Month: February 2023

When I turn off word count and start to write, I actually enjoy writing more than with it on. When the word count is on, I’m constantly looking at how much I’ve written rather than focusing on what I’m writing about. It’d be like a runner who constantly keeps checking the timer as they run, rather than running the best they can.

I’ve found that there have been times where word count has helped me since it kept me writing when I felt like taking a break. But at the same time, it could be daunting to reach a word count goal, since it’s like you’re writing to reach a number rather than writing for the enjoyment of it.

But I think it depends on the writer. Some writers need that extra push, that external motivation of reaching a goal each writing session. For me, I can reach that goal once in a while, but not all the time. My writing sessions are influenced by my mood and energy level, and whether or not I feel inspired.

It’s hard for me to write anything if I’m not inspired or if I feel like I’m depleted of ideas. I’d sit at the chair and stare at the screen blankly until an idea strikes me, whereas some can just start writing when they see a blank screen. But when the wheels start turning in my mind, I can write based on what I see in my mind, like I’m recording an event as it’s playing out on the cinema screen behind my eyes.

And when I write, it’s not like I’m aiming for a number or toward a goal of it being my best piece of writing, but because what I’m seeing is so important to record that I don’t want to miss it.

Picking a title for a story can be a mind-boggling conundrum. It’s a task that on the surface of it, should be easy and straightforward to do, but when an author goes about choosing one, it’s as if the title keeps slipping away–hidden in the misty cloud of book titles that keep calling to be picked on as the winner.

For me, even if I spend hours or days thinking of a title for a story, none of the ones I think of seems like the right one. It’s like each one can work, but I’m not looking for the one that can work, but for the one that fits perfectly, suitably, as if it was meant to be. I want to pick a title that sounds original, that doesn’t sound like everyone else’s title. In addition, I don’t want to pick one that is too vague or open-ended, nor one that gives away the plot, let alone the story arc or twist.

When I finally settle on a title, it’s one that I feel comfortable with no matter how many edits or changes I make to the manuscript. It’s as if the story is defined by it, and can’t be named anything else, since it would be like shortchanging it.

When I gave my mystery novel the title The Birnbaum Case, it was chosen because it brought to mind a detective-type story, and when combined with the cover, it conveys an ominous and mysterious atmosphere to it. On choosing that title, I felt like it summed up the mood of the story without giving away what it was about. Instead of titling it by the main character or by what will happen in the story, the title is supposed to bring to mind a mystery that will lead to twists and turns as the reader turns the pages.

But that’s not to say that titles can’t be named after the main character of a story. In fact, Harry Potter is one such example, and they can be named after places too (for example, my novel, Kitewell). In a sense, it depends on what the author wants to achieve through the title–the mood, idea, or feeling that they want to convey when the potential reader sees their book cover. Does the title hint at an intriguing mystery? Does it hint at an important object/item in the story? Does it describe the journey that the reader will embark on? Does it suggest whom the reader will learn about in the course of the story? These are just a few things that an author might consider when creating a title.

Nonetheless, story titles are not easy to come up with, nor are they easy to settle upon, since they require a lot of thought, time, and patience. It’s one of those things where the author wants to be sure that they picked the right one, because once the book is published, the story will be known and recognized by its title.