The end of a
story should justify the title. If the title gives the story away, the
writer may have to give it away, too, or sell it for a song, which is
bad business." Let the title suggest the theme of the story, by all
means; but keep your climax, your "big" scene, safely under cover
until the moment comes to "spring it" upon the spectators and leave
them gasping, as it were, at the very unexpectedness of it. Avoid
titles beginning with "How" or "Why," for they are prone to lead in
this direction. A good exception is the well-known play, "Why Smith
Left Home."
If you use a quotation or a motto for a title, be sure it is not
overworked. Variations of "The Way of the Transgressor," "And a
Little Child Shall Lead Them," "Thou Shalt Not Kill," and "Honesty Is
the Best Policy" are moss-covered.
Avoid baldly alliterative titles, such as "The Deepening of
Desolation," "Elizabeth's Elopement," and "Tom Truxton's Trust." Had
not the three elements mentioned in the title, "Sun, Sand and
Solitude," practically made the story possible, it would never have
been used; even so, it is really too alliterative. Usually, the
over-use of alliteration is artificial and suggests a strained effort
to be original.
For more than one reason, names, as titles for photoplays, are not
very desirable, especially for original stories.
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