Choosing a fantasy fiction title
Filed under Tips & Tools on June 2, 2009
Tagged: fantasy fiction, Relvan's Rescue, titles
My stance on beta readers and critique groups isn’t as contrary as my last post made it seem. I use beta readers. Sometimes, it’s just my wife. Sometimes I’ll seek out subject matter experts or other genre writers. I’m very particular about who I solicit input from, and what input I’m interested in.
I used beta readers to gather feedback on “Relvan’s Rescue” before submitting it for publication. One particular comment I struggled with was from a reader who expected more from Relvan as a character because his name was in the title. Relvan was never a central figure in any version of the story. His rescue served as a stage for Janner’s story. However, the title set a reader expectation that I wasn’t fulfilling.
A title informs the reader about the focus of the story at a very high level. In fantasy fiction, the title often refers to the quest or, more specifically, the legendary item of power quested for. Sometimes, it is a reference to the hero’s journey, either the literal (the name of the land she travels through) or the symbolic (the change or growth he experiences). Another common, fantasy fiction title convention is to use a name or title that describes a central character of the story.
I think some of the conventions are tired and a little overused. That’s not to say I haven’t used them myself, or won’t read a story whose title follows the “The [fantasy noun] of [fantasy noun]” format, but I prefer there to be multiple layers of significance to the title. That was my intent with “Relvan’s Rescue”. Too often, the title’s reference is simple and obvious, and that is boring.
If a fantasy fiction title possesses more than one meaning, and one or more of those meanings is hidden, it’s up to the writer to make sure the reader is aware of the title’s significance somewhere within the story. This signpost should be obvious to the reader. An event should happen or a line of dialog should be spoken that causes the reader to have an “ah-ha” moment where the relevance of the title clicks.
Relvan is not a central character in “Relvan’s Rescue”, but because I had not clearly signaled the relationship between his rescue and the main character, Janner Kohl, my beta reader felt cheated. I briefly considered changing the title, but instead addressed the issue within the story by adding two lines of dialog toward the end of the climatic scene. The change satisfied the reader.
Have you read a story where the title didn’t seem relevant? What about a story where the author used the title in a clever way? Is there a particular fantasy fiction title convention you prefer, or are tired of seeing? Share your answers in the comments.
