Which comes first? Your title or your plot?
June 2021
There has been some fascinating discussion on YouTube and Twitch about titles of late. Some assign “project names” to their works-in-progress. Others refer to it as “the book.” I used a similar shorthand with my vampire sequel…by calling it my “vampire sequel.” (So clever, Regina.)
However, I knew what the title of the sequel would be months in advance. My Vampire Beau goes live on July 15, 2021. I often (always?) know the title before I start writing. For some reason, I can’t begin working on the story until I know what the title will be.
This technique is very helpful in my Colorado Billionaires series, because the titles are all similar. The first two words are The Wedding…. and the third word often has a double meaning where the plot is concerned. Once I know what the title is, I can begin working on the book. The one I’m currently writing (#12) is The Wedding Party. The double-entendre for this book is, first of all, the people in the wedding, and secondly, one of the characters is planning to run for office.
Knowing the title ahead of time helps me steer the course for the plot of the book. The series in order is:
The Wedding Wager (1)
The Wedding Hope (2)
The Wedding Venture (3)
The Wedding Belle (4)
The Wedding Guest (5)
The Wedding Toast (6)
The Wedding Gift (7)
The Wedding Deal (8)
The Wedding Veil (9)
The Wedding Song (10)
The Wedding Cake (11)
The Wedding Party (12, in progress)
Most can be read as single titles, however there are recurring characters whose story arcs unfold from book to book, so you might enjoy the series more by reading them in order. If I haven’t uploaded the one you want to Ko‑fi yet, they are available on Amazon, iBooks (iTunes), Barnes&Noble, Kobo, and Google Play.
Titles come first for me, as they contribute to the overall story and, let’s be honest, double-entendres make me feel clever. Have a lovely day! Now go read something.
Regina