titles have always been tough

I struggle with titles. I always have, and became abundantly aware how challenging choosing fitting titles is during seventh grade English class. At the time I was working on a group project about Nathanial Hawtorne's The House of Seven Gables. We wrote a collaboratively created paper, and struggled with a title. In fact, many assignments in that class brought me face-to-face with my inadequacies and sense of inferiority at generating titles: papers, journals, poems, skits...
I have never resolved that particular inadequacy: the gift for condensing the spirit of a work into a pithy phrase.

Why think of that now? Why was nostalgic over 7th grade English? - the daily strife of titling these blog entries. How to capture the essence of the paragraphs to follow. A witty little phrase to catalyze a smile, or a wise sentiment, literary or pop-culture reference all would serve the situation well.

I think I struggle because titles are so important: they capture attention, arouse interest, create a handle for easy reference, engender respect, invite curiosity, provide a memorable moment - and all of that wrapped into a few words.

When I sit down to craft a title, I feel the pressure.

I am always impressed by a well crafted title - like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leopard; or "Of Mice and Men", by John Steinbeck, or even the aforementioned "House of Seven Gables".  The title says something in each of the previous examples, it gives a clear sense of the work, or references a relevant element, and are memorable.

Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Telltale Heart" are both excellent titles, full of intrigue and suspense, while revealing important elements of story.

Just hearing the title, "Hills Like White Elephants", by Ernest Hemingway calls the whole story to mind. I envision the setting, the characters; I see them seated at the table looking into the distance. All evoked by the title alone.

Simone De Beauvoir's "The Blood of Other's" captures the very gist of the story, serves as a point of departure and reflection.

 I am currently working on a second book and am deeply confounded by what to title it. I have tried a few options, but none seem 'right'. The subject of the book is Medusa. Until my test readers provide feedback, that is all the teaser I will provide. Well, that and the fact that the first iteration of the story has been performed as in two productions in a collaborative work, and as a prose piece in college forensic competitions across the country.

What are some of your favorite titles? and Why?