Giving Your Short Story a Title

Okay, you finished it. You've been working on your short story for months, and now the thing is ready for the title. Now you're stumped. What would be a good title? Too heavy-handed and it actually detracts from the story. Too vague, and your audience thinks, "what a stupid title." So, what do you do. Well, here's a suggestion. Go with the concrete/symbolic title.

I'll explain.

Okay, take something from your story that actually exists in the story. Can that thing also be read as a symbol? For instance, I have a story where a father and his estranged son drive to the Mackinaw Bridge at night. The father is hoping to get closer to his son who seems to be growing up too fast. The story ends with the two of them staring through the windshield at the bridge. The son is under his headphones, and the father, who has pressing reasons to turn around and drive back home, waits for his son to speak. I called that story "The Bridge." It works on a concrete level because there is indeed a bridge in the story. For me at least, it also works on a symbolic level because they've come to a bridge in their relationship.

I don't think that title would work, however, if I called it "The Bridge" and there was no bridge in the story. Then it would be too heavy-handed. It's kind of like calling a story "Redemption". It's underestimating your audience and saying, "Oh, if you didn't get it, my story is about redemption."

As you try to title your stories, give the concrete/symbolic title a try.