Let's Tally Those Tantalizing Titles

We can discuss what is difficult to do for so many.

Photo by SGR on Unsplash

Welcome to all my new subscribers. I’m so happy to have you here. I love sharing info about publishing, writing, craft, experiences and adding in a workshop component for those who decide to upgrade their subscriptions.

But first, I want to give Samantha Rice, a former student of mine, a big KUDOS for having her micro memoir published. She opted for the paid subscription and got to work with me on her brilliant piece called Fish Beats Rock that was published in Five Minute Lit.

Here in her own words:

“ My micro memoir Fish Beats Rock, also my first published writing, is in an issue of Five Minutes journal. I was inspired to write the piece after taking Estelle Erasmus’s class on writing micro memoir.

As a paid subscriber to Estelle Erasmus’s Substack, I had the opportunity to work with her on my micro memoir. I worked with Estelle to polish my piece - she offered thought-provoking questions that helped me to enhance the work. Questions that I hadn’t asked myself. Thank you, Estelle, for the assistance and the support and encouragement!!

Several years ago, I was a student of Estelle’s at Writer’s Digest University and her feedback and insight were encouraging and supportive! She wants to see her students succeed!

Congrats Sam!

So let’s talk titles. I recently did a CRAFTTALK on titles, and I would love to share some insight with you to help you enhance and improve your titles. As the editor-in-chief of several magazines, I wrote the coverlines for the issues that were sold on the newsstands; I also wrote the titles and deks for the pieces I published and the writers I worked with. Because of my experience and great track record, I consider myself a title queen and writing titles that editors (and readers) like is one of my super powers.

Let’s start with a few title tenets: I also cover Titles in Writing That Gets Noticed. And wrote about them for Brevity. A title should draw readers in. It should inform. Intrigue. Entertain. Show the stakes. Often changing just a few key words, or switching the focus or tone, makes the difference between an ok title and one that gets attention.

1. Answer A Compelling Question

Is your essay asking a question? If so, address it in your title, too. It can be either direct or indirect, but implied. 

Examples:

Why Do People Take the Public, Social-Media Spectacle of Celebrity Death So Personally?

Elijah the Prophet will Toast You on Zoom: Ways to Get Through a Socially Distanced Passover.”

How to Bullyproof Your Child.

Estelle’s Edge: Try writing up a chat with yourself about what you think your piece’s purpose is, or even a situation that needs to be dealt with or conquered. You can also do a mindmap on paper (connecting different words with each other to form a concept). For example, If it’s a new marriage, words that work might be certificate, vows, pledge, partnership, ceremony, love, toast, confirmation, passion.

2. Share What Confounds You

What are you dealing with that others can relate to that also evokes emotion?

Examples:

I Was Uncontrollably Angry After Giving Birth. 

What to Do About Your Tween’s Toxic Friend?

My Husband Doesn’t Post about Me on Facebook and that Makes Me Sad.

Estelle’s Edge: There is a book called the Emotion Thesaurus that can be helpful. You can also take out a word or verb from your essay and look it up online to find a synonym that will work better.

3. Insert a Momentous Moment

What is happening that raises the stakes in your piece? Cover that in your title.

Examples:

My 9-Year-Old’s Unexpected Seizure Taught Me the Power of Letting Go.

I Had Quintuple Bypass Surgery. A Trait I Never Guessed Might Affect My Heart May Be to Blame.

A Fake Uber Driver Tried to Pick Up Me & My Daughter.

Singing My Dad Back to Me

I Had My Daughter in Midlife and She Became My Writing Muse.

Estelle’s Edge: The higher the stakes, the stronger the emotional implication of a given situation, so use strong, active verbs to convey that.

4. Find the Focal Point Word

What are the phrases, quotes, cultural touchstones, or specific details that shine? What words are repeated almost like a through line throughout the piece?

Examples:

The Red Cane.

Don’t Blow Up Your Life For a Byline.

Friends, Fleetwood Mac, and the Viral Comfort of Nostalgia.

5. Set Up A Problem/Solution 

Write the first part of the title as the situation or problem or vice versa, and then write “and that’s why I realized or found or this happened, or I did this to solve X. 

Examples:

I Was Told My Parents Were Dead. 38 Years Later, I Got An Email That Changed Everything.

When to Reply on Social Media — and When Not To.

I Lost My Brother to a Cult When I Needed Him Most. A Tragic Twist of Fate Brought Us Back Together.

6. Active “Verb Your Work

Go through your piece and highlight any verbs. Then see if you can search to find other verbs that are active and a bit more unusual. For example: some choices could be churned, sauntered, splintered, spiraled, collapse, turbulent, peppered, to paint a picture for the reader.

Examples: 

Unmuting a Brother-Sister Relationship, One Chord at a Time. 

What To Do When Your Tween is Trash-Talking You.

Mom Hacks to Cut Through Other People’s Crap.

That’s just a few of my tactics for creating tantalizing titles. My final Estelle’s Edge is when you have a great title, make sure you add it to the subject line of the email to the editor.

Latest Podcast Episode

My latest podcast is with debut novelist Carinn Jade. It’s called #110 The Astrology House and Other Novel Touchstones.

I love coming up with podcast episode titles. When I start thinking of them, I usually look for a word that the author, writer, or media expert uses during our chat (in this case, Carinn used the word touchstone several times), and I wanted to also do a play on novel (which is it), and novel, meaning different, which I think works well here, too.

Poems and Shout-Outs

I read my poem #163 in the Where I’m From Series, helmed by the gracious and generous Alyson Shelton . Give it a look and a listen.

Beth Ann Fennelly gave me a shout-out (and my good friend Abby Thomas) in her Substack the BethAnnigan.

Let’s Talk Titles

Moving on, let’s talk titles (this is the subject of my next “workshopping opportunity” for yearly paid subscribers). I sort of see it as a way to give you a small taste of working with me in opportunities throughout the year to the tune of less money than you would pay for most webinars I teach, or what you would pay to attend a conference to hear me lead a workshop or speak.