Help with a title

[andyk he/him]

I'm putting together a collection of my previously published steampunk stories, with the aim of self-publish it as an e-book. I'm struggling for a good title - currently toying with 'Clockwork Delusions', but the stories don't explore dream or delusion, so that doesn't feel quite right.

 

It's for a collection of nine steampunk (or steampunkish) stories:

- two steam westerns

- a heist story set in a city where the buildings move

- a detective story built around strange bullets

- a story set in a prison with moving cells

- a tail of science and airships on a volcanically ravaged Earth

- two pulpy action adventures, one involving an automaton, the other mutated rats

- a fantasy story in which a witch is chased by clockwork hunting machines

 

So, given all of that, anybody got any ideas for good titles for a steampunk collection?

[Swimmingly he/him]

Moving Parts?

[Mandamon he/him]

I agree.  All these stories focus on movement rather than dreams.  Of course this leads me to a Back to the Future quote:

"It runs on steam!"

 

Also, in terms on marketing, you might want to make a difference between steampunk and gearpunk.  Clockwork tends to fall more in the gearpunk category.

 

Clockwork Science?

Running Toward Steam?

[Kobold King he/him]

Grinding Gears? Objects in Motion? I like Swimmingly's suggestion in particular, though.

 

Also, be sure to link to the finished e-book. I for one would love to take a look at it.

[Swimmingly he/him]

I'd say it really depends on what story you want to lead with.

For the ones with mobile architecture: Moving Parts

For the detective one, the volcanoes one, maybe the westerns: Hot Brass

For the witch one, the architecture ones - Tracks

This is off topic, but for a collection of gearpunk stories where the framing device is a man telling stories he's heard in a bar: Second Hand.

[jagabond]

Moving Parts is cool, I'm a fan of keeping Clockwork in there to keep the connotation. I like "Like Clockwork", it has the meaning of things operating like clockwork, but also "similar to" in that they're not strictly one --punk style, referring to Mandamon's point.

 

And because it implies everything is going smoothly when of course it's not

[Left he/him]

The Rolling Cogs?

[Robinski he/him]

I like "Moving Parts" from Swimingly, and Jaga's "Like Clockwork", I think Mandamon's right about referring to or emphasising the movement aspect.

 

Some further notions;

 

- Riding the Mainspring

- The Science of Movement

- Escapement*

- The Movement of Buildings

- Harmonic Motion⁺

- Gearing Up

 

 

* Wiki: A mechanism that allows the wheel train to advance, or escape, a fixed amount with each swing of the balance wheel or pendulum.

⁺ Wiki: A harmonic gear is a specialized gearing mechanism often used in industrial motion control, robotics and aerospace for its advantages over traditional gearing systems.

[andyk he/him]

'Moving Parts' and 'Like Clockwork' are my favourites so far, with 'Objects in Motion' and 'Riding the Mainspring' not far behind. Thanks for all the ideas folks, and please keep them coming!

[andyk he/him]

OK, I think I'm going to go with 'Riding the Mainspring'. It's got a good combination of the dynamic and the technological. Will order the cover this evening and then I'm committed.

 

Oh, and Jagabond, one of the stories in the anthology already has the title 'Justice Like Clockwork' - great minds think alike.

[Robinski he/him]

Woo hoo! It feels a tiny, tiny, tiny bit like getting published...       ; o )

[Atilium she/her]

I think you made the best choice in "Riding the Mainspring" - ef a title that would catch my attention.

Show us the cover!

[andyk he/him]

Here it is - the cover for Riding the Mainspring, which arrived in my inbox this morning. I still need to put the e-book together and get it up on Amazon and other places - should get that done in the next few days.

 

Robinski - I'll email you a copy, it's the least I can do. I'll also be releasing a standalone short story for 99c on Kindle - anybody who came up with a title idea above can have a free copy of that, just PM me your email address and I'll send it over once it's released.

 

Very excited!

 

[Mandamon he/him]

Awesome!  Let us know when it's on Amazon and I'll get a copy.

 

I'll be sure to spread the word as well!

[Robinski he/him]

That's excellent - like the birds (vultures?) circling - nice touch.