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With a nod to my writing hero Nora Ephron, I begin this post with the topic of titles and their value in propelling the content of a written piece. Nora knows this well, and her titles are always so catchy. I cite the titles of a few of her books as examples:

• I Feel Bad About My Neck – A book of essays about Ephron’s thoughts on aging.

• I Remember Nothing – Another book of essays about memory. I hear ya, Nora.

• Imaginary Friends – A play involving two famous women, Lilliam Hellman and Mary McCarthy, of the early 1900s in a hypothetical friendship, and the witty, sharp banter that takes place between them.

Of course, titles aren’t enough, so Nora delivers with her distinctive voice in her many essays, books, plays, and screenplays. Particularly in her essays, she speaks as a friend of the reader, making observations about her life that set me at ease about mine. Oh, Nora, I miss you.

I’ve not done enough study of Nora to know her writing process, but I think her titles are always so good. I’m confident each could lead anyone to go on a writing tangent and craft content of their own.

Not every writer starts with their title, but as an exercise, writing potential titles can lead to the next step of actually writing your piece.  

So, what makes for a good title?  

Over at The Writer, Yi Shun Lai gets to the meat of what a title should do to draw in the reader.

1. Consider the broad theme of your piece

2. Hone in on a specific detail

3. Don’t use a cliché that will have your reader assuming the direction of your content

With her tips in mind, and because I’m starting with the title as a means to writing an essay instead of the other way around, here are three titles I’m considering as a guide:

• Settling Accounts: (Misconceptions of what it means to mature and change)

• All the Shiny Pennies (a review of things I’ve tried and failed at)

• Mental Health for Everyone (More health is possible if we admit we’re crazy in the first place)

I’ll ruminate on these and read several more Nora Ephron essays for encouragement before I start writing.

THE CONTRADICTION OF BEGINNING

I find it strange that while I enjoy crafting titles, I have spent a lifetime procrastinating on beginning many projects, particularly those involving writing. It’s only been in the past decade I’ve realized that failing to start has been the crux of so much pain. I don’t begin something I want or wish to do, which causes me to be anxious, and then I swim in the stress of having put something off.

On the other hand, I also have the skeletons of many false starts in life. I’m attracted to the fire of a beginning. It’s fun envisioning a possible future outcome. But then my attention span diminishes.

It isn’t just losing interest, it is facing the actual reality of needing to do the work that dulls my energy. I fear the effort won’t be worth it, and that I won’t measure up. Is that fear of failure, or perhaps fear of success?

As you consider your beginnings for your writing, try not to allow yourself get caught in the trap of false starts of frozen from starting at all. Let’s look to Nora again for a bit of encouragement.

“What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications.” Nora Ephron

JOURNAL/WRITING PROMPT

How would you title your day right now? Think about a current theme in your life and title it.

photo credit Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Postscript: One comfort is a clean space. If you need help getting going on organizing your home check out Get Organized Gal’s courses for support.

I used her course to organize my office, and it is in pretty good shape these days. Success in one space has lead to cleaning channels to other rooms and photos as well. Check out he courses here.

Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

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