I love this post so much, Margy! I’ve been reflecting on my obsession with titular acronyms and wordplay while working on my next post for my Substack newsletter, Helen’s Word (both an acronym and a pun!)
You are, imo, the original and the reigning queen when it comes to creative titles for academic work! I will never forget the way the title “Stylish Academic Writing” made me feel when I first heard it. Three simple words, seeming at first glance to fit tidily into the conventions of academic names, yet expressing a revolutionary (Story-)Argument that still echoes to this day 💫
Great title, Gillian! And I love that TED talk too. I don't particularly believe in flowing universal powers or inspiring muses myself; but Margy and Liz both remind us, in their different ways, to get out of our own way and allow ourselves to be creative.
I love this -- I know the idea was to focus on the name but I'm stuck on your point about the fact that everything we write is the result of a force that *moves through* us instead of being *made by* us. It feels so freeing to know that, especially in those beginning moments, our role is listening not/before speech. It also makes me love the name of my book even more: I thought it was too long but I had to make it that long to capture the sense of it, and the first word (Becoming) is so perfect with its double meaning and insisstence on continued lifelong growth. As usual Margy you've opened my eyes!
My first two scholarly book titles both started with gerunds (“Engendering” and “Ghostwriting”). I love the way gerunds do double duty as both nouns and verbs. Your title word “becoming” does triple duty, as it can also function as an adjective: a most becoming choice!
Isn’t it the most comforting thought? It can really help us trust the process, I think. And I LOVE that this idea helped you fall even more in love with your book title, which deserves all the love in the world because it is just the best title ever!!! 💖💖💖
I want to elicit strong emotions from readers with my title, “Early Dismissal: The Alarming Conditions Behind the Mass Resignation of American Teachers.” I carefully selected every word to reiterate independently and collectively the gravity of this collection of data, stories, and conclusions about why so many teachers are leaving the profession.
“Early Dismissal” is a tongue-in-cheek reflection of the half-days that occur periodically on the school calendar. Many teachers find them to be a nuisance as the students are too wound up to learn in the morning and the teachers are too burned out to sit through meetings in the afternoon. On a more significant level, “Early Dismissal” refers to the fact that 44% of U.S. teachers leave the profession in the first five years. They are flowers picked before they have the chance to bloom. What results is a revolving door of fresh young faces who seem to age overnight from the increased weight of what was once a lifelong career.
“Alarming” is another cheeky nod to the fact that every school has a bell that lets teachers and students know when to get to class, when they’re late, and when it’s time to evacuate due to a fire or another threat. The public school system is based on the factory systems designed during the Industrial Revolution, and, it’s been argued, the students are the products. What does that make teachers? Robots, more or less. Machines without the physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of human beings.
"Alarm" goes beyond the bell in the hall. They’re notifications on teacher’s computers and even their phones. Teachers are in a state of constant alert and are expected to respond to each of those chimes on demand. The result is a decline in well-being and little cushion to recover from the constant onslaught of beeps, rings, and dings.
Of course, alarming also refers to the fact that non-teachers should be made aware of just how much teachers are struggling. “Early Dismissal” will be an intercom for teachers whose personal needs are seldom seen and heard by people who may have the ability to change their circumstances. This is an S.O.S. for administrators, policy-makers, parents, and anyone who has ever had, known, or loved a teacher. It is especially a call to action for those who are indifferent -- those who have no idea what will happen if we don’t make a change.
There are many alarming factors to the teacher resignation crisis, but I will be focusing particularly on teachers working “conditions” in this book. I have surveyed 187 teachers in 44 states who have taught private and public schools, preK-college, in every subject from art to zoology. The numbers vary, but every story points to the same basic truth: at the core of teachers’ decision to leave is that the work isn’t worth the money or the strain on their mental health. This conclusion led me to pursue the working conditions themselves and their impact on teachers’ lives outside of the classroom. I’ve come to realize that the amount of tasks that teachers are asked to complete and the amount of time and resources they are given to complete those tasks do not line up. This leads to two lines of thought:
"I’m not getting paid enough for this."
- and -
"This isn’t worth the stress."
For many teachers, it’s both. Tacking on extra assignments for no pay, such as orchestrating a kindergarten holiday concert, or being victims of violence at the hands of students, only to have the assailants return to their classrooms the next day, can take a toll on a teacher’s wallet or psyche. These conditions are real. These conditions are common. These conditions are alarming.
“Behind” refers back to the infamous “No Child Left Behind” act of 2001. Without spending much time on detail, this law turned teacher’s jobs from hard to worse to borderline impossible. It called for an increase in teacher accountability through the use of test scores. Most impacted were teachers who worked in high poverty level schools, where a drastic portion of their time was committed to providing the basic needs students were not receiving at home and offering extensive remediation to students who were often several grade levels behind. The push for standardized testing not only pushed them even further behind, but left their teachers behind, as well.
I use the word “mass” because one of the first thoughts that comes to the minds of Americans when they see it used as an adjective is “mass shooter.” This was an intentional choice as I will be addressing school violence in the book. It is always important to note that very few other professionals leave the house in the morning contemplating the chances of their demise at work. A great many teachers do.
“Mass” also refers to the massive number of teachers who have left the profession in recent years. I was just one of the 300,000 who left in 2022.
“Resignation,” of course, means quitting one’s workplace, but here, I would also like to refer to the emotional crisis a teacher faces upon leaving the classroom. Many teachers are reluctant to leave, but find themselves with no other choice. My mental health had deteriorated to the point where I was still having panic attacks on the maximum dose of my anti-anxiety medications. I felt like I lost a piece of who I was when I stopped being a teacher, but as I was able to restore my mental health, I faced my decision with the resignation that I had tried the best I could. I know I was not alone in that journey.
Though mass teacher resignation is a global crisis, I have decided to focus on “American” teachers, having been one myself, and because we face unique situations, such as school shootings and the fallout of No Child Left Behind. I imagine that readers around the world will appreciate this book, but I want to be the voice of my countrymen and countrywomen.
Finally, “Educators” sounds much more elevated than “Teachers.” Teachers are cogs in the system, often vilified or joked about in the media. No one respects teachers. Educators are seen as sources of wisdom who earn the admiration of their students, their parents, and their communities. Educators are revered by all. I want the teachers whose stories fill the pages of my book to be recognized as educators -- as human beings who deserve a safe and accommodating place to work, a respectable wage, a reasonable workload, and adequate support in their professional and personal lives.
I recently established a "lab" for my various projects, called Society, Mobility, and Infrastructure at Illinois (SMIIL) :) One of the main reasons was to make clear to myself and others what my multiple projects revolve around, or what's at the core of all those different projects. I also wanted to connect to the science lab culture on my campus, but to show that I put Society first in my research.
This prompt reminded me of the rather rigid boundaries and rules that exist around names / titles in academic research. I recently published a paper with the title “From partial to integrated perspectives: how understanding worldviews can expand our capacity for transformative climate governance”. At first glance, the title is fine as it does reflect the paper’s theme. However, my original wording for the first part of the title was “With our thoughts we shape the world”, drawing on a quote from the Buddha about how our often distorted perspectives influence what we see and how we respond to problems, etc. This was rejected by the reviewers, who felt it was inappropriate to include this kind of language in a ‘scientific’ paper. For me, it is an example of how there is a lot of talk about the value and importance of breaking down silos and bridging the sciences and the humanities in academic research but the systems and structures in place still work against this…
This is very true. The reality is that we all have to work within constraints and strategize when/how we can subvert those constraints versus when we have to conform to them. This is where staying in touch with our own private experience of the creative process can be so helpful. When compelled to give your paper a public name so that it can appear in a specific venue -- like a uniform or costume -- you can still hold onto the private moniker, the “true” identity of your paper - and knowing that can help you stay grounded in your purpose. (And, pragmatically, it can help with things like how you talk about your work in conversation, and how you translate your work across genres or settings).
Thanks, Margy - your suggestion of holding onto the private moniker is a very helpful one and I have actually used the Buddha quote in subsequent conversations, too...
I like the idea of having a working title that is really just for me because it makes the unfolding writing project seem more real. I have usually started with a name, but only after laboring over what it "should" be... even before the work exists. I think that is probably a good way to create boundaries around a project that do not need to be there, so I think that giving myself permission to be less serious with the name until the piece is finished will be a useful and motivating strategy. Thanks!
a friend once told me to be careful who you share your dreams with, and your post reminds me of that. what a powerful thing to have a title just for yourself!
I love how this prompt nudges me to be playful and creative in naming my academic work. They are usually just the course title, or "proposal". Having just defended my proposal, I have some recommendations from the committee to clarify some aspects of it. I have named the project, "Project Get Clear". it consists of many tasks within it but the purpose is to get clear for my research questions and data collection.
that's a lovely filter too! as you move through the work and run out of time or room for revisions, your title serves as a wonderful way to think through what you can let go and what should receive your full attention.
I loved reading this post, and learning about the lines from Choosing a name (I hadn't heard about this before). I could have started writing about choosing my children's names, or choosing the names of workshops I run (I'm currently planning a new one and have kind of settled on a name - but now I'm rethinking, and thinking I should write the learning outcomes and lesson plan before deciding on the name.
I wrote about my blog. What I call it - it has two names (Researcher librarian; and; Librarian AND/OR Researcher. I wrote about why I came up with these names, and what they mean to me now. Some of these thoughts only become clear now, 18 months plus after I created the blog. I don't often think about the name. I've decided I should rewrite my About me page, linking this to developing an elevator pitch (something I have to do anyway for a development programme I'm part of). I'll reconsider whether I'm happy with the blog name(s) after that.
I wish I could go through and read everyone else's thoughts now - I can see lots of interesting ones - but I need to stop and get some sleep. I'm so glad I'm doing this - it is complimenting the other things I'm working on at the moment.
When I look back on my most important writing projects, including my books, the title has sometimes come first, sometimes last, and sometimes right in the middle. So there’s no one way, no perfect time for naming. As Margy says, sometimes the name just arrives as though bestowed by the universe – but only after months of incubation.
Yes! @Alice and @Helen, something I said elsewhere to Lisa applies here too:
“Helen makes such a great point and makes me wish I had worded this prompt a little differently! Maybe the act naming is only one of many possible initiations into the creative process. Sometimes the creative process is initiated with a spark of inspiration that has no words yet, and the name comes much later in the process. Whenever the name comes, it is a beginning of sorts, but that moment can happen anytime in a project. And meanwhile, even a nonspecific / private name (like Kimberly’s “The Report” elsewhere in this thread) can come very early on, and serve a focalizing function on the way to “the” name. (Like how I addressed my baby as just “Baby” until I knew his name was Abraham 💕.)”
I love this post! It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Gilbert's cool Ted Talk about the importance of the muse = getting rid of the ego and letting things flow through us to come into fruition! I'm going to open up my happily named - gives me a north star and a guide ... "Sugar and Power in Brazil, 1880-1965" now, to get some more writing in after a long day teaching!
Well, I have to steal Muriel Rukeyser's use of the "long body" from my absolutely favorite of her poems, "Water Lily Fire." She invokes the term to communicate her sense that life is an ongoing, embodied whole, rather than a set of scattered/splintered/separate moments. Instead, life lengthens and develops in the poem in ways that can remind us of the evolution of the fetus in utero. It's pretty great. I will call my body of work The Long Body.
When I think of naming parts of my work, I think of one whole body of work I’ve been working on for some time, which I’ve already titled “The Micro Mutant Postcard Project.” These are almost as the name implies--they are micro missives (poetry/prose, not sure which), they are mutant (different, odd, queer, and they are supposed to be that way), and Postcard--in this instance a figurative one--a specific convention I’ve set up for myself to limit my writing (per postcard) at 45 characters each, no more, no less.
More of a description: The MMP project “is an ongoing endeavor seeking to meld poetry, confessions, memoir, and imagery with pop culture, especially comic books, and identity, including disability, using specific conventions to bring forth creativity and explore intersections the author has perhaps not yet publicly revealed. Some postcards are memoir, others manifestos, and many are confessional, either addressed to pop culture figures and characters or written as self-revelations and larger burning or rhetorical life questions.”
For an example, here is the first one I wrote (at one point I called the project the Micro Mutant Memoir Project but have since renamed it):
Micro Mutant Memoir Postcard #1
Who am I? Mutant and proud. Odd, maybe queer? Quiet, yet I have a lot to tell you. I have powers that defy and stupefy. I am mysterious (but not Mystique). Where do I begin? I think I should start with my own origin story.
This leads me to another part of my work--the potential to write a book, likely a memoir, that I’ve tentatively called Mutant Mother Musings. This project would combine different creative writing forms I’ve used over the years. Some of this is writing I’ve done for classes, others for manuscripts (that alas have not been published), and still others that are simply exercises concerning random thoughts.
The naming could essentially “mutate,” no pun intended, but still, the name, the label, the identification has meaning, whether it's the title of what I’m writing or my own identity.
The confidence I feel with these titles, these labels, encourage me to write more. I’ve already written 269 MMPs, so each propels me forward to write more in quantity and duration.
The titles of other writing projects are doppelganger names, so I'm keeping the "real" title to myself until I'm ready to share it. But what I do have a hard time with right now? Giving my characters good names. That somehow is a struggle.
I love how the MMP Project feels like a name -- not only for the body of work itself -- but also for a sort of experimental micro-genre that you are creating! Very cool
I love this prompt, Margy. I'm thinking about how I might come up with names for the 'secret' folders that I open up on Google Docs as containers for new projects. I think I could be more playful with those. ;-)
Reminds me of a colleague who renamed her Junk folder (which was filled with all the pages and paragraphs she’d edited out of her book) the “I still love you” folder. Renaming is reframing!
My current project only has the name "the report," which is probably not helping me feel good about it. I'll think about whether there's something more fun and descriptive I can call it. It will eventually need a title, so it makes sense to start playing with some now.
I love this post so much, Margy! I’ve been reflecting on my obsession with titular acronyms and wordplay while working on my next post for my Substack newsletter, Helen’s Word (both an acronym and a pun!)
You are, imo, the original and the reigning queen when it comes to creative titles for academic work! I will never forget the way the title “Stylish Academic Writing” made me feel when I first heard it. Three simple words, seeming at first glance to fit tidily into the conventions of academic names, yet expressing a revolutionary (Story-)Argument that still echoes to this day 💫
I am a sucker for a pun! I love even the bad ones, but this one is brilliant!
(Same! 😂)
The Long Body -- what a concept! Both spatial and temporal, like spots of time. Beautiful!
(Responding to Hava’s post)
Great title, Gillian! And I love that TED talk too. I don't particularly believe in flowing universal powers or inspiring muses myself; but Margy and Liz both remind us, in their different ways, to get out of our own way and allow ourselves to be creative.
I love the differences (or harmoniousness) in how we see things! Variety is the spice of life ✨
I love this -- I know the idea was to focus on the name but I'm stuck on your point about the fact that everything we write is the result of a force that *moves through* us instead of being *made by* us. It feels so freeing to know that, especially in those beginning moments, our role is listening not/before speech. It also makes me love the name of my book even more: I thought it was too long but I had to make it that long to capture the sense of it, and the first word (Becoming) is so perfect with its double meaning and insisstence on continued lifelong growth. As usual Margy you've opened my eyes!
My first two scholarly book titles both started with gerunds (“Engendering” and “Ghostwriting”). I love the way gerunds do double duty as both nouns and verbs. Your title word “becoming” does triple duty, as it can also function as an adjective: a most becoming choice!
Isn’t it the most comforting thought? It can really help us trust the process, I think. And I LOVE that this idea helped you fall even more in love with your book title, which deserves all the love in the world because it is just the best title ever!!! 💖💖💖
I want to elicit strong emotions from readers with my title, “Early Dismissal: The Alarming Conditions Behind the Mass Resignation of American Teachers.” I carefully selected every word to reiterate independently and collectively the gravity of this collection of data, stories, and conclusions about why so many teachers are leaving the profession.
“Early Dismissal” is a tongue-in-cheek reflection of the half-days that occur periodically on the school calendar. Many teachers find them to be a nuisance as the students are too wound up to learn in the morning and the teachers are too burned out to sit through meetings in the afternoon. On a more significant level, “Early Dismissal” refers to the fact that 44% of U.S. teachers leave the profession in the first five years. They are flowers picked before they have the chance to bloom. What results is a revolving door of fresh young faces who seem to age overnight from the increased weight of what was once a lifelong career.
“Alarming” is another cheeky nod to the fact that every school has a bell that lets teachers and students know when to get to class, when they’re late, and when it’s time to evacuate due to a fire or another threat. The public school system is based on the factory systems designed during the Industrial Revolution, and, it’s been argued, the students are the products. What does that make teachers? Robots, more or less. Machines without the physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of human beings.
"Alarm" goes beyond the bell in the hall. They’re notifications on teacher’s computers and even their phones. Teachers are in a state of constant alert and are expected to respond to each of those chimes on demand. The result is a decline in well-being and little cushion to recover from the constant onslaught of beeps, rings, and dings.
Of course, alarming also refers to the fact that non-teachers should be made aware of just how much teachers are struggling. “Early Dismissal” will be an intercom for teachers whose personal needs are seldom seen and heard by people who may have the ability to change their circumstances. This is an S.O.S. for administrators, policy-makers, parents, and anyone who has ever had, known, or loved a teacher. It is especially a call to action for those who are indifferent -- those who have no idea what will happen if we don’t make a change.
There are many alarming factors to the teacher resignation crisis, but I will be focusing particularly on teachers working “conditions” in this book. I have surveyed 187 teachers in 44 states who have taught private and public schools, preK-college, in every subject from art to zoology. The numbers vary, but every story points to the same basic truth: at the core of teachers’ decision to leave is that the work isn’t worth the money or the strain on their mental health. This conclusion led me to pursue the working conditions themselves and their impact on teachers’ lives outside of the classroom. I’ve come to realize that the amount of tasks that teachers are asked to complete and the amount of time and resources they are given to complete those tasks do not line up. This leads to two lines of thought:
"I’m not getting paid enough for this."
- and -
"This isn’t worth the stress."
For many teachers, it’s both. Tacking on extra assignments for no pay, such as orchestrating a kindergarten holiday concert, or being victims of violence at the hands of students, only to have the assailants return to their classrooms the next day, can take a toll on a teacher’s wallet or psyche. These conditions are real. These conditions are common. These conditions are alarming.
“Behind” refers back to the infamous “No Child Left Behind” act of 2001. Without spending much time on detail, this law turned teacher’s jobs from hard to worse to borderline impossible. It called for an increase in teacher accountability through the use of test scores. Most impacted were teachers who worked in high poverty level schools, where a drastic portion of their time was committed to providing the basic needs students were not receiving at home and offering extensive remediation to students who were often several grade levels behind. The push for standardized testing not only pushed them even further behind, but left their teachers behind, as well.
I use the word “mass” because one of the first thoughts that comes to the minds of Americans when they see it used as an adjective is “mass shooter.” This was an intentional choice as I will be addressing school violence in the book. It is always important to note that very few other professionals leave the house in the morning contemplating the chances of their demise at work. A great many teachers do.
“Mass” also refers to the massive number of teachers who have left the profession in recent years. I was just one of the 300,000 who left in 2022.
“Resignation,” of course, means quitting one’s workplace, but here, I would also like to refer to the emotional crisis a teacher faces upon leaving the classroom. Many teachers are reluctant to leave, but find themselves with no other choice. My mental health had deteriorated to the point where I was still having panic attacks on the maximum dose of my anti-anxiety medications. I felt like I lost a piece of who I was when I stopped being a teacher, but as I was able to restore my mental health, I faced my decision with the resignation that I had tried the best I could. I know I was not alone in that journey.
Though mass teacher resignation is a global crisis, I have decided to focus on “American” teachers, having been one myself, and because we face unique situations, such as school shootings and the fallout of No Child Left Behind. I imagine that readers around the world will appreciate this book, but I want to be the voice of my countrymen and countrywomen.
Finally, “Educators” sounds much more elevated than “Teachers.” Teachers are cogs in the system, often vilified or joked about in the media. No one respects teachers. Educators are seen as sources of wisdom who earn the admiration of their students, their parents, and their communities. Educators are revered by all. I want the teachers whose stories fill the pages of my book to be recognized as educators -- as human beings who deserve a safe and accommodating place to work, a respectable wage, a reasonable workload, and adequate support in their professional and personal lives.
I love the thought that's gone into this title. It's so much fun to see the hidden meanings that we miss at first glance.
“Early Dismissal” certainly packs a punch, Robyn, for all the reasons you outline!
This sounds like a very apt title for your important work! 🙏
I recently established a "lab" for my various projects, called Society, Mobility, and Infrastructure at Illinois (SMIIL) :) One of the main reasons was to make clear to myself and others what my multiple projects revolve around, or what's at the core of all those different projects. I also wanted to connect to the science lab culture on my campus, but to show that I put Society first in my research.
Makes me SMIIL!!!!!
Love this! 👏
This prompt reminded me of the rather rigid boundaries and rules that exist around names / titles in academic research. I recently published a paper with the title “From partial to integrated perspectives: how understanding worldviews can expand our capacity for transformative climate governance”. At first glance, the title is fine as it does reflect the paper’s theme. However, my original wording for the first part of the title was “With our thoughts we shape the world”, drawing on a quote from the Buddha about how our often distorted perspectives influence what we see and how we respond to problems, etc. This was rejected by the reviewers, who felt it was inappropriate to include this kind of language in a ‘scientific’ paper. For me, it is an example of how there is a lot of talk about the value and importance of breaking down silos and bridging the sciences and the humanities in academic research but the systems and structures in place still work against this…
It’s a perfect title, Anne; they should have let you keep it! For an interesting perspective on writing and risktaking, check out my recent conversation with David R. Goyes: https://www.helensword.com/register-writing-and-risk-taking
This is very true. The reality is that we all have to work within constraints and strategize when/how we can subvert those constraints versus when we have to conform to them. This is where staying in touch with our own private experience of the creative process can be so helpful. When compelled to give your paper a public name so that it can appear in a specific venue -- like a uniform or costume -- you can still hold onto the private moniker, the “true” identity of your paper - and knowing that can help you stay grounded in your purpose. (And, pragmatically, it can help with things like how you talk about your work in conversation, and how you translate your work across genres or settings).
Thanks, Margy - your suggestion of holding onto the private moniker is a very helpful one and I have actually used the Buddha quote in subsequent conversations, too...
grrr. too bad that was a gorgeous title and would have expanded the readers understanding of what you were going for.
Agree! I dream of a future when reviewers across the board are more open about this kind of thing 💭🙏
I like the idea of having a working title that is really just for me because it makes the unfolding writing project seem more real. I have usually started with a name, but only after laboring over what it "should" be... even before the work exists. I think that is probably a good way to create boundaries around a project that do not need to be there, so I think that giving myself permission to be less serious with the name until the piece is finished will be a useful and motivating strategy. Thanks!
Secret can be SACRED!
a friend once told me to be careful who you share your dreams with, and your post reminds me of that. what a powerful thing to have a title just for yourself!
So true! Keeping our own little secrets can be a beautiful way to take care of ourselves 🔐💝
So glad you find it useful, Mary Anne!
I love how this prompt nudges me to be playful and creative in naming my academic work. They are usually just the course title, or "proposal". Having just defended my proposal, I have some recommendations from the committee to clarify some aspects of it. I have named the project, "Project Get Clear". it consists of many tasks within it but the purpose is to get clear for my research questions and data collection.
I think all scholarly writers should have a “Project Get Clear!”
Beautiful! Wishing you increasing clarity this month 🔭
that's a lovely filter too! as you move through the work and run out of time or room for revisions, your title serves as a wonderful way to think through what you can let go and what should receive your full attention.
I loved reading this post, and learning about the lines from Choosing a name (I hadn't heard about this before). I could have started writing about choosing my children's names, or choosing the names of workshops I run (I'm currently planning a new one and have kind of settled on a name - but now I'm rethinking, and thinking I should write the learning outcomes and lesson plan before deciding on the name.
I wrote about my blog. What I call it - it has two names (Researcher librarian; and; Librarian AND/OR Researcher. I wrote about why I came up with these names, and what they mean to me now. Some of these thoughts only become clear now, 18 months plus after I created the blog. I don't often think about the name. I've decided I should rewrite my About me page, linking this to developing an elevator pitch (something I have to do anyway for a development programme I'm part of). I'll reconsider whether I'm happy with the blog name(s) after that.
I wish I could go through and read everyone else's thoughts now - I can see lots of interesting ones - but I need to stop and get some sleep. I'm so glad I'm doing this - it is complimenting the other things I'm working on at the moment.
When I look back on my most important writing projects, including my books, the title has sometimes come first, sometimes last, and sometimes right in the middle. So there’s no one way, no perfect time for naming. As Margy says, sometimes the name just arrives as though bestowed by the universe – but only after months of incubation.
Yes! @Alice and @Helen, something I said elsewhere to Lisa applies here too:
“Helen makes such a great point and makes me wish I had worded this prompt a little differently! Maybe the act naming is only one of many possible initiations into the creative process. Sometimes the creative process is initiated with a spark of inspiration that has no words yet, and the name comes much later in the process. Whenever the name comes, it is a beginning of sorts, but that moment can happen anytime in a project. And meanwhile, even a nonspecific / private name (like Kimberly’s “The Report” elsewhere in this thread) can come very early on, and serve a focalizing function on the way to “the” name. (Like how I addressed my baby as just “Baby” until I knew his name was Abraham 💕.)”
So glad you’re here, Alice! And if you want to, you can come back anytime to read the threads later!
I love this post! It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Gilbert's cool Ted Talk about the importance of the muse = getting rid of the ego and letting things flow through us to come into fruition! I'm going to open up my happily named - gives me a north star and a guide ... "Sugar and Power in Brazil, 1880-1965" now, to get some more writing in after a long day teaching!
It’s about getting out of our own way!
I haven’t seen that TED Talk, but I definitely agree about ego! It’s a daily practice. Hope your name held you in a beautiful writing session today 🙏
It is really moving! Check it out: https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_your_elusive_creative_genius?language=en
Thanks, Gillian!
Well, I have to steal Muriel Rukeyser's use of the "long body" from my absolutely favorite of her poems, "Water Lily Fire." She invokes the term to communicate her sense that life is an ongoing, embodied whole, rather than a set of scattered/splintered/separate moments. Instead, life lengthens and develops in the poem in ways that can remind us of the evolution of the fetus in utero. It's pretty great. I will call my body of work The Long Body.
Ohhh I love this! Beautiful and powerful
When I think of naming parts of my work, I think of one whole body of work I’ve been working on for some time, which I’ve already titled “The Micro Mutant Postcard Project.” These are almost as the name implies--they are micro missives (poetry/prose, not sure which), they are mutant (different, odd, queer, and they are supposed to be that way), and Postcard--in this instance a figurative one--a specific convention I’ve set up for myself to limit my writing (per postcard) at 45 characters each, no more, no less.
More of a description: The MMP project “is an ongoing endeavor seeking to meld poetry, confessions, memoir, and imagery with pop culture, especially comic books, and identity, including disability, using specific conventions to bring forth creativity and explore intersections the author has perhaps not yet publicly revealed. Some postcards are memoir, others manifestos, and many are confessional, either addressed to pop culture figures and characters or written as self-revelations and larger burning or rhetorical life questions.”
For an example, here is the first one I wrote (at one point I called the project the Micro Mutant Memoir Project but have since renamed it):
Micro Mutant Memoir Postcard #1
Who am I? Mutant and proud. Odd, maybe queer? Quiet, yet I have a lot to tell you. I have powers that defy and stupefy. I am mysterious (but not Mystique). Where do I begin? I think I should start with my own origin story.
This leads me to another part of my work--the potential to write a book, likely a memoir, that I’ve tentatively called Mutant Mother Musings. This project would combine different creative writing forms I’ve used over the years. Some of this is writing I’ve done for classes, others for manuscripts (that alas have not been published), and still others that are simply exercises concerning random thoughts.
The naming could essentially “mutate,” no pun intended, but still, the name, the label, the identification has meaning, whether it's the title of what I’m writing or my own identity.
The confidence I feel with these titles, these labels, encourage me to write more. I’ve already written 269 MMPs, so each propels me forward to write more in quantity and duration.
The titles of other writing projects are doppelganger names, so I'm keeping the "real" title to myself until I'm ready to share it. But what I do have a hard time with right now? Giving my characters good names. That somehow is a struggle.
Your title makes me want to read whatever’s behind it, like an interesting front door on a really cool house.
I love how the MMP Project feels like a name -- not only for the body of work itself -- but also for a sort of experimental micro-genre that you are creating! Very cool
I love this prompt, Margy. I'm thinking about how I might come up with names for the 'secret' folders that I open up on Google Docs as containers for new projects. I think I could be more playful with those. ;-)
Reminds me of a colleague who renamed her Junk folder (which was filled with all the pages and paragraphs she’d edited out of her book) the “I still love you” folder. Renaming is reframing!
Love this! 🥰
Ohhh I love this! secret names can be so delicious
I enjoy this prompt! Sometimes, I'm not sure where one project ends and another begins... so naming any of it has always proved a challenge :)
Drawing inspiration from Kimberley’s “The Report,” maybe your secret/sacred title could be “The Challenge”?!
Maybe if you ask your work what it wants to be called, it will quietly whisper an answer ;)
I need an emoji margy!! heart heart heart!
😘😘
My current project only has the name "the report," which is probably not helping me feel good about it. I'll think about whether there's something more fun and descriptive I can call it. It will eventually need a title, so it makes sense to start playing with some now.
The Secret Report -- or The Sacred Report!
“The Report” makes it sound like an important top secret project, which could be fun! 🕵️♀️
Maybe capitalization was all it needed. It's not the report. It's The Report.
Lol, love this!
lol