Why not just finish it and then worry about the title? Makes no difference if you have not written 'The End'. Call it what you want as a WIP. If its your first book, then book 1. If its your 10th book, then book 10. And if its your...I am sure you get the picture.
Matnov thanks for the reply, it is my first book, but three chapters left and I felt I should think about it a little more deeply. I disagree, it wasn't charmless--I asked for opinions and they all greatly matter. Cheers!
If she is 'coming to terms with / taking control' maybe the title should be closer to 'making Jennifer' than 'breaking Jennifer'? Gives you a different set of options to play with, and is more positive.
Marc Joan, I like looking at the positive but I also want to convey the struggle from going from something that she was to something that brings about new change.
Jenny Unboxed
You have some freaky things going on there?
Amber, I wouldn't say it was anything "freaky"--nothing like 50 shades. Though I like the "Un" bit, maybe unravelled...
Maybe avoid 'housewife' in the title. Or at least, I would.
Isn't there an English expression about sweeping stuff under carpets? Or clearing out the corners? Or something about clearing cobwebs? And isn't there one about clearing your own doorstep? But foreign me might have got that wrong. Still, it might trigger something.
Something to do with 'domestic'? 'Gone Beyond Domestic' ... Er, maybe not.
How about 'The Renewal'.
Or something with the word unbroken / nearly broken, since she is going through a crisis, assuming she's still alive at the end.
There was a song in the 90's, (Bon Jovi, methinks) called 'This Ain't a Love Song.' Maybe play with something along those lines?
You say about a broken status quo. Would status q have some use? And anyone googling the band might come across your book. But don't make it sound like a biography.
What's her main goal? Could that be weaved in there?
Barbara, I understand exactly where you're coming from. I'm not quite over the moon with the sound of it and its connotations, but it is part of her character that she sheds and might be something to catch the eye of the reader. Maybe I should use the word in a tagline instead...
"Cleaning out the closet" or "Spring Cleaning" are the ones that come to mind and I could find something in between them.
She is still alive, there is nothing close to outrageous adventure; more self-discovery through her own natural journey of being just another person in the crowd to standing out again. I will look at the song
Jennifer's Broken Status Quo? Maybe I need another J for catchy alliteration...
She doesn't consciously have a main goal, through her husband's betrayal--though not sexual--she tries to reconcile herself to their new woes, whilst dealing with an increasingly loveless marriage, the younger her and being a strong parental figure as she refinds her voice.
The book is all about her, why not just "Jennifer"
Could be the right kind of eye-catching for the reader to look at the blurb!
Spinning Jenny seems apposite. As well as having that double meaning going on. But I think
@Matnov has it right. It arises organically from within. Tell yourself to come up with something and eventually you will, maybe while you're half asleep. No rushing it.
Right no decisions until I finish, but this is all really helping too!
The genre sounds like women's fiction, not romance.
Actually, I think you're right. It started off as an idea to be a romance, but over time it has changed to be more about Jennifer, than Jennifer and the love interest. Well, that makes me a little happier with a closer genre. Cheers!
Naming a book with someone's forename in the title will make it appeal to readers with the same name, but leave others unmoved or even put off. By saying that, I mean if the name is
part of the title—try to think of famous novels that include a name as one of several words. Yet, single names feature heavily in classic titles: Kim, Rebecca, Matilda, Emma, Othello, Lolita, Frankenstein, Carrie, Macbeth, Hamlet, Dracula, Candide, Coraline, Heidi, Ivanhoe, etc.
Is Jenny or Jennifer strong enough a name to represent the storyline?
For some reason, when I read your list of themes, my mind flashed on W. Somerset Maughan's
Of Human Bondage, which, as a title is all-encompassing of the themes in the story. A suitable title may well come to you after you've typed The End, but there's nothing to stop you using a working title. To my mind, a title is crucial in many ways, and it's important in a similar fashion to how the mascot on the bonnet of a car draws the eye, denoting something about the nature of the vehicle.
Paul Whybrow, I did want it to appeal as much with the name as her age does correlate with the most named "Jennifer's" born when she is supposed to be. I am a little wary of making it a one-named title because this is in no way written to match any classic form of literature.
I don't know if Jennifer is strong enough for the title. I went with the name for the reasons stated above, not wanting to have something outlandish that is completely unrelatable, but the sound of it doesn't have a booming impact. I don't know if that's me and my constant use of it though...
Thanking all of you for your thoughts again!
