What we did while very tired and still uncertain about titles.

[mrissa]

For a variety of reasons, none of them a great deal of fun, I am more tired than sleepy right now. And I thought, "Ah! I can ask lj to brainstorm titles for me!" Because I am still not convinced that this book ought to be What We Did to Save the Kingdom.

So here are your parameters: there are lots of birds and wings and flight bits in this book. It is a secondary world fantasy. There is a revolution in it. And the magic is sort of math-related, and so I came up with a list of math words that might help:

vector limits inequalities algebra equations theorems axioms coordinates transforms/transformations (note: we have a fair number of transformations in this book) functions curve splines lines limits fractions chains fields spheres prisms

Only I don't want the title to sound like it will require the doing of math for people who are not fond of the doing of math.

Any ideas? The main character's personal title is Ordinal. (It's like Cardinal but completely different. Just as she is like Richelieu but completely different.)

Non-usable suggestions that amuse me, such as Endomorphism's Game, are welcome too, of course.

Comments

[aryllian]

I'm curious what sort of feel you're looking for in a title. Because What We Did to Save the Kingdom sounds like a fun but somewhat lighter book, and most of the other suggestions sound much much more serious. Almost off-puttingly serious in some cases (especially the ones with the math terms, anything with axioms or theorems or even ordinal transformations is going to sound serious and possibly difficult no matter how you phrase it, and I'm not really intimidated by math, nor would I expect fiction to require me to do math. But all the same, just from the different titles, the book changes in my mind from a slim somewhat cheerful volume to something really thick and sober with some of the other titles (and there are a few in between). It may be the contrast. (Although the more I think about the first title, the more I see not necessarily cheerful possibilities, which may be just me.)

But is the informality/lightness what you don't like about the original title, or is it something else? I also perceive it as a very active title (we did things and we saved things) which none of the other title suggestions really captures.

And every time I try to actually think of a title (since I probably shouldn't write this much without a suggestion or two to go with it) I get stuck because I don't know the theme or themes of the book. Except presumably saving the kingdom? Or doing things? Are the things being done things that someone would want to do, or is forced by circumstances to do, or...? Hmm.

Wrong Division
The Limits of Action
Redefining Lines
Revolution on the Wing

Ahh well.

(And, err, hi! You don't know me, but I started following your blog sort of off and on a long time ago because you write about writing and books and things.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

That's the problem: I think it's more serious than What We Did to Save the Kingdom makes some people think and less serious than some of the other suggestions. If thinking on it is making you think of less cheerful possibilities with time, this may be a good thing.

And hi, welcome!