dollyt8
Sage
I hope this is the right place to post this; if there's a better thread, please let me know. I would really appreciate some help workshopping a title for one of my stories.
I have been working on a story for some time that is a post-apocalyptic fantasy. This is the "back of book" blurb:
"In the thriving city called Paradise, whispers of a bygone era stir among the elite as the ghouls, wraiths, and wisps haunting their world become more and more dangerous. Spoiled brat Allistria may not be the most likely candidate to uncover the secrets of that era, but the Shadows haunting her taunt her with dreams of a lost realm, a different reality hidden in the past that holds the power to either break Paradise and its citizens - or remake them - forever. And as Allistria delves deeper, the secrets she unveils could be the key to intertwining the fractured worlds outside of Paradise, or the trigger that drops the universe into an even deeper abyss."
Note that the ghouls, wraiths, and wisps are not spirits per se; they're parts of energy beings unimaginatively called "Shadows." The basics of the story are this: the energy 'pieces' are sentient (or at least ghouls and wraiths are) and are becoming more and more common and beginning to kill humans. It turns out these pieces are from a society of energy beings that exists outside of so-called Paradise, and the elite of Paradise are basically trying to deny their existence. The shadows were the result of a magical experiment that turned humans into entities of pure magical energy nearly a thousand years before the main story begins. Most shadows can control only one type of shadow magic, but Insurgents are shadows that can control many different types. However, humans became so fearful of Insurgents that they drained the power from them in facilities that powered whole cities. This turned the shadows into "husks," killing them or dooming them to a life on the edge of existence. Around three hundred years before the main stories begin, the humans tried to drain an Insurgent that was so powerful, he accidentally destroyed the husking facility they sent him to. Despite the cruelties he experienced, he ended up sacrificing himself to defeat another Insurgent with an apocalyptic level of power, absorbing all of that Insurgent's power into himself and then folding that energy into a hard shell around himself to prevent a massive explosion that would have destroyed a good portion of his civilization. He remained within the shell, suspended in time, for the next three centuries. During that time, the shell began to gradually break down, sending fractured parts of his energy (and consciousness) into the world in the form of ghouls, wraiths, and wisps. These fractured pieces begged desperately for help, but no one returned to him to help him until finally Allistria answered the call of the ghouls, along with some others who hope that perhaps this shadow could save the world one more time and take back the wisps and ghouls that are killing humans. But rather than trying to save the world, as the Insurgent's energy begins to return to him, he becomes more unstable and violent as his memories also return and he begins to realize he was left for dead multiple times by humans who discovered him and simply didn't bother to do anything to try to save him. I'm still figuring out how I want to work the ending. If I decide to go full romantasy, then Allistria will fall in love with the Insurgent and he'll probably turn good for her sake and together they'll find a way to save the world. If I decide to go my more typical route, which is drama, then Allistria will have to sacrifice her feelings and the Insurgent in order to save the world.
Either way, it will have some dystopian elements but an ultimately hopeful message. The rather soapy theme is that when the shadows are overwhelming, there are still people who will help find the light.
A big part of the novel would be 2-4 lines of cryptic poetry at the start of each chapter or major story section.
For example:
Cry for the lost and sing for the found,
Dance in the rooms where the shadows abound.
Call for an angel and meet with a devil;
Speak for the lost, the found, and the rebel.
Another piece would be:
Here's to the lost, the found, who strive,
And to the ones who were shunned,
The ones who gave their lives and died,
And those whose lives have just begun.
Some initial titles were Clinging to Shadows, Shadowed Abyss, or Whispering Shadows, but I'll be honest and say I really don't like any of those three. Can anyone suggest a better possible title that fits with the theme of the story? Major bonus points if you can suggest a better name for the Shadows and Shadow magic/energy!
I have been working on a story for some time that is a post-apocalyptic fantasy. This is the "back of book" blurb:
"In the thriving city called Paradise, whispers of a bygone era stir among the elite as the ghouls, wraiths, and wisps haunting their world become more and more dangerous. Spoiled brat Allistria may not be the most likely candidate to uncover the secrets of that era, but the Shadows haunting her taunt her with dreams of a lost realm, a different reality hidden in the past that holds the power to either break Paradise and its citizens - or remake them - forever. And as Allistria delves deeper, the secrets she unveils could be the key to intertwining the fractured worlds outside of Paradise, or the trigger that drops the universe into an even deeper abyss."
Note that the ghouls, wraiths, and wisps are not spirits per se; they're parts of energy beings unimaginatively called "Shadows." The basics of the story are this: the energy 'pieces' are sentient (or at least ghouls and wraiths are) and are becoming more and more common and beginning to kill humans. It turns out these pieces are from a society of energy beings that exists outside of so-called Paradise, and the elite of Paradise are basically trying to deny their existence. The shadows were the result of a magical experiment that turned humans into entities of pure magical energy nearly a thousand years before the main story begins. Most shadows can control only one type of shadow magic, but Insurgents are shadows that can control many different types. However, humans became so fearful of Insurgents that they drained the power from them in facilities that powered whole cities. This turned the shadows into "husks," killing them or dooming them to a life on the edge of existence. Around three hundred years before the main stories begin, the humans tried to drain an Insurgent that was so powerful, he accidentally destroyed the husking facility they sent him to. Despite the cruelties he experienced, he ended up sacrificing himself to defeat another Insurgent with an apocalyptic level of power, absorbing all of that Insurgent's power into himself and then folding that energy into a hard shell around himself to prevent a massive explosion that would have destroyed a good portion of his civilization. He remained within the shell, suspended in time, for the next three centuries. During that time, the shell began to gradually break down, sending fractured parts of his energy (and consciousness) into the world in the form of ghouls, wraiths, and wisps. These fractured pieces begged desperately for help, but no one returned to him to help him until finally Allistria answered the call of the ghouls, along with some others who hope that perhaps this shadow could save the world one more time and take back the wisps and ghouls that are killing humans. But rather than trying to save the world, as the Insurgent's energy begins to return to him, he becomes more unstable and violent as his memories also return and he begins to realize he was left for dead multiple times by humans who discovered him and simply didn't bother to do anything to try to save him. I'm still figuring out how I want to work the ending. If I decide to go full romantasy, then Allistria will fall in love with the Insurgent and he'll probably turn good for her sake and together they'll find a way to save the world. If I decide to go my more typical route, which is drama, then Allistria will have to sacrifice her feelings and the Insurgent in order to save the world.
Either way, it will have some dystopian elements but an ultimately hopeful message. The rather soapy theme is that when the shadows are overwhelming, there are still people who will help find the light.
A big part of the novel would be 2-4 lines of cryptic poetry at the start of each chapter or major story section.
For example:
Cry for the lost and sing for the found,
Dance in the rooms where the shadows abound.
Call for an angel and meet with a devil;
Speak for the lost, the found, and the rebel.
Another piece would be:
Here's to the lost, the found, who strive,
And to the ones who were shunned,
The ones who gave their lives and died,
And those whose lives have just begun.
Some initial titles were Clinging to Shadows, Shadowed Abyss, or Whispering Shadows, but I'll be honest and say I really don't like any of those three. Can anyone suggest a better possible title that fits with the theme of the story? Major bonus points if you can suggest a better name for the Shadows and Shadow magic/energy!
Myth Weaver
That's not the norm for me; my typical workflow is to come up with a title first and everything else comes after that. For example, Seven Cities, Ashbranded, Obsidian Blood, Fragile Crown, and Father's Healer, just to name a few, had what I felt to be solid titles on the first day of working on the concepts. I have used placeholder names once or twice (Loyalty Fallen was Whispers in the Dunes and one of my other novel series concepts is still called the Angel of Justice despite desperately needing a new name) but it's not my normal workflow, mainly because I have a hard time diverting from a placeholder once I've decided on it. It becomes the default name in my mind. It's just a weird issue I personally have.
Dreamer
Inkling
.
