Tony Jones
Chancellery Guard
Professor Chronotis
Still rockin' along!
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Post by Tony Jones on Oct 4, 2018 9:29:30 GMT
I wish I knew! My first three were cryptic single words
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2018 10:03:19 GMT
Oh, great question!
I haven't a clue. I'm very partial to titles that turn up in a line or two of dialogue in the story itself. Seasons of Fear still impresses me for not only sounding wonderfully evocative, but also being a self-assessment by the main villain to the Doctor. There are so many clever things you can do with "The Adjective of Noun" and I really enjoy seeing the variations that writers can come up with. It's not a BF story (at time of writing), but Andy Lane's The Empire of Glass is wonderfully evocative. A situation fragile, yet cutting.
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Post by muckypup on Oct 4, 2018 16:02:38 GMT
anything with out the word "The" at the start no need for it most of the time.....and you end up either going through and deleting it or hundreds of titles all sorted to The........
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Post by number13 on Oct 5, 2018 1:03:08 GMT
For Third and Fourth Doctor era stories especially, the authentic title should ideally contain a lurid, impactful word suggestive of Saturday matinee-style thrills:
Terror, claws, talons, horror, death, doom, curse, revenge, evil, monster, invasion, fear, deadly! And of course, 'Dalek' more than qualifies!
So far in the 3DAs we have: Havoc, Conquest, Storm and Tyrants. 4 titles / 8 following the 'rule' isn't bad!  |
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Post by fingersmash on Oct 5, 2018 13:17:33 GMT
For Third and Fourth Doctor era stories especially, the authentic title should ideally contain a lurid, impactful word suggestive of Saturday matinee-style thrills:
Terror, claws, talons, horror, death, doom, curse, revenge, evil, monster, invasion, fear, deadly! And of course, 'Dalek' more than qualifies!
So far in the 3DAs we have: Havoc, Conquest, Storm and Tyrants. 4 titles / 8 following the 'rule' isn't bad! You forgot Rise |
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,680 
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 5, 2018 16:18:09 GMT
I like layers in my titles: almost everything that I wrote back in the had titles with multiple meanings or that referenced more than one thing in the story. To pick some Who-related examples: The Twin Dilemma could refer to the twins in the story or the double problem faced by the regular adventure and the troublesome regeneration the Doctor was undergoing. The Ark In Space: is it an ark for humans or for the Wirrn? Turn Left could refer to what Donna has to do to put things right or it could refer to the world she inhabits in that episode which has taken a sharp turn into something, well, sinister, to use a classical term. A good title should reflect the story rather than just summarise it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 3:31:41 GMT
I like layers in my titles: almost everything that I wrote back in the had titles with multiple meanings or that referenced more than one thing in the story. To pick some Who-related examples: The Twin Dilemma could refer to the twins in the story or the double problem faced by the regular adventure and the troublesome regeneration the Doctor was undergoing. The Ark In Space: is it an ark for humans or for the Wirrn? Turn Left could refer to what Donna has to do to put things right or it could refer to the world she inhabits in that episode which has taken a sharp turn into something, well, sinister, to use a classical term. A good title should reflect the story rather than just summarise it. Ooh, yes, my favourite one of those is The Evil of the Daleks. By the end of the story, the emphasis and meaning of the title have changed dramatically. It becomes just as much about the evils they inspire in others as the evil inherent within themselves. The evil of the Daleks is that they make others just like them. I think that's really clever. |
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Post by constonks on Oct 6, 2018 4:23:48 GMT
Evocative and intriguing. That's all it takes, I'd say. Clever is nice too, but as it's more in retrospect, it's less important. As mentioned, Across the Darkened City is a great title, but doesn't have a twist to it.
Two coming in the future: Rage of the Time Lords & Trial of a Time Machine.
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,680
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 6, 2018 4:44:24 GMT
Evocative and intriguing. That's all it takes, I'd say. Clever is nice too, but as it's more in retrospect, it's less important. As mentioned, Across the Darkened City is a great title, but doesn't have a twist to it. Two coming in the future: Rage of the Time Lords & Trial of a Time Machine. "Across The Darkened City" sounds like a line from a poem. When I heard it I looked it up and found this: www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/benjamin-britten-ww2-propaganda/I love me a literary allusion in my titles as well and it adds a little more depth to the story when you can find a resonance like this to something from reality. |
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,680
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 6, 2018 4:48:39 GMT
I like layers in my titles: almost everything that I wrote back in the had titles with multiple meanings or that referenced more than one thing in the story. To pick some Who-related examples: The Twin Dilemma could refer to the twins in the story or the double problem faced by the regular adventure and the troublesome regeneration the Doctor was undergoing. The Ark In Space: is it an ark for humans or for the Wirrn? Turn Left could refer to what Donna has to do to put things right or it could refer to the world she inhabits in that episode which has taken a sharp turn into something, well, sinister, to use a classical term. A good title should reflect the story rather than just summarise it. Ooh, yes, my favourite one of those is The Evil of the Daleks. By the end of the story, the emphasis and meaning of the title have changed dramatically. It becomes just as much about the evils they inspire in others as the evil inherent within themselves. The evil of the Daleks is that they make others just like them. I think that's really clever. Another Dalek one is Day Of The Daleks. It's the story of the Doctor changing history so the Daleks don't invade Earth. Consider the title of the 50th anniversary special wherein the Doctor changes history so the Daleks don't destroy Gallifrey... Callback or coincidence? |
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Post by number13 on Oct 6, 2018 8:59:20 GMT
Ooh, yes, my favourite one of those is The Evil of the Daleks. By the end of the story, the emphasis and meaning of the title have changed dramatically. It becomes just as much about the evils they inspire in others as the evil inherent within themselves. The evil of the Daleks is that they make others just like them. I think that's really clever. Another Dalek one is Day Of The Daleks. It's the story of the Doctor changing history so the Daleks don't invade Earth. Consider the title of the 50th anniversary special wherein the Doctor changes history so the Daleks don't destroy Gallifrey... Callback or coincidence? Callback! Some people complain about the many fan-pleasing references of the Moffat era. Personally, I love them all!
And for new-Who viewers who weren't aged 8 when the Doctor and Jo spent their night 'ghost hunting' in 1972, it's still a great title for the 50th. That's the best sort of continuity reference imo - an Easter egg for longtime fans which doesn't slow the story down for people who don't know the reference. Like Alpha Centauri showing up in 'Empress of Mars' - works well as a very alien looking alien ambassador if that was your first sight of it, clearly showing what a diverse galaxy the Ice Warriors were choosing to join. And for me, a moment of super-nostalgic pure joy!  |
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Post by jasonward on Oct 6, 2018 9:20:00 GMT
Without reference to BF particularly, Ive always lent to titles that appear to contain a contradiction as being good titles.
So inventing a few now:
Eating the fearful joy
The man who ran to walk
Walking with the woman who ran
Crawling to glory
Falling to heaven
You can see this sort of thing in action in the titles of some of my recent posts:
Hello, its nearly time to say goodbye
Communism as opposed to communism
I feel this sort of contradiction in a title draws a reader in, sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes out of indignation, but pull on them none the less.
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Post by omega on Oct 6, 2018 9:36:36 GMT
Tells you enough about the story to whet the appetite but not enough to spoil it. The original title for Plague of the Daleks aaa Village of the Damned, or The Ancients. Plague of the Daleks tells you the Daleks have a plague, there goes the identity of the villains and the threat they pose. Village of the Damned implies horror trappings, a village with a population under chilling circumstances. The Ancients invokes something old, that seems impossible to truly grasp.
Peri and the Piscon Paradox is a good title. It tells you it’s a story about Peri and there is a paradox around a piscon. What is this paradox and how does it relate to Peri? Listen to the story to find out. Hint, it involves a voice sounding like Stephen Hawking gargling jello.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 9:41:02 GMT
[...] Peri and the Piscon Paradox is a good title. It tells you it’s a story about Peri and there is a paradox around a piscon. What is this paradox and how does it relate to Peri? Listen to the story to find out. Hint, it involves a voice sounding like Stephen Hawking gargling jello. It's also got some really nice added alliterative appeal. |
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Post by omega on Oct 6, 2018 9:44:31 GMT
[...] Peri and the Piscon Paradox is a good title. It tells you it’s a story about Peri and there is a paradox around a piscon. What is this paradox and how does it relate to Peri? Listen to the story to find out. Hint, it involves a voice sounding like Stephen Hawking gargling jello. It's also got some really nice added alliterative appeal.  It’s jolly jargon to make Jago genuinely jealous. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 9:55:00 GMT
Tells you enough about the story to whet the appetite but not enough to spoil it. The original title for Plague of the Daleks aaa Village of the Damned, or The Ancients. Plague of the Daleks tells you the Daleks have a plague, there goes the identity of the villains and the threat they pose. I dislike most [Dalek story] titles that include the word Dalek in the title, I prefer a little bit of subtlety.
As for what makes a good Doctor Who title, for me something not too long and with no 'and the' after Doctor Who!
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Post by omega on Oct 6, 2018 10:07:25 GMT
Tells you enough about the story to whet the appetite but not enough to spoil it. The original title for Plague of the Daleks aaa Village of the Damned, or The Ancients. Plague of the Daleks tells you the Daleks have a plague, there goes the identity of the villains and the threat they pose. I dislike most [Dalek story] titles that include the word Dalek in the title, I prefer a little bit of subtlety.
As for what makes a good Doctor Who title, for me something not too long and with no 'and the' after Doctor Who!
It may get more pre orders, but when you’re listening to a story with the word Dalek in the title and the cliffhanger is the reveal of the Daleks, it loses shock value. Some stories have the Dalek emergence as a genuine twist, if only they weren’t in the title or on the cover. Ditto with Cybermen and even the Rani one time. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 12:10:12 GMT
I dislike most [Dalek story] titles that include the word Dalek in the title, I prefer a little bit of subtlety.
It may get more pre orders, but when you’re listening to a story with the word Dalek in the title and the cliffhanger is the reveal of the Daleks, it loses shock value. Some stories have the Dalek emergence as a genuine twist, if only they weren’t in the title or on the cover. I always thought the Bernice Summerfield story Death and the Daleks would have been better under it's original title... and kept the Daleks involvement in the Fifth Axis as a surprise... but yeah, it probably wouldn't have sold as many copies!
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Post by Ela on Nov 15, 2018 23:13:40 GMT
Was a reason given as to why it was changed?
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