naming help?

[Jazzy]

This is an opening chapter to a non-existent novel which I've written for English. Accordingly, I can't act on any crits you give me (though they're gratefully received); the thing I'm asking for, basically, is a name. I can never name writing. Our brief was to produce an opening chapter to a novel set in the future, using similar techniques to those used in the opening chapters of some novels we'd studied. (If you can guess which ones they are, wonderful )

Apologies for the fact that it is again an image, but I don't want to be accused of any plagiarism of my own work...the English department is computer-literate and I don't remember how much of this forum gets indexed on Google.

[colbatdragon]

Are you guys reading...Brave New World? I'm either close or really, really off. Sorry XP.

Naming things is terrible. Either you start with the name and build around it or you spend forever afterwards figuring it out. Atleast that's how it is for me. *shrug*

"no good deed goes unpunished" is like a maxism, right? You could call it "maxism"? Maybe? I like that word

[oogabooga]

"Maxim" is the word you're looking for. That seems like it would be a decent title - I can't come up with anything else, but then I'm lousy at titles.

[AngharadTy]

Maxim wouldn't be a good title, really, because it's a men's magazine. I buy it whenever I can, lots of hot chicks inside. Though I suppose if it's just an American thing, go for it. ^_~

[Kantark]

Maxim is a men's magazine here too, Ty, much like FHM. Unlike FHM Maxim has absolutely no worthwhile content whatsoever (as opposed to the half-dozen or so readable articles in FHM), instead filling its pages with a level of puerile and just plain unfunny 'humour' that would be beneath even the most childish. But it sells because of all the scantily-clad (and heavily airbrushed) ladies... and the softcore porn articles. Probably best avoided as a title.

I'm not being a lot of help :/

[Jazzy]

Maxim, ignoring the obvious association of the men's magazine, makes me think of Maxim Gorky, which is not the nicest person to associate with the story. I don't know; perhaps I'll leave it without a title. (Has anyone ever done that with a published story, not named it- and "Untitled" doesn't count? I know it's happened with albums, like Led Zeppelin's IV.)

[colbatdragon]

Well, unless you have to name it, if it's only an assignment, I wouldn't worry.

[Twofold Black]

[...] then the magpies (none for sorrow), then the robins (phenol compounds had proven far more effective than the North Wind), and lastly, the wrens (a neatly alphabetical annihilation) [...]

This is <i>great</i>. I'd name it <i>None for Sorrow</i>.

Failing that, I'd say: name, not just this first chapter, but this first chapter <i>and</i> the 125k or so unwritten words that follow it. I like just-so stories and I like that sentence, so what comes to mind is <i>How the Wrens Returned</i>, which suggests double meanings that would drive me bonkers with curiosity if I were your teacher.

Lots of good interesting worldbuilding just in this little excerpt. Should I hope you'll write the rest of the novel?

[Teragram]

This is very good, though I have to say I am sooo confused. I general consider myself not that stupid, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what is going on in the last paragraph, other than that it is slightly disturbing.

I like None for Sorrow. I'd suggest something, but since I don't really understand the story, that might not work very well.