Let
Birds Fly by Rhea Thomas is a magical realism
short story collection where the extraordinary sparks everyday lives toward
transformation. Connected by Ripple Media, each of the fifteen characters
navigates personal struggles, such as an impossible itch, a mercurial third
eye, and hallucinating coffee. They discover hidden truths, purpose, or power.
With whimsy and emotional depth, these stories explore identity, passion, and
self-discovery through moments of enchantment that crack open ordinary reality.
Let these tales remind you: sometimes, the most magical thing is becoming who
you were always meant to be.
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Trouble With Titles? Here Are My Tips
I enjoy the challenge of naming things. I love finding the perfect title for a piece of writing. Here are a handful of examples from my short story collection, starting with the title I initially chose versus the title I ultimately settled on. I almost always choose an easy title that easily and immediately reminds me what I’m writing about, in the first draft of a story. By the end of the story and multiple revisions, I usually choose a more solid title. One that is interesting but also fits just right.
Flight of the Blue Fairy
I often give stories self-explanatory names, such as “Shedding Skin” for the story about a woman who unzips her skin at the end. But after I completed the story, I realized that the title gave too much away, so I changed it to “Flight of the Blue Fairy”, referencing a fairytale that had been important to the main character as a child and became her adult pedicab persona. And this story was about her finding her wings, in a way. It was perfect.
Sprouting
This story is about a woman who has to get a breast ultrasound after a mass shows up on her mammogram. To her surprise, she does not have a tumor or some benign growth … it’s a superfood, a miracle bean, and it’s close to sprouting. “Boob Beans” was the catchy in-progress title, but the story was not just about these special beans … it was about this woman finding her way. Not only is the bean sprouting, but so is she. She’s bursting at the confines and in a period of growth.
A Fearsome Thing
This story is about a young man who wants to become a writer but is intimidated by his best-selling crime-writing mother. She seems to be actively trying to prevent him from becoming a writer. So, he’s writing on the sly with low self-confidence and then, a mysterious, murderous woman appears in his attic. He’s genuinely fearing for his life. I don’t want to give much away, but that title has multiple meanings. I originally called it “The Muse” which was super boring and unoriginal.
To The Fairest
I originally called this story “Greek Goddesses”, just to remind myself what it was about and where I was going with it. Kind of a boring title. “To The Fairest” is the inscription on a golden apple coveted by Greek goddesses in mythology and in this story. And throughout the story, three Greek goddesses are vying for this apple and title. But at the end, without giving too much away, my main character plays on the “fairest” bit as just, not beautiful.
The Works
This story isn’t published yet, but I almost titled it “Soul Carwash.” The main character is a good guy who starts committing crimes, but he doesn’t like the guilt he feels afterward, so he finds different ways to absolve himself. Eventually, a strange flyer shows up in his mail for a soul wash. The main character is intrigued and goes to investigate. So, the title “Soul Wash” was a bit too obvious. The package he selects at this special soul-washing place is called The Works, and I love how that also subtly explains his situation.
The best practice for giving
your piece its permanent title is to find something that is interesting (makes
the reader want to check it out) and has some symbolism or relation to the
subject. It’s something to have fun with. Get feedback from your writing group
or beta readers. But it’s not something you need to worry about until the end,
in my opinion. Wait until you’ve told the whole story, then ideally, the story
itself will tell you what it wants the title to be.
About the Author
Rhea Thomas lives in
Austin, Texas where she works as a program manager in the digital media world.
Her short stories have been published in multiple publications, including, most
recently, The Fictional Café, Toasted Cheese and Does It Have Pockets. She
spends her free time hoarding books, walking her stubborn Labrador retriever,
playing games with her sons, kayaking and swimming in rivers, searching for
mysteries and writing short stories that explore magical moments in the
mundane. Her first book, a collection of short stories, is due out in August
2025, and she’s currently working on a literary mystery novel.
You can find her
online at:
https://www.facebook.com/rheathomasauthor
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