A great title, cover, book, woman.I'll be away for a week, but I need some help. I was calling my second WIP-DARKNESS TAKES A DAUGHTER. I was never completely happy with it and my first reader hates it. So here are some alternate titles I've come up with.
Tell me what you think. The novel is about the mother from hell and how her daughter finally is able to leave her behind. Any ideas are welcomed. All of these are lines from songs, poems, the Bible.
DEPART FROM ME
I NEVER KNEW YOU
DEPART FROM ME, I NEVER KNEW YOU
WHY MY MOTHER MADE ME
HOW MY MOTHER MADE ME
HARD IS THE FORTUNE
SHOULDN'T I HAVE THIS? (The mother is a thief)
I MADE YOU TO FIND ME
WHAT SHE TOUCHED
AND BE A VILLAIN
KILLING MOON
KILLER QUEEN
MY MOTHER MADE ME
BEGGAR HEART
SCATTERHEART
BULLET WITH WINGS
DON'T TELL ANYBODY ANYTHING
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY
A House Full of Dolls
ReplyDeleteDepart from me.
ReplyDeleteOr what about "Like a daughter scorned"?
How about DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS?
ReplyDeleteHere's my smartass title recommendation: "The Postman Only Rings Once"
ReplyDelete"And Be a Villain" is the title of a Nero Wolfe book.
Combining a few ideas, what about A Mother's Touch? I like George's title. Richard's is interesting, although I don't know enough about your novel to know if it fits.
ReplyDeleteI recently renamed a WIP that had been an ongoing back-burner project for over two years. I now call it Book Al Is Making Me Rename. Has a nice ring to it, hasn't been used before and three weeks of brainstorming between the three of us hasn't produced anything solid.
"A Viper in My Bosom" - that being from the mom's POV
ReplyDeleteI like HARD IS THE FORTUNE.
ReplyDeleteDaughter Of Darkness is my fave.
ReplyDeleteWHAT'S DONE IS DONE. I always go to Shakespeare for my titles - that's one of Lady Macbeth's lines.
ReplyDeleteYou could make the mother a lesbian and call the book, "Mommy Queerest".
ReplyDeleteI'm joking
How about (I'm serious on this one): THE CUPBOARD WAS BARE
ReplyDeleteI wrote a manuscript much like your story once and called it ROOTS DON'T LIE, which you're free to steal, because it's a drawer novel.
ReplyDeleteI like BULLET WITH WINGS and BEGGAR HEART. Be prepared for it to be re-titled into THE THIEF'S DAUGHTER; the daughter thing seems to be a trendy title move.
This title sounds more right for a non-fiction book about a daughter's escape from an abusive mother, but what the hell, I thought it wouldn't hurt to throw it out there: A VICTIM NO MORE
ReplyDeleteOf the titles you listed, I like BULLET WITH WINGS and BEGGAR HEART the best.
I'm with David. I like HARD IS THE FORTUNE.
ReplyDeletePatti, here's two more:
ReplyDeleteTHE END OF THE RAINBOW
HEIRESS TO DARKNESS
I hope I'm not misunderstanding and/or being a presumptuous ass by throwing in my own ideas. Your post sounded like you wanted feedback on your list of alternate titles, plus any additional ideas.
If I'm wrong, and you're only looking for feedback on the titles you already listed, please feel free to give me a severe tongue lashing upon your return.
Good luck with whatever title you end up using.
Glad for any ideas st sll. Now I just need someone to revise the darn thing! I have never seen rain like this is my life. Yikes.
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A few more, then it's beddy-bye time for Rittster:
ReplyDeleteMOTHER, MAY I?
A HOUSE, NOT A HOME
Biblically related:
EVE HAD A DAUGHTER
I like Elsbeth's idea of going to Lady Macbeth. When Lady M is trying to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan, she says she would pluck a nursing baby's toothless gums from her breast and smash its head against the stones. Perhaps you could use something from that passage.
ReplyDeletethere are so many great titles here, I license others to use them.
ReplyDeleteHow about HER HEAD AGAINST THE STONE from Deb's quote. They are all so good!!!
I have no idea, but excellent process. Good luck -- commenters' ideas are great, too.
ReplyDeleteWhy not "Mother from Hell"?
ReplyDeleteFailing that, if I had to choose, I'd pick "How My Mother Made Me" or George's suggestion: "Daughter of Darkness." "The Thief's Daughter" isn't bad, either.
Patti--here's the actual quote from Lady Macbeth. I must have imagined the "stones" part--which is a shame because HER HEAD AGAINST THE STONES sounds like a good title. Anyway, here it is--
ReplyDeleteI have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
Great, Deb. SMILING IN MY FACE might work.
ReplyDeleteCUTTING THE CORD
ReplyDeleteor
FROM UNDER THE APRON
Smiling In My Face is really good!
ReplyDelete