Copied blatantly from this Steven R. Boyett’s website, who is awesome.
The following Words are hereby decreed Illegal in the Titles of Works of General Fiction and Literature:
- Bone / Bones
- Club
- Whisperer
- Dead
- Society
- Wife [when defining a Female according to the Occupation of her Husband, e.g. ,The Emperor’s Wife]
- A Novel [when preceded by a colon]
- [Any Deceased Author]
Furthermore, it is henceforth Forbidden to have as a Protagonist any sort of Writer, or other Practitioner of the Arts plainly substituting therefor.
The following Words are hereby decreed Illegal in the Titles of Works of Science Fiction:
- [blank]-World
- Effect
- Empire
- Zone
- Factor
- Chaos
- Hegemony
- Galactic
The following Words are hereby decreed Illegal in the Titles of Works of Fantasy:
- Chronicles
- Dragon
- Lord
- Quest
- Shadow
- Wizard
- Apprentice
- King
- Empire / Emperor / Empress
- Prophecy
- Doom
- Throne
- Sword
- Saga
- Rune
- Covenant
- Bane
- Mage
Further, the use of a Colon in the Title of a Science Fiction or Fantasy Work shall be by Royal Approval only, and shall never accompany an Unpronounceable Neologism (e.g., Sword of Prophecy: The Fyrblyngkan Chronicles).
Furthermore, for Works of Science Fiction or Fantasy, it is henceforth decreed that Writers must show Due Cause for any Narrative Exposition, or else remove such Offending Material from Public Scrutiny prior to Publication.
The following Words are hereby decreed Illegal in the Titles of Works of Horror:
- Dark
- Blood
- Death
- Moon
- Scream
- Fear
- Any gerund [word ending in ing, e.g., The Gnoshing]
Further, it is henceforth Forbidden to Invoke the Deity in the Banishment of any perceived Evil, unless Fair and Timely arrangement of adequate Payments of Royalty have been previously Arranged.
2 Comments
Michael Zavis
If you think the guy is awesome, you could at least attribute it when you copy him, instead of just saying "this author." Jeez.
theWallflower
Fixed, sorry for that oversight.