Does the title make you want to read it more?

Does the title of a poem make or break the chances of it being read? Does a good title make up for a bad poem? Does the title tell you about the author and there seriousness towards their poetry?

Just some questions....enjoy ya'll.

*mwah* Lissa

Personally the title is what grabes my interest.. if im not to fond of the title then I wont read the poem. As for the second question a good title does not make up for a bad poem... since the title only grabs my interest it takes the rest of the poem to keep it.. Ive read some really bad poems with really good titles before. I wont sit and read something I dont like just because I think that the title is interesting. And as for the third question I belive that the title of a poem does not tell you about the seriousness of the author.. just because somesone writes depressing poems does not mean that they are depressed and just because someone writes pomes that are full of laughter doesnt mean that they are truly happy.. anyway these are just my answers to your little questions.. take away what you will from my responses

Title does get your attention, the problem is that sometimes the poem isnt what you think it is...

Sometimes people don't bother writing actual titles that catch your attention. Alot of times they are the same words that we're tired of reading or hearing.

When I first started on this site, I will admit that titles drew me in a lot, but not now. Oh, I still glance at titles but they don't make or break it for me. Hate to say it, but it's usually the first stanza and/or quick visual when the poem is first displayed. Not a great way and I'm sure this will change again in time, but that's what catches my current attention.

Kinda. The title succeeds in making me curiouse, but it is the inside that really gets me. The best poem I have ever read is called 'Canvas of Life' by Emma. I read it because of the title.

Cathrine

The title is meant to sum up the poem in a few words. Sure the contents are good, the title is appealing, but what really determines the greatness of the poem is the depths of the meanings. Then again not too deep to confuse the reader, but deep enough so that the poem has two stories, two meanings. Thus the greatest poems are born.

**If you don't understand this, then you need to read professional poems (I.E. Mary Montagu)**

Some titles do put away from the writing itself, but people have to realize that its what is in the poem that matters, not the title itself.

[PygmyPuff]

The title is there to sum up in a few words what feeling, emotion and genre the poem is about. Names are definetly important to the poem.

Take Care

I click on a poem based on the title. yes, i no, i no... but i can't help it! if the title is original and attracts my attention, then i'll want to read the poem.

I think a good title can change the whole viewpoint of a poem.

It can do. If the title of a poem is something like

"Why did you leave me?"

I probably won't even read it, because chances are it's going to be pretty cliche.

Exactly. It is like judging a book by its cover. I used to pick out books at the library judged by the cover. Then I accidently dropped one while searching and it was weird because I liked that book.

simple answer yes. The title is what attracts me to reading it. And the term don't judge a book by it's cover, i thought that was a saying to stop people picking a book from it's fancy art work and getting them to read the blurb. With this site there's there is no blurb or pictures, thus no alternative to making that decision besides the title.

a title catches the attention though sometimes its hard to think of titles

I totally agree, titles do attract you to poems especially on this site because thats really all you have to go by. I'm ashamed to say that I don't title my poems, I never know what to title them and I feel that only good poems deserve a title and I haven't written a good one yet! Also, cliche titles are never good.

Well, yes, sometimes a poem catches my eye.
A boring title can turn me off the poem, even if I haven't read it. A repetitive or badly spelled title doesn't make me like the poem very much.

//T.L.//

I havent read the above posts so I apologize if I say something someone has already said....

But personally..YES....I've gotten soooo many e-mails with the question "how is it you always have a lot of comments and people read your poem?" what I always tell them is you have to have a catchy title seriously...I go back and read my titles sometimes and ya know..if it was someone elses I'd want to read too....A title is what drawers your reader in...I only read poems that have catchy titles because if its a poem just titled "daddy" I'm going to assume its just like every other 100 trillion "daddy" poems...then again if it was titled "Daddy and his golden halo" I'd want to read!

a good title captured the readers attention like the one said a great title with a great content is such a good poem of course

i had a poem called something crap. it had 80 hits, 5 votes and 3 comments. i changed the title. the next week i had 150 hits, 8 votes and 5 comments without doing anything ( a big thing for me =p)
so yes, the title does matter. =D

i think that if it is a ryubbish tittle it sounds less apealing! but some-how if it is a title that grasps your attentiona nd has some meanig to the poem i think it improves the poem!

However all this depends on the poets mood!

yes and no. yes, people are often pulled into a poem if the title sounds interesting. but i also think of how you can't judge a book by its cover. write a poem first, then read it and see what words come to mind that would make a nice title.
titles aren't everything, but they add a nice touch!

i dunno reli sometimes it does dead soul 'be my wife' did and it turned out to be the greatest poem i have ever read xxx alexxxx

Um ... Normally it`s the title that grabs my attention . It`s the thing that makes me really wanna read you know ? Like my poems that have boring, normal titles have like one vote haha and really less views . So I guess so .

Bump

bump

definately. thats the thing that grabs my attention

As true as the statement about the title grabbing the attention of the reader is, sometimes, you have to look past the title.

For myself, I sometimes title a poem and even though it could be about that subject, undoubtably, it's much deeper.

An interesting title, isn't always followed by an interesting poem. However, I have read some poems that even though the title was not to my liking, the poem was outstanding.

Not to single anyone out [but I will], Frank Maguire wrote a poem called In Forest Deep. The title wasn't what caught my attention. I didn't like it, but after reading several of his poems, I looked past the title, and was amazed by the poem that followed. And there could not have been a more befitting title to that particular piece of art.

I have learned that poetry is like people. A pretty title, doesn't neccessarily hold beauty; and sometimes you have to look past the title in order to find the beauty within.

Happiness
Jeannie

the title is the attention grabber and it gives a little insight to what the poem has instore and what it will sorta be like. you can make the title really mysterious to make the reader really wanna know what the poem will be about. so yeah, i think the title definetely makes or breaks the poem on whether the reader will read it or not. at least thats how it is for me.

I feel that after I see the title it gives you a image of what you're about to read.

The title is the bate . . . the higher the quality, the more fish you'll attract.

I think that the title is a big part of the poem. I say this because whe I read a title if it seems interesting to me then I read the poem if not then I pass it for the moment and come back to it later. Also I think the title tells us a lot about the poet. For example it might tell us how the poet is feeling when they wrote that poem.

Yes. definetly. when I'm scanning through poems, I usually read the one that's title catches my eye. I think the title plays an important part in who reads your stuff. but also I've learned not to judge a poem by it's title. because some that I thought weren't gonna be good by the title, I read them, and they were actually really good.

Yes it does. Pretty much everyone above said what I think.

Yes. It introduces the reader to the poem.

Think about it.

If the title was, JuMpInG uP aNd DoWn

would you wanna read it?

But if it was

Broken Into Pieces

which one is more attractive. Ok, not a good example, but you get the point.

Yeah, I agree

No

The only reason i read a poem basically if the title grabs my attention, i dunno how that comes across but if the title is crap ill most likely not read it

The only reason i read a poem basically if the title grabs my attention, i dunno how that comes across but if the title is crap ill most likely not read it

Good question, i think i like the titles as it gives you an idea to what you are reading but i think title or no title its the poem i am reading xx