Durant Family Saga
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What Does Your Title Mean?

12/4/2014

5 Comments

 
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I had a debate with my editor because he told me someone didn't like the first title I chose for my novel on the Durant family - The Adirondack Seduction.  What, I asked him, can you really discern from the title of a book?

Is it supposed to be catchy? snappy? or convey the whole story in one soundbite? Is it supposed to be an elevator pitch?

I chose the title because it conveys an underlying theme of characters seduced by love, greed, power, and fame. Dr. Durant (and many others) was seduced by the belief that Adirondack land speculation would return his fortunes. His son William was seduced by the artistic inspiration the forest provided. And if the stories of his affair with Minnie Kirby are even remotely true, he was in pursuit of a love that was beyond his reach. In addition, to the Durants, people flocked to the Adirondacks in the mid-1800s looking for a miracle cure for tuberculosis. And there are other, modern-day seductions in my story.

Getting back to the point. Is my title going to work? Well I asked some colleagues what they thought. And we pondered. How many books have we read where the title doesn't tell you what the story is about until you are a few chapters in? This is what we came up with over the office coffee/tea Keurig machine:

Gone with the Wind
The Shawshank Redemption
Cutting for Stone
The Lovely Bones
Good Will Hunting - is that a book or just a movie? We weren't sure.
Moby Dick

I presume there are many more. Maybe you have some in mind. I like my title though.


5 Comments
Russell Nemecek
12/4/2014 11:13:13 am

I see nothing wrong with the title.

Reply
Sheila Myers
12/4/2014 12:51:47 pm

Thanks Russ!

Reply
Tina Castle
12/4/2014 01:32:14 pm

Actually, I like the title. They say you can't judge a book by its cover but I believe it really helps to have a good title. If I don't like the title, I very often won't read the book.

Reply
Linda D'Amato
12/5/2014 12:21:54 am

I love your title too - don't let people make "your" book "theirs" - keep the title and like you said, it is what the book is about

Reply
Sue(Yorke)Roach link
12/5/2014 01:42:12 am

I like your title! William certainly seemed like a thrill seeker! Can't wait to read about the romance between him and Minnie and how Aunt Annie fit in

Reply



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    Sheila Myers  Professor at Cayuga Community College in Upstate New York.

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