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Does The Title Reflect The Story?

Short Story Writing Tips -

We all have different tastes in what we like to read. Some have a particular taste for horror, while others prefer romance or fantasy or crime stories, etc. My favourite genre in short stories is horror, so once the title grabs my attention, I will enthusiastically read the story.

You may want to leave your readers in no doubt of the type of story you have written. That's fine. You want to grab all the fans out there and/or recruit new readers into the genre you are so fond of writing.

So, how do you select a title that reflects your story?

Should the title always reflect the story?

Not always. But your title must have some sort of connection with your story.

Is There A Connection Between Your Title And Your Story?

If you choose not to have the title reflect the story that's fine too. But there should be some relevance between them.

If, for instance, your story is about a man walking on the moon, then it wouldn't make sense to title it, 'Walking on Mars.'

If your story is an uplifting tale about two characters finding love, then your title isn't going to mention death, unless of course one of the characters' die.

At first your title may not give away the nature of your story. But once having read the story, the reader will understand the connection. Let me give you a few examples?

'The Fire In The Sky'

This can be the title of a story in which an airplane explodes in midair or a story about a meteorite on its way to earth, etc.

'An Angel Amongst Us'

Can be the title of a story about a person with extraordinary kindness or about an angel that leaves the heavenly realm to reside on earth, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~

You can be ambiguous in your title if you wish. Your title doesn't always have to reflect your story. Having more than one possible meaning intrigues the reader but remember?

There has to be a connection between your title and your story.

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers' funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Course shows companies what NOT to put in writing - Reuters

Coens nominated for writing prize - BBC News

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010802356.htmlcid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNHjWXTHomYL2fIo0OGiEYv8oeYqKgimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=eP_HonB-ivoJimgurl=media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/01/08/PH2009010802357.jpg width=59 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Washington Post/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7817304.stmcid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNEkgxB0UNCKH_JK_Zn0ugzv4_y0tACoens nominated for bwriting/b prize/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBBC News,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr11 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Film-makers Joel and Ethan Coen have been nominated for a prize at the Writers Guild of America awards for their movie Burn After Reading. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/9411cid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNH8KSNP2LAJ8krbRRjje9YajGAE1QWGA Nominates Bashir, Chicago 10, Dark Knight/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAnimation Magazine/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-2fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/burn-milk-up-wga-screenplay/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B4B251FC1-2BEF-474F-8C29-F0D30CA43027%257D%26dist%3Dmsr_1cid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNFr0noSy3xwA-Q9vLIh0T8h21HeLg#39;Burn,#39; #39;Milk#39; up for WGA screenplay award/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-3fd=Rurl=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOFzJ8bKNlq6OOK73s530RLS40rwD95II3380cid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNG2J2B-Zdnur6p20REtTg6YuIB28Q`Dark Knight#39; bags WGA screenplay nomination/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Associated Press/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-4fd=Rurl=http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp%3Farticle%3D7385cid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNFOsnVMzeYf1iJl_nfTj76CUrh5ugnobriFMagazine/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-5fd=Rurl=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090108.BUZZ08-1/TPStory/Entertainmentcid=1287788727ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNG92-YcrAr1il8LKyiHNnY2NnHB4AnobrGlobe and Mail/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287788727hl=ennobrall 486 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Gonzales writing book on years in Bush administration - Austin American-Statesman

Children#39;s creative writing class is Saturday at Writers#39; Gallery - Yucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror

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The Flat Stanley Project gets kids reading, writing, and learning ... - Examiner.com

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Russia says will restore gas when monitors in place - guardian.co.uk

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Ex-broker guilty of writing bad check - Billings Gazette

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/08/news/state/55-badcheck.txtcid=1287866693ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNGobIONWUCWufWdxzuuPrdaq5twZAEx-broker guilty of bwriting/b bad check/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBillings Gazette,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr12 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA Jeanne Rizzotto, a former Red Lodge real estate broker, pled guilty Wednesday in District Court in Red Lodge to bwriting/b a bad b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.kxmb.com/News/317363.aspcid=1287866693ei=Tm1mSdLHK6XfmQeGluXLBAusg=AFQjCNFn8hU4OXMpL-h0BOvALsNzy195zARed Lodge woman pleads guilty in bad check case | KXNet.com North b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReiten Television KXMB Bismarck/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287866693hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The business press: The horror of writing your own obit - BloggingStocks

Manhattan Public Library holding art and writing contest for MLK ... - KTKA.com

How about if Steve Jobs smoked a pipe? - guardian.co.uk

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