I have a really hard time with titles. One manuscript I've been pitching to editors and agents has changed titles three times. When I'm working on writing and editing a manuscript I keep the title the same. And that title seems to take on a personality of its own. When I'm submitting the manuscript everything changes again, and I try to find something that really encompasses all that I want the story to be. Often I get my inspiration from song titles, book titles, television shows and once it was something I saw written on the wall of a coffee shop.
When I was writing "Kisses On A Paper Airplane" it started out as the first kiss manuscript. It didn't have a title for the entire time I was writing it. I brainstormed titles one day when I was on writing safari at Panera. I started with "Fly Me To The Moon" and "Come Fly With Me," and moved on to "Big Ole Jet Airliner." None of these did the trick. I thought I had found the right when when I came up with "First Class Kisses" and then moved on to "Kissed At 33,000 Feet" and "Kissed By A Pop Star." None of them had the whimsical quality that I really thought the story should have.
Finally I came up with "Kissed On A Paper Airplane." But if you read the book, I didn't think that was accurate and I settled on "Kisses On A Paper Airplane." I offered to change the title to something more marketable when it was accepted by a publisher, but she wouldn't hear of it. I'm so glad. She was right.
You can't imagine how surprised I was to see this story recently about how paper airplanes were a part of the relationship between Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. She even was inspired to write a song about it. You can see a photo of them wearing their paper airplane charms here.
Maybe there really is something dreamy about paper airplanes and sweet kisses that makes us all swoon.
