The Power of Good Titles Where Tension Begets Attention

 December 5, 2022

      Here are a couple more screen grabs I got from watching the four-hour film "Greed."

Death Valley Posse from "Greed" 1924

   And, if I'm not mistaken, isn't that the strata around Zabrinski Point near Furnace Creek in Death Valley?

   Meanwhile, here's the same posse stopping at a mining claim that will lead them to the killer. Notice how the non-actor points at it like he's in a still photograph and not a film.

Making A Point, Death Valley

   We've had quite a bit of rain the last two days. Woke up this morning to low lying fog everywhere.

Clouds at the base of Continental Mountain

   And, here is the view from the top of Morningstar, looking west towards New River.

Misty Montain Tops

Meanwhile, Down On The Border

Mexican Revolutionaries, 1914

(masterfully retouched by Brian Winkler)

Titles With Tension

   Good titles provoke tension and this tension begets attention.

   Want to come up with a powerful title? You might try to emulate this one.

Diary of A Wimpy Kid

      This title, created by cartoonist Jeff Kinney in 2004, hit a nerve. There are now 17 books in the series and a spin-off series, centering on the character Rowley Jefferson, has three installments so far. The first, second, fourth and ninth installements have been adapted into films by 20th Century Fox. Two books have been released chronicling the production of the films. More than 275 million copies have been sold globally, making it the sixth best-selling book series of all time.

   Here's how Jeff created this juggernaut:

"A lot of kids in children's literature, the protagonists are like miniature adults, and they always do the right thing. They're brave. They're aspirational characters. While I was writing 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid,' I was actually reading 'Harry Potter,' and Harry's brave. He's magical. He's powerful. He's famous. He's all the things that I was not. So I wanted to create a character who was more like me."

—Jeff Kinney

Mickey The Wimp Free

Runs Up A Rocky Ridge for A Pinecone

"I'm really trying to teach kids to laugh at their own circumstances. I like to think of my books as being very similar to what a stand-up comedian does. They stand on the stage; they make themselves vulnerable; and they're relatable. And we're laughing along with them because we can see ourselves in — in those comedians."

—Jeff Kinney