I need a title for my novel

[danzibr]

I saw another thread like this and... well, here goes. I am years away from getting it published (if ever), but I'd like a better title. First of all, it's high fantasy. There are other races, but they're all quite human (in fact, humans are a devolved form of a mixture of these two races called the supreme races). There's prophecy about the protagonist, which calls him The One. He possesses a total of seven swords. He gets possessed by Wrath a couple times. The main bad guy is Greed (it's quite unlike FMA). There's another plane alternate the main one, kind of like hell.

Current title:
The One with Seven Swords

Other title ideas:
Wrath of The One
The One's Wrath
The One

Actually, I like just The One the most, but... it's already a movie with Jet Li. The current title is okay, but it puts too much of a focus on his weapons, and while they are important, I don't think they're title-worthy. Similarly, while Wrath does play an important role, I don't feel he belongs in the title. And it just makes the protagonist sound angry.

Thanks in advance!

[Howler Dagger]

How about the Wrath of the One With the Seven Swords?

Or how about Prophecy of the One?

[Savannah]

I have to say, I would totally pick up The One with Seven Swords if I saw it on a bookshelf. Not so much the others. The One is a bit too "been there, read that" for me -- there are so many books about this one special person. The Wrath ones sound like they're about some angry jerk, which isn't usually my thing. Still better than The One, though.

[danzibr]

I have to say, I would totally pick up The One with Seven Swords if I saw it on a bookshelf.
Oooh that's encouraging. Thanks! I think I will keep it... it just seem a tad bit too long for me. The other titles I have are The Soul's Sojourn and Death and Life.

[Moonshadow]

As I was going to St Ives... I met a man with seven knives...

/flee

[llamamushroom]

I admit, I avoid novels with explicit mentions of "The One" in either the title or blurb, so most of the titles you suggested would turn me away. Of them, though, The One With Seven Swords is the one I'd be most likely to give a chance.

That, or the St Ives one. It's a winner. :smallwink:

[Dumbledore lives]

For me The One with Seven Swords just kind of sounds like that guy, with his swords, and stuff. Kind of too descriptive I guess. I might go with just The Seven Swords though that might place too much importance on the weapons, and I don't know how important they really are.

[Silviya]

I admit, I'm really bad at titling things myself. The three novels that I'm currently working on are called Dead Space Gods Novel, Other Novel, and Samurai Novel, because I couldn't come up with decent working titles for them. I think the most important thing about a title is that it just sounds right to you, that it feels like you unearthed the perfect title for the story. You can just keep giving it working titles until one feels like it fits, or you can try to get suggestions from others until someone suggests something that fits.

A few things to keep in mind when titling: The title doesn't have to describe the story exactly, or mention all the most important things in it. What it does have to do is fit the story, however literal or abstract it ends up being. It should reflect the tone of the story, as well. If it's a dark story, the title should sound darker, while if it's a happier story, the title should sound lighter. It also needs to not be generic and lifeless, preferably, and it should catch the readers eye. I've also heard it said, and I agree, that the best titles mean more to the reader after the story is done.


As far as your titles go, The One with Seven Swords sounds well enough, though I do like the sound of The Seven Swords as a title, like Dumbledore Lives suggested, or even just Seven Swords. This is a case of how lighthearted or dark your story is: The One with Seven Swords feels like a lighter title, and The Seven Swords or Seven Swords sounds darker and more ominous, even if the swords themselves aren't evil.

[The Succubus]

"A Tale of Seven Swords"?

[banjo1985]

Personally I'd wait until you've finished writing, looked back and edited the piece. Then you'll be able to see if a certain phrase or moment strikes a particular chord, and you can name it that if it looks sensible. Derivations on 'The One' are going to come across a bit tired, and if theWrath and the swords aren't massively important I'd honestly wait until a phrase jumps out at you instead.

[Glass Mouse]

Out of those three, I'd only pick up "The One With Seven Swords". It downplays the "One" aspect (which is, as others have said, seen before), and it strikes a nice balance between being concrete enough to make pictures in my mind, and being mysterious enough to make me curious. My vote is definitely for that one.

[Mercenary Pen]

Either, as others have said, "the One with seven swords" or strip it down as far as "Seven Swords", the other suggestions are something of a turn off to me, evoking images of fiction I'd rather not read.

[Mauve Shirt]

"That One Guy" :smalltongue:

[The Succubus]

I saw another thread like this and... well, here goes. I am years away from getting it published (if ever), but I'd like a better title. First of all, it's high fantasy. There are other races, but they're all quite human (in fact, humans are a devolved form of a mixture of these two races called the supreme races). There's prophecy about the protagonist, which calls him The One. He possesses a total of seven swords. He gets possessed by Wrath a couple times. The main bad guy is Greed (it's quite unlike FMA). There's another plane alternate the main one, kind of like hell.

Current title:
The One with Seven Swords

Other title ideas:
Wrath of The One
The One's Wrath
The One

Actually, I like just The One the most, but... it's already a movie with Jet Li. The current title is okay, but it puts too much of a focus on his weapons, and while they are important, I don't think they're title-worthy. Similarly, while Wrath does play an important role, I don't feel he belongs in the title. And it just makes the protagonist sound angry.

Thanks in advance!


Hmmmm, I'm going out on a limb here but are there other aspects like Envy, Lust, Gluttony & Sloth?

Because if there are, that opens up all sorts of fun title ideas:

The Sin Within
Blades of the Sinner

[danzibr]

banjo, I saw your post in my other thread. Grats!

I finished writing it a couple years ago (almost exactly 2 years ago) and it's already undergone a couple revisions. The titling is just... tough. Oh, and thanks for the responses all.

Hmm, The Seven Swords. Yeah, maybe it's catchier, but just doesn't capture what the story's about... the story is really about The One and what he does. I'll have to think on it. I do have titles for 5/8 of them, basically.

[Liffguard]

Just brainstorming here:
Wielding the Seven
The Seven of the One (sounds like a borg character)
I know you mention Wrath and Greed, do the other sins play a part at all? What about Seven Sins, Seven Swords?

[danzibr]

Oh right, I meant to comment on the sins. Yeah, there are all seven, and they all play roles in my stories. Some more than others. Seven Sins, Seven Swords make me think that each sin actually has a sword or something. Or maybe each sin is killed by a sword. Still, sounds catchy.

[The Succubus]

Oh right, I meant to comment on the sins. Yeah, there are all seven, and they all play roles in my stories. Some more than others. Seven Sins, Seven Swords make me think that each sin actually has a sword or something. Or maybe each sin is killed by a sword. Still, sounds catchy.

Seven Sins, Seven Swords does have a real ring to it. It leaves ambiguiety in the title.

[Dr.Epic]

Actually, I like just The One the most, but... it's already a movie with Jet Li. The current title is okay, but it puts too much of a focus on his weapons, and while they are important, I don't think they're title-worthy. Similarly, while Wrath does play an important role, I don't feel he belongs in the title. And it just makes the protagonist sound angry.

Thanks in advance!

So? You can still use that as the title. There are works of fiction that share the same name that have nothing to do with each other. (Although I would pick a name that was a little less vague.)

[danzibr]

How about... well, do you like the word "the" in titles of books? Which sounds better?

The One with Seven Swords
One with Seven Swords

We can do this with lots of other books, of course.

The Fellowship of the Ring
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Two Towers
The Return of the King
Return of the King

Really, pick any book series and slap the in front and see if it looks better, or if it has the take it away. Unless it's silly, e.g.

A Song of Fire and Ice
The A Song of Fire and Ice

To me, it just depends. For instance, I prefer The Two Towers (because Two Towers sounds like there are just a couple towers) but I don't think the adds anything to The Return of the King. Hmm.

[thubby]

why not just "seven swords"

[Winter_Wolf]

Blame The Matrix if you want, but I'd just avoid using "the one" if at all possible. I'd not be inclined to pick up and read a book that had "the one" anywhere in the title, or for that matter, even in the first 10 pages of the book. Or even if others would describe the book to me in terms of anything remotely like, "well the story is about 'The One'...." Just no. It may be a spectacular story, but I'd picture Neo every time I saw that.

I sort of like "One with Seven Swords" but the connotation for me that that someone is actually in some kind of symbiotic relationship with seven swords, i.e. "one with" the blades.

That said, "Seven Swords" is the best of the possible titles mentioned to now. Short, easy to remember.

[Weezer]

I think The One with Seven Swords is the best. Not incredibly long, 5 words isn't too much for a title, has a firm connection to the story itself and is unique enough to draw me in if I passed it on a shelf.

As for whether or not to have "the" there it matters what you want the title to convey. "The One" says to me that you are talking about a chosen one (which I personally would find off-putting, too over done) and removing "the" makes it seem like you're using the 3rd person singular pronoun making the title refer to a generic someone with seven swords.

[Douglas]

How about The Shadow War of the Night Dragon (http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/best-of-the-decade-data-common-words-in-titles)?:smalltongue:

More seriously, of the suggestions so far I like a slight modification of one most: Seven Sins and Seven Swords. The "and" in the middle reduces the implied degree of association between the sins and swords, I think, and it seems more unique and catchy to me than the other suggestions.

[Lord Loss]

I'd call it ''A Man with Seven Swords'' or ''The Man with Seven Swords'', if only to avoid the whole Neo-One connection, plus I'd be more inclined to pick up a book if it didn't have the words ''The One'' in the title (unless it was a matrix spinoff/novel).

[Pika...]

Well, here's my novice attempt at this:

"The One Who Wields Seven"
"The Wielder of Seven"

[DeadManSleeping]

"The Wrath of the Seven Swords"

Just an idea.

[danzibr]

Yeah, this is tough. The only thing I don't like about Seven Sins and Seven Swords (or the like) is the fact that in the first book the reader is only exposed to two of the sins.

Although I'm not *entirely* happy with the current title, nothing else is catching my eye. I suppose I'll keep thinking/looking.

[Jheska]

How big is the Sin archetypes to your story?

You could play up the fact that your main character is, from what you make out, the only "good guy" sin.

Seventh Sin, or something like that.

[Xondoure]

The One with Seven Swords has more character than any of the other suggestions in my opinion. Are there any other elements of your story big or small that you think would capture someone's eye if they were walking by a bookshelf? Perhaps a quote or description used in the books?

[Liffguard]

Speaking from a more general perspective, I think titles tend to work best when they're quite short and punchy, but not too simplistic. It's a bit hard to put what I mean into words so I'll give a few examples of my favourite book titles from SF:
Use of Weapons
The Blade Itself
Last Argument of Kings
Woken Furies
The Ghost Brigades
The Quantum Thief

They don't necessarily have to impart information about the story itself, rather they should invoke a theme or an atmosphere. I also find (and this is admittedly very subjective) that my favourite titles just sound good/cool to say in and of themselves. They also don't have too many "filler" words like "the" or "of." They also don't have too many "seen it all before" words; fantasy books with dragons, swords and darkness are a dime a dozen. If they're going to be used, it should at least be in a new way. I also can't stand The [noun] of [adjective/noun] type titles, especially if either of those nouns is a proper noun invented by the author. Obviously none of this is authoritative. I'm just commenting on what stands out to me as a reader.

I'm rambling a bit here so I'll try and clarify. A good title needs to pop out at a potential reader. It should be simple and catchy and preferably a bit different without being incomprehensible. Speaking purely from my own preferences, almost all of the titles suggested so far (inlcuding my own suggestion in retrospect) would make me think "eh, just another second-rate standard fantasy story" and walk on by. There needs to be something a bit more meaty.

Some things to think about. What is this main character prophesied to do? Why is it important? What's his greatest virtue? Greatest weakness? What are the villain's great character traits? What would you say are the overarching themes? Think of the answers to these questions (or similar questions). Now try and think of other words or phrases that evoke a similar reaction in you and build a title 'round that. The problem with The One with Seven Swords or suchlike is that it doesn't really seem to evoke anything. So there's a person with seven swords. Ok, cool. Why should I care?

Whew! That was rambly and probably nonsensical.

[Weezer]

Speaking from a more general perspective, I think titles tend to work best when they're quite short and punchy, but not too simplistic. It's a bit hard to put what I mean into words so I'll give a few examples of my favourite book titles from SF:
Use of Weapons
The Blade Itself
Last Argument of Kings
Woken Furies
The Ghost Brigades
The Quantum Thief

They don't necessarily have to impart information about the story itself, rather they should invoke a theme or an atmosphere. I also find (and this is admittedly very subjective) that my favourite titles just sound good/cool to say in and of themselves. They also don't have too many "filler" words like "the" or "of." They also don't have too many "seen it all before" words; fantasy books with dragons, swords and darkness are a dime a dozen. If they're going to be used, it should at least be in a new way. I also can't stand The [noun] of [adjective/noun] type titles, especially if either of those nouns is a proper noun invented by the author. Obviously none of this is authoritative. I'm just commenting on what stands out to me as a reader.

I'm rambling a bit here so I'll try and clarify. A good title needs to pop out at a potential reader. It should be simple and catchy and preferably a bit different without being incomprehensible. Speaking purely from my own preferences, almost all of the titles suggested so far (inlcuding my own suggestion in retrospect) would make me think "eh, just another second-rate standard fantasy story" and walk on by. There needs to be something a bit more meaty.

Some things to think about. What is this main character prophesied to do? Why is it important? What's his greatest virtue? Greatest weakness? What are the villain's great character traits? What would you say are the overarching themes? Think of the answers to these questions (or similar questions). Now try and think of other words or phrases that evoke a similar reaction in you and build a title 'round that. The problem with The One with Seven Swords or suchlike is that it doesn't really seem to evoke anything. So there's a person with seven swords. Ok, cool. Why should I care?

Whew! That was rambly and probably nonsensical.

If a book is entitled Last Argument of Kings, it better have cannons in it.

For those who don't get the reference, King Louis the XIV had Ultima Ratio Regum (last argument of kings) cast on all of his cannon. That's pretty badass in my book.

[Liffguard]

If a book is entitled Last Argument of Kings, it better have cannons in it.

For those who don't get the reference, King Louis the XIV had Ultima Ratio Regum (last argument of kings) cast on all of his cannon. That's pretty badass in my book.

That's where the author got the title from. There are no cannons in that particular book. However, one of the characters does set events in motion that lead to their invention later.

[Kindablue]

If I saw a book titled The One with Seven Swords, I'd assume it was a novelization of an episode of Friends. Doesn't make it a bad title; I'm just putting that out there.

[danzibr]

The One with Seven Swords has more character than any of the other suggestions in my opinion. Are there any other elements of your story big or small that you think would capture someone's eye if they were walking by a bookshelf? Perhaps a quote or description used in the books?
Yeah... well, I like a few of the fight scenes a lot. I've reread my story a couple times and those are always what I like most, but I'm not sure how to turn them into a title. Hmm.

Some things to think about. What is this main character prophesied to do? Why is it important? What's his greatest virtue? Greatest weakness? What are the villain's great character traits? What would you say are the overarching themes?
Actually, the prophecy isn't too important in the novel. In fact, the prophecy (at least, the stuff pertaining to this book) happens before people really figure out what's happening. The protagonist doesn't even know there's any prophecy about him until halfway through the second book, and doesn't know what it actually is until the third book. The prophecy really just says what he's going to do, albeit somewhat vaguely, of course.

For the protagonist's virtue and weakness, he protects people. For the villain... well, he's Greed (kinda). He/it doesn't really have any virtues, and you can guess his/its weakness. Lastly, for overarching themes, you'd probably have to look at the series as a whole rather than just the first one I wrote. There's a lot of betrayal and sneakiness and bad peeps. And fight scenes. I guess that's not a theme, but there's a lot of fighting.

[Xondoure]

Well perhaps put them forward as ideas for cover art when it reaches that level. I suppose if something significant happens within one of the more climactic fight scenes it would also make good material for a title.

Generic example:

A fight atop a castle in which the foundation becomes unstable and the building lights on fire could become Towers Burning. Or other such thoughts. Just throwing out different ideas to find other titles really.

[danzibr]

You could play up the fact that your main character is, from what you make out, the only "good guy" sin.
Ah whoops, I never responded to this. He's not a sin, just gets possessed once in a while by one. Actually, a couple (two) of the sins turn out to be good people. And by that I mean they were human once, basically.

Seven Sins, Seven Swords does have a real ring to it.
I got it! I was lying on the ground last night, playing with my son and was thinking of random titles. Perhaps it was The Succubus's title that planted the seed in my head (which I at first dismissed because only two sins play a role in the first novel). I'm thinking

Sword and Sin
-or-
Sin and Sword

Honestly, I'm leaning toward the first one because Sin and Sword sounds more like a bodice ripper. And the word sword is supposed to evoke thoughts of fighting rather than just an actual sword. Thoughts?

[Weezer]

I think maybe Swords and Sin might be better, the hard 'd' at the end of sword kind of kills the flow of the title, and as you said before, there are multiple swords in the story. But I like it, it definitely works.

[littlekKID]

I agree with Weezer, "Sword and Sin", have a neat ring to it

[TechnOkami]

"SwordSevenfold"

[Liffguard]

"SwordSevenfold"

Or perhaps The Sevenfold Sword. Rather neatly evokes another of my favourite fantasy titles, R. Scott Bakker's The Thousandfold Thought.