Insert Clever Title

Usually, I start with a premise. One of those what-if's that writers hold on to like a stubborn Labrador. I'll shake it around, see if it's any fun.

But, sometimes, I start with a title. The title may have the hints of a premise in it, but barely so. It's a rough starting point, but because I'm an idiot crazy stubborn, I may latch onto that title, determined to write a story with it, dammit.

Sometimes it works-- such as the previously published stories Sex Act (previously at MuzzleFlash,) Private Eyes and Ears (Crime and Suspense) and Missing but not Missed (BackAlley Webzine) and Mighty Maids Mystery (Yellow Mama.)

Sometimes, these story titles nag at me, progressing from "Oh, neat!" to something that should be printed off just so it can be burned. Right now, I have a couple titles that are just a pain in my stubborn side. Included on the list are: Bosom Buddies, Man of the Month, and Hit Woman. I think I finally got Hit Woman moving onto the completed list, but it's been a long time coming.

Of course, the irony is that more often than not, the title is the last thing I come up with. I can usually gauge if the story is "done" by whether or not I'm happy with the title. This is actually the problem with the aforementioned story "Hit Woman." I like the story, but I'm not sure that Hit Woman is an appropriate title anymore. Unfortunate since I do like the title.

However, because I need something to use as a file name, my stories have to have SOME title from the start. "Short story #37" just doesn't work when I'm looking for it. Without some description, some title, the story doesn't stick in my mind, thus making the file hard to keep track of. So, I end up with some stupid, lame title that bothers me every single time I double-click the little icon with the blue W. "Untitled Revenge Story" or "Poker" or "Skeleton Story." Or maybe it's the name of the case "Raskin Case" (which became "Failing Mark" and published at Long Story Short) or "Francis Thayer Whitaker" (which was later titled "Family Affairs of Adult Children" and published at Mysterical-E). Using the name of the case doesn't bother me quite as much, but it's still a reminder that I haven't come up with a clever title.

And then there's this little niggly problem with some of these too-clever titles that are just so apt for Bo Fexler stories. Or rather a problem that comes with working several jobs and being on several other computers. The file name stays in the recent file directory. I don't think having "Jailbait" or "Sex and Violence" show up on a public computer is a very good idea. Especially the school computers... where I teach and oversee the independent study classes.

Just one more thing for a crazy writer to muse about.

What do you do about stories and file names?

Playing with the Boys

Over at Poe's Deadly Daughters yesterday, there was a post on 'boy books' vs 'girl books'. Which got me thinking about what I write.

According to the post, boy books would have the loner PI and girl books would focus more on connections and relationships. I don't disagree with this-- men usually want to work out problems and women usually want to make connections. If we go with generalizations, of course.

I don't think labeling what guys and girls prefer to be sexist, per se, but don't tell me what, as a girl, I want. I'm not the typical girl-- maybe because I grew up with all brothers or something else. I can change a tire, change my oil, build a computer, troubleshoot a network, and write a fictional dame that quite a few men-folk seem to enjoy. And for the love of all things Star Wars, I don't want to talk about my feelings or about 'men.'

Would Bo's Novel, "Sex and Violence" be a boy book or a girl book? It's got the loner PI, though she does make a new friend in her new town. It's got sex and violence and crude language. It's got Bo being both bully and seductress. Being the non-typical girl, I don't know if I can make a good classification. My inclination is towards it being a more of a boy book than a girl one.

But I always have tended to play with the boys than the girls.

I don't have anything against girls. Well, except the whole man-bashing thing-- if I wanted to bash a man, I'd use a tire iron.

As for changing my name, or using initials, to get more guy readers-- with a title like "Sex and Violence" and, hopefully, a sexy woman on the cover, I don't know if my name would even be an issue.

Besides, Clair (without an e) is the masculine spelling any how.

• Novel progress: 68k words
• Current Song: Everything Zen by Bush

Title

Ladies and Gentlemen, along with men and women who cannot be categorized as lady-like or gentlemenly (like me.) I think we finally have a title for the first Bo Fexler Novel, which, happily, is moving nicely into the completion stages.

My beta-reader is enjoying it, so that's a good sign. There was a false start, whereupon I remembered that there are two elements to Bo Fexler stories-- plot and ATTITUDE. In all caps. But, beyond that, feedback has been quite good.

I wish I could say I knew that, but I was quite nervous when I sent the first batch of chapters to my dear beta-reader. But, so far, there are three thumbs up for "Sex and Violence."

Would you pick it up from the bookstore shelf?

How about if there was a sexy dame on it, too?

• Novel Progress: 67k words, in beta-reader stage
• Current Song: Paranoid by Garbage

Powder Burn Flash

Powder Burn posted another of Bo's stories, titled "Lord of His Domain."

Here's the link for the story:
http://powderburnflash.blogspot.com/2007/03/powder-burn-flash-16-clair-dickson.html

Raymond Chandler wrote stories that were a product of him time. Bo Fexler is a product of my time-- complete with internet gaming, Metallica, and cell phones. And it brings with it a whole different set of possibilities for crime and detection.

Like this blog, for instance. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it beyond posting updates on Bo's whereabouts. Only time will tell.

(And time, I recently found out, it more squeezed that originally thought-- stupid fifteen page paper. It's going to serious cut into my time playing Civ3.)

Novella Title: Death by PI
Story currently poking away at: LEDA v2 (working title)
Last story finished: Assortment of Bullies
Excuse for not writing: I finally won a game of Civ3