How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas (Part 4): Titles
A great title can lead to a great story idea and a great script. It can suggest a plot, key characters, the central conceit and story…
A great title can lead to a great story idea and a great script. It can suggest a plot, key characters, the central conceit and story genre.
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” Those are the words of Dr. Linus Pauling, the only person to ever win two Nobel Prize Awards. This is sage advice, especially for writers. A strong story concept is one key to the commercial viability of a novel, short story, or screenplay.
Over the next two weeks, I will run a ten-part series: How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas.
Today in Part 4: Titles.
A great title can lead to a great story idea and a great script. It can suggest a plot, key characters, the central conceit and story genre.
I went through the list of spec scripts that have sold and plucked out some of the projects whose titles caught my eye:
The Incredible True Story of Jessica & Drew Who Accidentally Boned on the Way to the Wedding
Lauren Pemberton Is No Longer In A Relationship
Some of these conjure up more in the imagination than others, but each is effective in its own way.
Why not spend one story idea session per week brainstorming titles? That could be a great way of generating a concept… and setting up your project with an eye-catching title.
Part 1: What if…
Part 2: Halliwell’s Film Guide
Part 3: Images
Tomorrow: Part 5 of the series How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas.