What not to title your fantasy book

[Cloud]

according to Cloudie.

Warning: This makes no sense and is the result of silliness and a lack of logic.

1. The "-insert number here-" something. Clearly this extra thing is important somehow, otherwise the people in the book wouldn't have counted it in the first place. Or perhaps they like stating the obvious.

2. "The last -something" While I feel bad for whatever the last of whatever it is I'm also giggling at the cliche.

3. Under no circumstances put a TM after your title. That's what the author of Maradonia did, and her stupidity defies logic.

4. Titling a book after a main character works, I guess, (Eragon) but unless it's a biography it's somewhat obvious and I'm sure cleverer things could be thought of.

5. Then again, stating the blindingly obvious isn't always bad if the book is a first in a series, but after that...no.

6. Also then again, it doesn't necessarily merit a lack of skill. I just prefer creative titles, I guess.

7. A title relating to the moral(s) of the series isn't bad, but if sounds overdramatic...bleh.

8. Avoid titles that make no sense, unless you can explain them really well really quickly. Like "Firesong". (Fosrs, I saw that on a book once. Looks like a bad warrior name.)

Why did I write this? Not sure. I must be bored.

[Ten]

I read a book called... what was it... Hawksong?
There was some random Avian lullaby in it, methinks, but from what I remember it seemed like the author just threw it in because she wanted a reason to name the book Hawksong, because it sounds cool and she didn't know what else to call the book, which was about hawks, but it wasn't about hawks singing, even if they did sing once or twice. /run on sentence.

Anyway, I do use some random and pointless titles for some of my work now and then. Some titles I derive from a couple of things mentioned in the work, some are references or connections that I doubt anyone else would figure out unless they had a strong motive to do so (not because they're too obscure or I'm too brilliant, but because the path I used to arrive at those titles can be convoluted and require more than one leap), and some titles have nothing at all to do with the piece. But most of my titles are very direct.

Where have you seen the "-insert number here-" something? The only book that comes to mind is I Am Number Four, and that doesn't quite fit.

And the Last Airbender is awesome despite the cliche.

But titles that are nothing but a character's name are dull. Plus it's annoying to have to explain, when you use that name, whether you mean the book/series or the character.

[Cloud]

That's amusing about the hawksong book. Kind of proves my point.

Some of the warrior titles, too, also make no sense. "Into the Wild" sure (even if Rusty the lametard only went 'into the wild' because the 'plot' told him to.) Fire and Ice? Don't get it. All the second series titles after Midnight I don't get either. I guess they're supposed to show the progression of the Clans with a day as a metaphor for their change, but eh....

Some of them are pretty irrelevant, like Moonlight. Sure there's moonlight in the book. There's moonlight in every book, as well we know from how it turns things illogical colors.

The third series titles generally make sense, except for Long Shadows. In fact, I laugh at it because one of the sentences in the front book flap is "The cats realize the darkest shadows don't always lie outside the territory." Sure they don't, if there's less sunlight in the territory...?

I'm sure it's supposed to be a darkly significant metaphor, but it comes off as stupid.

"Fading Echoes" makes me laugh too, imagining a cat going "echo, echo, echo" into a cave until the sounds get weaker and stop bouncing off the walls.

"Night Whispers" as well. Cats whispering at night. How utterly amazing.

"Sign of the Moon". This I can't even do anything with. It's just...what? What is the moon telling them? Free pizzas on Saturdays?

Fair point about the convoluted leaps thing. I'm just not very patient when it comes to that, even if I do eventually appreciate the thought. xD

Oh c'mon, you know, like "The Fourth Apprentice", the first book in the fourth warriors series. It's pretty obvious that Dovepaw is the 'fourth apprentice' after Holly, Lion, and Jay and the third cat of the prophecy. There are many others, too, I just can't bring them to mind right now.

True, true. I like TLA.

Total agreement about the names thing. "Eragon" no really, Paolini? Never would've guessed.