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30 Day Fanfiction Meme, day 17!
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
What, no middle ground is possible for this answer, meme writer? :P
Titles are fine. Like the summary, they are usually rather easy for me, but some have given me trouble. It took me two days to settle on "Not as Nice as Me" for my Bleach fic. I ended up changing the title of my very first fanfic, "Distracting and a Great Bother" from "No Good Deed", because I liked DaaGB more. (Also there were several fics with that title on FF.net, but mine is the only DaaGB!) I try to have unique titles, for pride and practical reasons.
Like with summaries, I consider the fic and find a title that fits it overall. My fic titles, in review:
At the End of Climbing Trees: taken from the fic's setting in Naruto canon timeline.
Distracting and a Great Bother: important phrase used it the fic
Doesn't Mean Anything: important phrase
Forgetting, Flirting, and a Flash Raive: the key items in the fic
It's All an Act, You Know: describes the theme of the fic
Maturation's Matriculation: describes the theme, with alliteration!
Not as Nice as Me: important phrase
One Sided, Two Ways: describes the theme again
Perceptions and Misconceptions: theme again
Something in the Silence: theme a fifth time, with alliteration!
And since I'm tired of talking about my same old little fic library over and over, I'll throw in the upcoming title of my next fic:
Unlikely Idol: theme yet again!
Chaptered fic is rare for me, as I try to avoid WIPs. You know, since I already have one that hasn't been updated in five years. (OMG! I had no idea it's been that long! D:) Of my chaptered fics...DaaGB is simply numbered, IAaAYK is titled with the POV character's name, MM is also simply numbered, and poor neglected 1S2W has full titles. IIRC, I had to shorten one of them to make it fit in the Pit's menu listing. :P
Unlikely Idol will have full chapter names. Of all my want-to-write bunnies, those most likely to see fruition will probably be chaptered, though I'd like to wait until each entire fic is written--at least in rough form--before posting their first chapter. The most likely to be written are the Snatch slash fic (already several thousand words), the Lion King fic (also several thousand words), and the Transformers movie1 fic (the bunny that refuses to DIE!).
I admit, the big advantage to chapters is that if you time each chapter's posting properly, you can keep your fic on the just-in listing until you run out of new chapters. You're also likely to earn more reviews, as people read each chapter when it's new and hopefully review every time. More time on the just-in list and more reviews brings in more readers! Of course, it also requires more self-control, as I am definitely the type who wants to post as soon as a section is finished. I suppose it helps that I post so rarely, anyway...
And for practical reasons, it's good to chapter longer fics. 10k is about the longest most people can read in one sitting. I've seen this discussed in various ficcing venues, and 10k is generally agreed to be the "I might need to chapter this" point.
Okay okay, I'll be quiet now! *claps hand over mouth*
What, no middle ground is possible for this answer, meme writer? :P
Titles are fine. Like the summary, they are usually rather easy for me, but some have given me trouble. It took me two days to settle on "Not as Nice as Me" for my Bleach fic. I ended up changing the title of my very first fanfic, "Distracting and a Great Bother" from "No Good Deed", because I liked DaaGB more. (Also there were several fics with that title on FF.net, but mine is the only DaaGB!) I try to have unique titles, for pride and practical reasons.
Like with summaries, I consider the fic and find a title that fits it overall. My fic titles, in review:
At the End of Climbing Trees: taken from the fic's setting in Naruto canon timeline.
Distracting and a Great Bother: important phrase used it the fic
Doesn't Mean Anything: important phrase
Forgetting, Flirting, and a Flash Raive: the key items in the fic
It's All an Act, You Know: describes the theme of the fic
Maturation's Matriculation: describes the theme, with alliteration!
Not as Nice as Me: important phrase
One Sided, Two Ways: describes the theme again
Perceptions and Misconceptions: theme again
Something in the Silence: theme a fifth time, with alliteration!
And since I'm tired of talking about my same old little fic library over and over, I'll throw in the upcoming title of my next fic:
Unlikely Idol: theme yet again!
Chaptered fic is rare for me, as I try to avoid WIPs. You know, since I already have one that hasn't been updated in five years. (OMG! I had no idea it's been that long! D:) Of my chaptered fics...DaaGB is simply numbered, IAaAYK is titled with the POV character's name, MM is also simply numbered, and poor neglected 1S2W has full titles. IIRC, I had to shorten one of them to make it fit in the Pit's menu listing. :P
Unlikely Idol will have full chapter names. Of all my want-to-write bunnies, those most likely to see fruition will probably be chaptered, though I'd like to wait until each entire fic is written--at least in rough form--before posting their first chapter. The most likely to be written are the Snatch slash fic (already several thousand words), the Lion King fic (also several thousand words), and the Transformers movie1 fic (the bunny that refuses to DIE!).
I admit, the big advantage to chapters is that if you time each chapter's posting properly, you can keep your fic on the just-in listing until you run out of new chapters. You're also likely to earn more reviews, as people read each chapter when it's new and hopefully review every time. More time on the just-in list and more reviews brings in more readers! Of course, it also requires more self-control, as I am definitely the type who wants to post as soon as a section is finished. I suppose it helps that I post so rarely, anyway...
And for practical reasons, it's good to chapter longer fics. 10k is about the longest most people can read in one sitting. I've seen this discussed in various ficcing venues, and 10k is generally agreed to be the "I might need to chapter this" point.
Okay okay, I'll be quiet now! *claps hand over mouth*