I
haven’t written a blog post in a while because I’ve been on fire working on a book. It’s a collection of new personal essays and poems, along with favorites
from my award-winning syndicated column...all nonfiction.
In
other words, the book is a bunch of short bits...or as some would call it, bathroom
reading.
I’m
in a jam. I have an idea for a title, but I’m not sold on it. The
last time I put together a book like this, I named it by borrowing from one of the
essays within. I have always loved that title: Calling
all Horses. I think those words are just quirky enough to get a reader’s
attention. That quirkiness also captures my, um, slightly skewed view of life.
Another reason I like the title Calling all Horses
is that it’s short and easy to say. I’ve found that when you write a book, you
say the title over and over…and over. My novels also have short titles that are
easy to repeat – Dog Woman and Don’t Worry Baby. I like short.
My
new book will carry this title or something like it: [Blank], And Other Glimpses of an American Life. The subtitle is of course And Other Glimpses of an American Life. The [Blank] part is the main title, and it's where I’m stuck. So I’m
asking for your help.
Kindly
select your favorite title ideas from the list below. Vote for as many as you
want, but please let me know which is the most favorite of your faves. To help
you choose, I'll tell you about the new book. It has stories from the 1950s through today, with funny parts, sad parts, and
reflection. The attitude is positive and sometimes a little zany. If you read this blog, you have a taste of my writing style. The book is similar.
The
following ideas are all titles of essays or poems within the book. Here
they are…please vote through this blog or through Facebook. (I only have a personal Facebook account at this time; I'll set up an author page soon.) Thank you!
Mice
wearing clothes
Holy
Hill honeymoon
Lucky
teach
Recapitating
St. Francis
Calming
the savage beasts
Spring
peepers
Waking
up
The
dance of life
Bedraggled
guardian angels
You
have to when you can
Fighting
bad guys with a smile
Great
rivers and little creeks
The
blue dish
In
praise of silliness
Just
say humbug!
The
middle of nowhere
A
river runs through us
Mum
and Subito Dopo
[PS Idea added after original post: You have to when you can]
[PS Idea added after original post: You have to when you can]
I vote for "The Blue Dish" or "The Dance of Life" Seems like just the right amount of words. Sounds like you've been busy! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie!
DeleteI vote for "The dance of life". That is what I have been doing all these years!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandy!
DeleteSince you said the book is zany - I'd go for "Waking Up" - together with the subtitle it hints at humor, and is something every reader can relate to, Unless,of course, your reader is dead, in which case they wouldn't be reading the book anyway!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dody. I wouldn't say it's overly zany, but there's a touch of that - well, you know me. Thanks for the suggestion. (PS I hope my readers aren't dead!)
DeleteOkay, I just came up with another name for the list. It's the title of one of the essays: "You have to when you can." I've been meeting people this week who are fighting cancers. I'm in awe of all the life they packed into their lives...before the cancers struck. What do you think??
ReplyDeleteBedraggled guardian angels
ReplyDeleteThe dance of life is SO obvious for you. I've dragged around all kinds of saints and angels. It'd be fun to know what your's do.
Thank you, Anonymous!
DeleteBy "The Dance of Life" being obvious, do you mean that would be a bad title?
I like Bedraggled Guardian Angels too!
But I like them all (argh)....