How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?Visit Andrea Wang's website.
My agent actually came up with the title The Many Meanings of Meilan. I originally called my book The Orchid Variations, but that doesn't do nearly as much work as a title since it assumes that readers know that the second syllable of Meilan's name, "lan," means "orchid" in Mandarin. The current title does a much better job -- right away you know that Meilan is Chinese American and that the story is about the different ways she sees and defines herself by her name.
What's in a name?
Meilan's name is the crux of the book. When the principal of her new school renames her to "Melanie" because it "sounds more American," she...[read on]
Q&A with Andrea Wang.
--Marshal Zeringue
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