tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post9144527250871463095..comments2024-03-27T07:18:58.033+00:00Comments on Frances Garrood: What's in a name?Frances Garroodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614916006798375706noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-25004123604646406362010-10-22T12:15:47.701+01:002010-10-22T12:15:47.701+01:00Thanks, David. Actually, I think "Those Who G...Thanks, David. Actually, I think "Those Who Get Shot" has a certain no-nonsense ring to it.Frances Garroodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10614916006798375706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-59221215710981061842010-10-21T02:45:09.735+01:002010-10-21T02:45:09.735+01:00On the other hand, "Basic Theology for Fallen...On the other hand, "Basic Theology for Fallen Women" is effing brilliant. <br /><br />I hereby predict bestsellerdom. Seriously.David Isaakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928598446742324391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-49576785650782588662010-10-21T02:42:54.991+01:002010-10-21T02:42:54.991+01:00Well, I liked the original title of my novel, the ...Well, I liked the original title of my novel, the publisher liked it...it was the booksellers who didn't care for it.<br /><br />But many famous writers were terrible at titles--probably no one more so than Hemingway or Fitzgerald. Their initial proposed titles weren't just dull, but hilariously bad. <br /><br />("A Farewell to Arms" was almost "Those Who Get Shot" plus a dozen other stinkers. "The Great Gatsby" was variously "Trimalchio in West Egg," "The High-Bouncing Lover," "Gold-Hatted Gatsby"...Look at what the publishers have spared us!)David Isaakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928598446742324391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-18317762579743291602010-10-19T20:31:44.075+01:002010-10-19T20:31:44.075+01:00Thanks for the offer, Frances. If I work out how t...Thanks for the offer, Frances. If I work out how the heck to describe it I'll let you know.nohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00398443646324855212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-40297215146316856342010-10-19T14:42:43.379+01:002010-10-19T14:42:43.379+01:00Yes, I agree, The Birds, The Bees and Other Secret...Yes, I agree, The Birds, The Bees and Other Secrets doesn't really convey any of the flavour of the novel.Alishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18406189984167289987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-68898082766633144932010-10-19T11:30:28.271+01:002010-10-19T11:30:28.271+01:00You're welcome Frances!
Just copy the picture...You're welcome Frances!<br /><br />Just copy the picture from my blog and save it, then add it to yours (at least that's how I do it)!Teresa Ashbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350697922935549188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-70520885053790874012010-10-18T23:55:16.872+01:002010-10-18T23:55:16.872+01:00Some interesting comments. I think we should all ...Some interesting comments. I think we should all get together and help Aliya name her novel. After all, it has to be easier than naming one's own. But then she would have to tell us what it was about (back to that again...).<br /><br />Teresa - thanks very much for the award! How do I convey it over here?<br /><br />Alis - I had a killer title for my last book, but it was vetoed. As it is, it often seems to get muddled up with books on sex education (that would never have hapened with my original title).Frances Garroodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10614916006798375706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-20539613342815222032010-10-18T22:13:24.420+01:002010-10-18T22:13:24.420+01:00Thing is, you can come up with a killer title but ...Thing is, you can come up with a killer title but will your publisher go with it? They definitely have their own views about how a book is 'placed' by its title.<br /><br />But I agree that Basic Theology for Fallen Women is fantastic - and that goes for all the titles you've mentioned, Frances. But perhaps all these wacky titles only work for comic novels?<br /><br />The titles I find most forgettable are the American crime ones - I can barely distinguish one Kathy Reichs or Karen Slaughter from another in terms of title. Doesn't mean I don't like the books, though...Alishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18406189984167289987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-89974484837368804212010-10-18T20:25:13.794+01:002010-10-18T20:25:13.794+01:00I have heard that authors are notoroiously bad at ...I have heard that authors are notoroiously bad at choosing their own titles. Interestingly I enjoyed the film Notes on a Scandal though the title initially put me off reading the book. Somtimes i guess even the publishers/editors can miss the mark. LOL!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-79727522092372229812010-10-18T18:52:15.888+01:002010-10-18T18:52:15.888+01:00I love your title "Basic Theology for Fallen ...I love your title "Basic Theology for Fallen Women". One of my favourite titles (and books) is the Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.<br /><br />THere is a "Sweet Friends" blog award for you at my blog. You don't have to do the stuff that goes with it unless you really want to.Teresa Ashbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350697922935549188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-55201625008524904112010-10-18T15:58:09.779+01:002010-10-18T15:58:09.779+01:00I like my titles to be distinctive and intriguing,...I like my titles to be distinctive and intriguing, even if the reader doesn't necessarily know what to make of it until they've finished the book. I don't think I'm quite as good with novels as I am with short stories.<br /><br /><i>Sublimation</i> gets its title from the fact that, boiled down to barest bones, the whole book is a candy-coated lecture in Hegel's dialectic of good and evil. (<i>Shh. Don't tell anyone. It's just a thriller, I promise.</i>) A few nerdy types will know that going on. A few slightly less nerdy types will know that when they read the plate quote, and everyone will know it when the book is done. We'll see if my agent and publisher (when those days arrive) let the title mass.<br /><br /><i>Ennui and Malaise</i> gets it title because everything that happens in the book happens because the main character has lapsed into a glossy-eyed funk of boredom and exhaustion with his life. The pairing itself was a favorite of a couple of my archaeology buddies back when, used to describe whey they stopped digging a test pit at 3:30pm at the end of a week of finding nothing. <br /><br />To give you a feel for the trend, my short stories in publication:<br /><br />"Death, Be Not Me"<br />"The Best Medicine"<br /><br />My short story that will be published in January:<br /><br />"Terminal Instar"<br /><br />A couple others which I will be submitting soon:<br /><br />"That Which Survives"<br />"When You Wish Upon a God"C. N. Nevetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00375714948653196993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-48873840536871266292010-10-18T15:15:53.219+01:002010-10-18T15:15:53.219+01:00I never know whether they should be short and snap...I never know whether they should be short and snappy or longer, like the Dog In The Night-Time one (which I also enjoyed).<br />I suppose if you're an aspiring writer (like me) you need something to capture the imagination and attract the readers.<br />If I become a fan of an author's work I just look for their name and, like you, can't always remember the title of what I'm reading.Keith Havershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05133563220362208820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132582821010486689.post-17651123133367417272010-10-18T14:58:27.187+01:002010-10-18T14:58:27.187+01:00Good question. My new title is not very good. I...Good question. My new title is not very good. I'm not even prepared to reveal it, that's how not good it is. But it's absolutely relevant to the book. It makes sense of the book. So I'm currently stuck with it.<br /><br />Am rubbish at titles. Basic Theology For Fallen Women is deeply excellent.nohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00398443646324855212noreply@blogger.com