Hi all. I would be really interested in anyone's views (or struggles) with devising a 'killer' title for their book (or if they're aware of any previous posts/discussions on the topic on this site that I could look at). I initially titled my book (about terror attacks in the UK), 'GATEWAY' then binned it as it sounded like a 1980's supermarket chain. I subsequently changed it to 'CRITICAL MASS' so my question is: What image (if any) does that conjure up?
My intention was to create 'urgency and a feeling of an overwhelming onslaught gathering unstoppable momentum but i'm conscious that it could also be interpreted as a really important gathering of a Catholic congregation. You can see my dilemma!. Any views would be appreciated.
I forgot to mention: no mention of Catholics on that 1st page of Google results.
For me, "critical mass" is a monthly mass bike ride (including unicycles, roller-blades, and skateboards, and walkers) through the city, in order to dispute the motor vehicle's claim to monopoly of the public thoroughfares. (My particular one was in Valencia, Spain, but I believe that they're held all over. Hold on... OK, I've just Googled "critical mass": The 3rd and the 4th result are what I'm talking about, the 4th being "Critical Mass London", the 3rd being the wikipedia article on the movement. [The 2nd is the whole list of wikipedia possibilities for this term, which includes my definition.] In fact, half or more of the 1st page of Google results have to do with this cycle event, either in general or in specific locations)
'urgency and a feeling of an overwhelming onslaught gathering unstoppable momentum' makes "meltdown" spring to mind, but
a) It's been done before.
b) Some young bookshop browsers might assume that your novel is a tragic tale of an iced lolly on a summer day. You do NOT want to disappoint THIS audience' expectations, believe me!