When it comes to titles, most writers fall into two camps: those who seem to effortless come up with extremely cool titles like "Pistol Packing Paleontologist" (an article by Kelly Milner Halls) and those who struggle and strive to come up with something that doesn't make an editor nod off in mid read. If you're in the first group, I salute you. If you're in the second group, there is hope. It'll take a little more effort but you can learn to whip up some tempting titles with the right recipe.

Titles are Not Labels

When you're labeling things, you choose the most information in the shortest form. The Ziploc bags in my freezer say "hamburger" and "chicken," not "tempting ground steak" or "future yum." The problem with labeling an article or story is that a good label reveals the most important thing. A good label for the story would tell the most important part and basically spoil the surprise. For example, Very Hungry Caterpillar might be labeled "A Caterpillar Turns into a Butterfly," and Harry Potter might be labeled "Wizard Boy Saves the Day." A label gives away the surprise.

You never want to give away the surprise. Not in a story or article. John Green named his first novel Looking For Alaska, not "Accepting There Are Some Things You Can Never Know." One tempts with mystery and the other gives the mystery away. That's why "Scooby Doo" isn't called "The Ghosts Are Just Bad Guys In Costumes."

And yet, I've often seen folks label stories. "Joey Learns to Share" for example is not a title; it's a label for a story that is probably designed to teach the reader to share. Any fun or life in the story is deadened by the fact that the reader already knows where the story is going. Consider this article you're reading right now, a label would have said, "Learning About Good Titles" - but a title needs a bit more. A title needs oomph.

Titles Should Be True-ish

Titles should give honest hints to the reader. For example, I could have titled this piece: "Sex and the Writer." That would have oomph and been interesting. But unfortunately, it would not relate to this article at all! The title must hint at something that is actually in the story or article. If I called this "The Mystery of Successful Writing" - I would be making a promise in my title that I had no intention of fulfilling. Yes, titles play a part in the success of a story or article, but only a very small one. There is not real mystery here and this article is not going to unlock the key to successful writing - it's just going to help you write a title.

Consider this title: "Joey's Big Adventure." Now, as titles go, it's not too bad. It has "adventure" in it and kids love adventure. And it uses the name of the main character which can also be good. Now, suppose it's the story of a little boy who goes to his grandmother's house, is frightened by her new dog, but learns to set aside his fears to make a new friend. That might be a nice story with some tension and interest, but it's not really an adventure. So the reader is likely to be disappointed. Now, imagine that Joey's story is about how he learns to share his new building set with his sister. The story moves even further from an adventure, and the reader is even more disappointed.

Your title should never make your story disappointing.

Titles Need Memorable Oomph

Where The Wild Things Are
The Lord of the Flies
The Runaway Bunny
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Everyone Poops
Skippyjon Jones
Hatchet
Artemis Fowl
Hoot
Holes
The Paper Bag Princess
An Abundance of Katherines

Do you know all these titles? They are all successful books and they all have oomph. Oomph can come from very short titles, when the word is surprising: Hoot, Holes, and Hatchet are all intriguing one word titles. The title thing is very important to each book. In Holes, the title represents the endless holes the characters did; Holes that seem meaningless and symbolic but become both practical and important. In Hoot, the title stands for an important "thing" in the story - owls - but think of the two words: hoot and owls. Which sounds more mysterious?

Another path to oomph is to use the main character's name - especially when the character is strong and exciting and the name is unexpected. The names Gilly Hopkins, Skippyjon Jones, and Artemis Fowl aren't something you encounter every day. They stick in your head. They have a sound to them that makes an impression when spoken aloud. Skippyjon Jones wouldn't be the same kitty if his name were "tom." And having the last name of "Fowl" could be funny, but Artemis isn't. The combination of the serious and the absurd makes Artemis Fowl stick in your head.

Oomph can also come from other unexpected combinations like The Paper Bag Princess or An Abundance of Katherines. We don't associate princesses with paper bags - silk purses, maybe, but not paper bags. And the princess we meet in the book lives up to the very unusual title. Equally, we don't think about having an abundance of people by a single name - it leads us to feel curious. How can you have an abundance of Katherines - but the main character does. That's important. The titles that nudge us and make us wonder must be coupled with a story that delivers on that wonder. If the main character had only one Katherine and no others…we might feel cheated, even if that Katherine was quite exceptional.

And some titles gain oomph from oomph elements like "wild things" or "runaways" or "poop" - but again, what comes after the title must hold up the bargain you're making when you lure the reader in. A book called "Everyone Poops" that turns out to be about good manners feels like a cheat when the reader discovers the bait and switch.

Bait and Switch with Care

Some stories really do pull a bit of a "bait and switch." The titles suggest it will be about one thing when really it is about another. Take the title Lord of the Flies. It's actually a religious allusion since the word Beelzebub actually translates to "Lord of the Flies." The book itself if full of religious allusions but it isn't really a book about religion - it's a book about a group of schoolboys who turn savage when left without supervision. There are a few flies, but the title does not directly relate to a specific story element.

The use of literary quotes and allusions is not uncommon in titles - though you see it less often in children's literature simply because children tend to have less ability to make the literary connection that will make the title meaningful. Usually a story will be at least a YA before you'll see titles that seem unrelated to content because they are quotes, symbols, or allusions.

Maurice Sendak does a bit of a bait and switch with his book Mommy - though the cover illustration keeps it from being truly deceptive. With a title like Mommy, a reader might expect a sweet cuddly story rather than an entertaining romp with monsters. The bait and switch works because he gives something better than he promised. The "surprise" works mostly because it's a picture book, making it almost a comic contrast between sweet title and monster cover.

You can consider doing that kind of contrast title if you know what you've giving is better than the title - for example, you could try something like Magical Math Facts, which seems like a hopeful title for dull nonfiction, but might turn out to be a story of a boy who discovers that math is really the foundation of magic and becomes a wizard because of his nimble use of computation. But it's a risky try and one that may not make it past the folks in marketing who assume subtle isn't a good idea.

What About Your Own Titles?

So, for your titles…consider
* a unique quote from the story itself: Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
* the main character's name: Chrysanthemum
* the main character's name plus an important thing: Ender's Game
* an important story thing: The Subtle Knife
* the place when it's key to the story: The City of Ember
* play on words: The Scrambled States of America
* a famous quote that relates: Of Mice and Men

Whatever you choose -- try to have some fun with it. The most scrumptious title treats are those whipped up with relish!