Solving the Mystery of Title Writing - Once and for All

Writers, pen the perfect title to enhance your work. Title writing for most writers is a mystery. It's the hardest part of the assignment. Writers are working from home and in the office these days. No matter your format: your work requires a " TITLE." Often called a headline in print. With these suggestions, you too can pen the perfect title. Solving the mystery to create a title to enhance your text can be achieved. Practice is a good starting point. Writing a title, has different meanings to different media. Book titles hold a visual effect. Newspaper titles are to the point punchy. Internet titles are savvy. First appearance is crucial. The writer has to align the title within the technology scope. Ready the title for key word density, to increase the chances of search engines finding it for public viewing.

The title must reflect the body of your text. Think of it as a BAM moment. Setting a point. Rounding off. Eliminate the fluff. Execute the point. Provide the reason. The title is key. By pass the cutesy curse. The title of your written work, can kill your readership. The title can draw attention. Let's solve the title mystery. A title might go like this, as we get ready for solving the title mystery...

Draft a story about your life: The jobs you have worked. The family you have raised. The charity work you have done. Your struggle with one leg being longer then the other. Your singing talent. The math-a-thon you won. The garden you planted.

Now jot down the title. Think solving the mystery ! Would you title this content, " My Life and Everything I have Done So Far"? How about, " Having A Short Leg Hasn't Stopped Me From Being Me"? Maybe, "Even Though I Have Done A Lot Of Stuff - I Still Have Time To Plant A Garden"? Or would you title it, " My Life"?

These titles are borrrrring. They won't grab attention.They are vague. Point missing. What is the reason? Why would the reader care about your life? And who are you anyway?

CASE IN POINT
Too long a string of useless words that say nothing clear or interesting will effect your title and readership and bog down your attempt to draw in the reader.

Reread the above statement. If you have to read between the lines-you missed the point. Keeping it real.

Title writing is an art. Jot down a list of possible titles. Rework them. Edit them. Don't be in a hurry. Take time to craft the title. Respect your writing. Top it off with words that cradle the text.

CREATE A LIST OF POSSIBLE TITLES:
First of all capture the subject. The main reason for writing the content. In this case it could be "LIFE". Build on this thought. Jot down a few possible choices of a title to enhance your text. It's a part of solving the mystery.
My Life and How I Live It
How I Lived my Life
My Life In The U.S.A
Struggling In Life
My Meaningful Life
Life Line Of Creative Struggles
A Females Outlook Of Life
How This Male Lives Day By Day
Living Life As A Creative Being
How To Manage A Hardship Life And Have Fun
Try to pen at least 10 possible titles. You will find it easier with each writing. A mix or combination of possible titles will emerge. Fitting the perfect title to the text.
Use the process of elimination to cancel out the weakest words.

MIX AND MATCH WORDS
Pull words from your list of titles that capture the content. Rework them into the perfect title.
In this process, the writer will be closer to writing the perfect title. Jot down the "strong" words from your list.
Life
Struggles
Hardship
Creative
Outlook
Meaningful
Manage

FLIP WORDS
You may have to "flip words" as in:
My Lucky Life And Hard Times. Or, Hard Times In My Lucky Life---
Feel the difference? Relate to the flow? This exercise in title writing will help you to become a better title writer.

THE HOOK
Another part of the mystery of title writing is, the hook. Your title should contain a hook word. The one word that will cause the reader to want to seek more. To continue to read. If you are writing about money, as an example. You may want to build on that thought. If you title the text as " How to make lots of dough", you lost your hook. Title should be clear and always reflect the text. Stay on point. Try another approach. This article has a hook word in it's title. Can you find it? What hooked you to want to read more? Maybe the word mystery, did it for you?

Each writer has a unique style. Often the first choice of words for the title, change by the mid point of the content. A light bulb goes on within. Title your writing. Then wait. A better title will come to you. Using what you learned and what you already know-will solve the mystery of title writing-once and for all.