Titling Your Work

It's easy to think of titles as peripheral to your work, as something to tack on after the piece is written. But actually, titles are central to your work. They may be the last, but are certainly not the least piece of your writing. Titles can do several things. They can help announce your topic, provide a hook to draw readers in, and present the work's central message or theme. Titles should be utilized to do any or all of these things and should be carefully chosen. A weak or inappropriate title can make the difference between the failure or success of your work. It may mean the difference between someone choosing to read your work or not. That's how powerful titles are. Whether you are writing a book, a short story, an essay or a poem, your title should be something that encapsulates your work in the best way possible and draws an arrow straight to the heart of your message. The title doesn't have to be immediately understood by readers, but by the time they've finished reading your work, the title should make perfect sense to them. It should be an "aha" moment for readers, pulling everything together for them and providing an extra shot of insight. You put a lot of work into your writing. Don't let a weak title diminish all your effort. Instead, let your title be the finishing touch that brings your work full circle into a powerful, cohesive literary package.