music I always think of when I’m working on it and second, it’s about a woman who uses a weak form of magic that only works at night. It also takes place in a time period equivalent to Mozart’s era.
I had neither title in mind when I started the novels. You may change your mind before you finish your novel, too.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Jax - You’re absolutely right that Through Bended Grass is a title that will make more sense after you’ve read the book.
To that end, I wanted to come up with a title that, though it might not immediately seem literal and important to the novel, still felt poetic and interesting. You said, “it’s good in the same way that I think “The Harsh Cry of the Heron” is good, in an at-a-glance type of way. It succeeds in conjuring images when I read it”, and this is what I was hoping for with the title. If I can achieve that right off the bat, I promise that once the reader finds out how it relates to the story they’ll think it’s pretty cool.
Tia - I definitely did consider Through Bent Grass, in fact that was the original interation of the title, but I then changed it to Through Bended Grass because I liked the literary quality to the word.
Like you mentioned, titles are an organic thing and I wouldn’t be opposed to changing it if I found a more suitable title, and I surely wouldn’t be surprised to see it changed if/when the novel is published.
You’re right that it’s a rather quiet novel, at least compared to other fantasy novels out there, and is more about relationships and discovery than balls-to-the-wall action.
I really like A Little Night Magic. It sounds like it fits the novel like a glove and grabs my attention as well.