How to Name Your Fanfiction

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: April 14, 2022 References

You've spent hours working on a piece of fanfiction that you're excited to put out there for others to read. Only one thing remains: giving your story a title. The right title can perfectly encapsulate a story, alluding to prominent themes and offering a succinct lens through which to view the events of the plot. The wrong title can feel clumsy and fail to capture the reader's interest, committing the worst offense in fiction writing: being forgettable. When it comes time to name your fanfiction, it's essential to know what type of features make for a good title.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Finding the Right Title

1
Pick a working title. Come up with a temporary title to serve as a placeholder while you're working on your fanfiction. Don't overthink it: anything will do as a working title, as you will be changing it when or before you complete the story. Working titles can round out the presentation of your story while you deal with the writing process, giving you something to look at other than a nagging blank at the top of the page.
- It can be helpful to choose a working title that deals with some central idea, character, event or motif in your fanfiction. These are some of the factors you'll be considering when finalizing your title, so having a fundamental concept of what label describes your story can prevent you from having to concoct one out of the blue later on.
- Improvising a working title has the beneficial creative effect of forcing the writer to distill what is important about the story to them into a single word or phrase.
2
Think of your audience. Your reader will likely also be a fan of the work your fanfiction is based on, so strive to present to them something fresh while staying in the vein of your source material. Fanfiction will be somewhat exclusive to certain readers by nature, but keep your work accessible by selecting a title that will interest even non-fans.^{[1]
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- Titillate fans of the material you're calling on with specific references. Using the names of well-known characters or other details from the source material as part of your title (e.g. "Murphy's Bargain" or "Journey to Kyrandia") will excite fans while also giving them a sense of what to expect from your story.
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3
Pull from your story. Your fanfiction is about something. It is set somewhere. It features certain characters. Any of these can be a jumping-off point for finding just the right title. Your story has something to say, so your title should say something about your story. Use the inventory of details you've drawn on to craft your fanfiction to single out one idea or set of ideas that is arresting enough to carry the weight of your story.^{[2]
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- Since fanfiction takes creative license with other, established works, highlight the originality of your story by using one of your own fictional inventions as part of your title.
- Though you can get away with it when naming a novel or short story, don't get too abstract with the title of your fanfiction. Your title should be explicit enough to inform the reader of the type of fanfiction it is but also offer some concrete new image.
4
Use active language. Don't bore your reader or leave them guessing with a vaguely-written title. The name of your fanfiction, like your writing, should be full of dynamic, active language that evokes a response in the reader and moves them to read your work.
- A title like "Man the Cannons" is more effective than one like "The Great Sea Battle" because it is indicative of action.
- Remember to keep your title consistent with the type of fanfiction you're writing. For instance, a story about Dr. Who might simply be titled "Dr. Who: A Case of Star Sickness," while a fanfiction about Indiana Jones would want to retain the formatting of the titles of the source material; "Indiana Jones and the Emerald of Skull Island."
5
Try out different titles. Unless you have a certain idea that you're resolved to use as your title, play around with multiple titles. Titles are like dates: it's unlikely you'll find "the one" until you've been through a few that didn't work out. Experiment with different styles and modes of presentation for your title, and get creative. Once you have a short list of potential winners, you can pare them down from there.^{[3]
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- Ernest Hemingway came up with two defunct titles, "The World's Room" and "They Who Get Shot" before settling on "A Farewell to Arms." Had he not, the book's final title might have been some reworking of the original and been far less memorable.
6
Be original. This is the cardinal rule of writing fiction. Since the title is what sells your story, you want to ensure that the name you've given it isn't derivative or a rehash of something else. The most memorable titles are the ones that don't follow formulas. Be bold when naming your fanfiction and try to give it a unique spin that makes readers take notice.
- Avoid cliches. Many titles take a safe but uninteresting template approach (e.g. "The Legend of...") and get lost in the sea of nearly identical titles. Your title should be something catchy and repeatable that doesn't sound too much like something your reader has heard time and time again.
- Resist the urge to turn your title into a pun. It can be tempting, but it's never as clever as you think it is. At best, a pun title draws the reader's attention to it and away from the meaning of the story; at worst, it can be instantly offputting.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making Sure Your Title Works

1
Run a search for your title. See what comes up. Someone else may have already thought of it before, or it may be too similar to something else. Once you've verified that your title is original, see what other results your search produces; this is a good time to find out if some part of your title might be obscure or overused, and what else people are searching for when they come across your fanfiction.^{[4]
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2
Reread your story. Now that you've got a name for your fanfiction, go back over your story with this title as your new frame of reference. Does it do an adequate job summing up or characterizing your story? Does it make sense in context after reading it, or will readers fail to apprehend its meaning? Just as you proofread your writing to look for inconsistencies, double-check your title to make sure that it's a fit for the completed work.
- Rereading your fanfiction will give you another opportunity to mine for other potential titles that might better serve the story.
3
Have someone else read your fanfiction. Ask a friend to look over your fanfiction and give you their thoughts, particularly on the title choice. You wrote it to be read, so this will also give you your first opportunity to have other eyes on your story and receive some initial feedback. Have your friend point out the strengths and weaknesses of your story where the relation to the title is concerned.
- Ask the person reading your fanfiction to tell you what they think of the title before and after reading the story. If it's not strong enough to interest them before they read the story, you may need to rework it.
- Find a friend that is impartial or more likely to give you honest criticism. Ask them to be specific: hearing "it's good" benefits no one.
4
Stand out from your source. Before you commit to your title, consider what inspired your fanfiction. If it directly borrows from source material, make sure the title you've chosen is in keeping with the style of the source while also being original enough to distinguish itself as your own original work.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Ensuring Your Title's Appropriateness

1
Let your title faithfully represent your story. Make your title really sing. The title is the first part of your story readers will see, and, like it or not, people do tend to judge a book by its cover. Hook them with something attention-grabbing right off the bat and once they're interested let the story you've told draw them in.
- Be careful not to let your title run away with you. It should be brisk and punchy, but not overly complex or unusual just for the sake of standing out.
2
Do some research. Investigate what traits make a title eye-catching. Do a little reading about titling and find out what methods your favorite authors use. Naming a story is a big step, one that typically gets made in the final stages of writing. While you write, dig a little deeper into your own ideas and see what among them might serve as the heart of the story.^{[5]
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- Authors often change the titles of their stories multiple times before arriving at the most suitable one. Don't be discouraged if the first title you think of isn't a perfect fit.
- Unless you have a particular idea of what you want the title to be, wait until later on in the writing process to decide on a name for your story. You may find that certain events occurring late in your story recommend themselves quite nicely as titles.
- Assume that your reader's attention span is short (this is often the case when browsing titles) and make the most of it with dynamic, unusual or standout wording.
3
Know what critics expect. Even if you're not submitting your fanfiction for publication or sharing it all over the internet, keep in mind that people will be reading it and use the occasion to impress even seasoned literary critics. Ensure the quality of your story by adhering to the standards that publishers use when reviewing manuscripts; though it makes use of established fictional icons, your fanfiction should offer something fresh and exciting, down to the title.^{[6]
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- E.L. James' "50 Shades of Grey" began as a fanfiction adaptation of characters from Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. It is now one of the most popular literary and movie franchises in the world. You never know how far your fanfiction will go, provided you sell it properly.

Community Q&A

Question

Is the length of the title important? Are long titles to be avoided?

Community Answer

The longest are usually five to seven words. If it is more than that, it will be harder to remember.
Question

Should I always feature the category in a title, i.e. "...a Harry Potter story"?

Garrett

Top Answerer

Not necessarily. Of course, you should follow site rules, but most fanfiction sites follow a categorical system. In most cases, this would fall under a Harry Potter category, and thus not need that in the title. If the site doesn't use that system, then yes, having that in the title would probably be helpful to readers.
Question

What do you mean by title?

Community Answer

A title is what you will call your fanfiction. It is what you see on the cover and the spine of a book. For example, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the title of the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.

Warnings

Stay away from title generators or word games designed to help produce titles. This might seem like it's saving you time and effort, but it's doing your fanfiction a disservice. After all the work you've put into writing your fanfiction, do you really want to undersell it with a lackluster title?

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Helpful 38 Not Helpful 3
Because fanfiction uses characters and details from other creators' works, it is a good idea to be up front about the fact that your story is a work of fanfiction, and that you hold no claim to any but your own original components. Besides being a respectful practice, it could save you from potentially hairy legal issues should your fanfiction be misconstrued as plagiarism.

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Helpful 29 Not Helpful 2
If you use a quote, you must give credit.

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