How to Name Your Fanfiction

"State your name." Not something so easily filled in for a fanfiction author (or authoress) when it come to the name of their fanfiction. Every title must be unique, every title much have a draw - to make people interested and to entice them in. So here's a layman's guide on how to do it right.

Do some research . Research is important. Check out what other people are calling their stories. Investigate what's the current trend - is it long or short titles? Ones in another language or from a famous speech or poem? Research takes only a few minutes and can make the difference between a well-read and well-liked story and a story that lives in the murky backwaters of a site.

Choose a working title . While you're creating and working on the story, for the moment. Even if you only keep it up for the first two or three chapters, it'll be worth it. It helps keep the story in line with the title. It doesn't have to be the World's Greatest, just pick something. At the very least, it'll make it easy to find on your computer when uploading.

Now you're ready to take on a title . Your research will come in handy here. Make your title as you want it. If you want it in German, put it in German even if your fic is in English. If you want that special saying your Great-Auntie Miriam said all the time, then by all means put it in. Have fun. Go wild. Enjoy.

This is a weird step, but one you'll appreciate. Go back over your story . And re-read it. Make sure you get all of it - right down to the prologue or even the stupid little bit you tacked on the end. Right? Done that? Good.

Take another look at your title . Does it fit the story? Does it work? Or have you just tacked something on there that doesn't work? Be reasonable and be sensible. A German title should only be included if the story has relevance to it - i.e. if the story is set in Nazi Germany or if there are German characters. Those would be good reasons to have a German title of a special phrase or proverb. "Because it looks cool," is not a good enough reason.

Make sure you've got rid of the working title , if you liberally scattered it across the board when it came to Chapter Titles and the like.

Make sure that title is original before you post it. If there's more than one story with the same title, people will get confused. If someone else has that Martin Luther King sequence - then just pick another one. More than one person had that inspirational speech. Just go on the internet and find it.

Post your fanfiction ! Let others see what you've created.

Tips

• When you choose your title, don't make it so cliched that people avoid it. Most people are wary of cliches. Avoid a title like "When Good and Evil Collide." Choose something that's unique to your story.
• Song titles aren't the best names for most stories. Especially when you don't understand the connotations of the song. But if it's personal to you, make sure you read the song, and then by all means use it, if it's relevant. If it's a translation, cross-reference the song translations. Sometimes it's translated as something else.
• Don't be afraid to pick something short. Or something long. A variation of length is good. A short word like "Power" has a very strong impact but something like "All Punked Out" has a very dynamic feel to it even if it is a lesser cliche.
• Spelling and grammar are important in a story. Even in something so small as a title. Spell it properly, add in punctuation and grammar (as in the Original Form) and be sure to credit the right person if you do use a quote.
• Good titles are always spelled and punctuated correctly.
• All good stories have a well written title, with good punctuation and spelling.
• All good stories always follow the title. If the plot line doesn't follow the title, change the title.
• If you use a quote, you must give credit. It is a legal thing to do, otherwise it is plagiarism and that is illegal.

Warnings

• Don't use a online translator to translate a story. It never works. Instead, ask a friend or someone who knows the language and make sure it's right. Nothing's worse when the first thing a reader sees is a bad title.