Joshua Ferris - Interview #296 (6/2/14)

National Book Award Finalist Joshua Ferris, whose new novel is To Rise Again At A Decent Hour, published by Little Brown.

This week's Write The Book Prompt  concerns titles, because I think To Rise Again At A Decent Hour is a fantastic title. I’d love to do an entire show about finding good titles. They are the first words most of us ever see about a book, and they can prompt a potential reader to investigate further, or just walk on by. This week, spend a little time thinking about how you might like to title a piece you’re working on. Initially, just spend time with the piece, without making comparisons about other titles that are out there in the world. Then do a study: scan titles at a library or bookstore. Pick up a collection of stories or poems (preferably an anthology, or a Best American collection, so that you’re studying the names of various writers’ works). Take notes about which selections you might want to read, based on title alone. Look for patterns in your own tastes, and in what you see getting published. Are you more drawn to titles that include a character’s name, or a place, or a hint of the plot? Do you prefer titles that are quirky, like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time or Me Talk Pretty One Day? Or do you gravitate to more straightforward titles: The Goldfinch, The Bird Artist. Look once more at the piece you’re working on and think about how you might title it. Hopefully you’ll have some new ideas.

Good luck with this prompt and please listen next week for another.

Music credits: 1) “Dreaming 1″ - John Fink; 2) “Filter” - Dorset Greens (a Vermont band featuring several former South Burlington High School students, now alums).