Here is a list of names from a book I'm reading. Look at them, and then I have a question for you.
Brian
Billy
Larry
Peter
Henry
Kyle
Mike
Ryan
Kevin
Heather
Monica
Amanda
Tracy
Now, how old are these people?
That's right, those are names of people I grew up with. In other words, if they're not forty yet, they're nearing that age. And yet these are characters in a YA book published in 2008.
I'm not surprised that I picked up the book from the remainders table at Books a Million. I'm just surprised it got published at all. It's not even very good--the main character is repulsive and the plot is slow and dull. And the author is clearly out of touch with something as basic as what this generation of young adults are named. It's no wonder that she has the main character wanting to read a Rolling Stone magazine (have high school kids ever read Rolling Stone? At least since the 70s?). And I'm only 68 pages into the book.
Character names are important. If you're sloppy about naming your characters any old thing, you're probably being sloppy about other details. And you will end up REMAINDERED. Be warned!
Showing posts with label Names. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Names. Show all posts
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sunday, February 20, 2011
More about my name
I was looking up last names online to find a name for a new character, and while I was on one site I looked up my own last name. Here's what it said!
Shaw - Originally given to a person who lived near a sceaga, Old English meaning "thicket".
Holy crap! My name means "thicket," and here I have a blog called "The Knotted Thicket," which was completely a coincidence. My ancestors would have been baffled.
Shaw - Originally given to a person who lived near a sceaga, Old English meaning "thicket".
Holy crap! My name means "thicket," and here I have a blog called "The Knotted Thicket," which was completely a coincidence. My ancestors would have been baffled.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Faux me
I read that Harlequin Intrigue today. It wasn't as bad as I expected, although it wasn't very good. Very clunky writing, lots of laughable dialogue and unintentionally hilarious lines. The plot was a surprisingly decent mystery; there was only one sex scene and it was really, really tame (much to my surprise).
Can I write one of these? Oh hell yeah. On my head.
So that's my next project. I need to pick out a pseudonym, which is the funnest part.
Can I write one of these? Oh hell yeah. On my head.
So that's my next project. I need to pick out a pseudonym, which is the funnest part.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Having the file open doesn't equal working
Well, here it is the shortest day of the year. Assuming the sun comes up tomorrow as planned, we're on our way to summer.
I've had Bell-Men open on my computer all day, but I think I've only written about 500 words. This is not how I'd planned to spend my holiday. I may take a spiral notebook to bed and write the old-fashioned way. I bet I could get a thousand words in easy before I get bored and decide to read someone else's book.
Speaking of other people's books, I bought a Harlequin Intrigue at Goodwill today for 50 cents. You thought I was kidding when I said I was considering writing one, didn't you? Assuming I can gag my way through it (I had trouble forcing myself to pick one up; the titles revolted me so much I kept shying away), I'll see if I can manage to write one. Since I suspect my writing strength is characterization and my writing weakness is plot, I should be pretty good at writing romance. Also, I get to pick a pseudonym and that's always fun.
I've had Bell-Men open on my computer all day, but I think I've only written about 500 words. This is not how I'd planned to spend my holiday. I may take a spiral notebook to bed and write the old-fashioned way. I bet I could get a thousand words in easy before I get bored and decide to read someone else's book.
Speaking of other people's books, I bought a Harlequin Intrigue at Goodwill today for 50 cents. You thought I was kidding when I said I was considering writing one, didn't you? Assuming I can gag my way through it (I had trouble forcing myself to pick one up; the titles revolted me so much I kept shying away), I'll see if I can manage to write one. Since I suspect my writing strength is characterization and my writing weakness is plot, I should be pretty good at writing romance. Also, I get to pick a pseudonym and that's always fun.
Monday, November 2, 2009
No Name May
I've written 2,500 words on my new NaNo book. Sorry, Tiger, you've been kicked out of the NaNo club. Enter The Dragon Whisperer, which has managed to engage my interest. I may not have to give up in frustration after all!
I am having fun, oddly enough. Yesterday Mom and I took a two-mile walk down by the river and discussed our NaNo projects. We came up with enough of a plot for me to get started, and we both agreed that we needed to approach our projects without such grim determination.
My starting idea was: a woman who used to be famous for communicating with animals and making them do her bidding had to retire from the business when her ghost friend--whose ability she was using--vanished. Now she's been called out of retirement with an offer she can't refuse.
Within 500 words, I'd given the woman an interesting job in a shipping office. She's pretty sure her boss is a pirate. I immediately started to change the idea, morphing it into something that would allow the maybe-pirate to be involved. As of now, the maybe-pirate was injured when his ship ran aground during a storm, and he told the harbor authorities that the woman is his wife and she's just now gotten him home and is about to find out what he's up to. Fun!
On the other hand, you will notice that I have not named the poor woman. Her current name is _, which is not a name at all but a placeholder. I think she goes by May but it's short for something longer. This is the first time I've written this much into a book without knowing the main character's name. At least it's in first person, because otherwise the page would be sprinkled with underscores.
I am having fun, oddly enough. Yesterday Mom and I took a two-mile walk down by the river and discussed our NaNo projects. We came up with enough of a plot for me to get started, and we both agreed that we needed to approach our projects without such grim determination.
My starting idea was: a woman who used to be famous for communicating with animals and making them do her bidding had to retire from the business when her ghost friend--whose ability she was using--vanished. Now she's been called out of retirement with an offer she can't refuse.
Within 500 words, I'd given the woman an interesting job in a shipping office. She's pretty sure her boss is a pirate. I immediately started to change the idea, morphing it into something that would allow the maybe-pirate to be involved. As of now, the maybe-pirate was injured when his ship ran aground during a storm, and he told the harbor authorities that the woman is his wife and she's just now gotten him home and is about to find out what he's up to. Fun!
On the other hand, you will notice that I have not named the poor woman. Her current name is _, which is not a name at all but a placeholder. I think she goes by May but it's short for something longer. This is the first time I've written this much into a book without knowing the main character's name. At least it's in first person, because otherwise the page would be sprinkled with underscores.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Now I can stop yammering about it.
I finished The Bell-Men last night. Somewhere along the line, the working title stuck and I think I like it as the real title. I'm taking suggestions for improvements, of course.
The word count ended at 91,063, although that's already changed a bit. Because what did I do a few hours after I typed THE END? I opened the file again and started rereading it. I told myself I was insane, but actually, it's an important step. I'm going to set the book aside until probably January, but my brain will be working on it quietly until then. I need to know the shape of the book--its pacing, the characterization, the plot, etc.--to get a better idea of what needs to be fixed. Until this final readthrough of the draft, I don't have a sense of its weaknesses.
This reading also gives me the opportunity for a very light editing pass. I'm making final name changes (Thomas is now Tomas, a minor character Robert became Kilian), adding a line or two here or there to fix the flow, taking out a line or two that seem redundant, eliminating adverbs and adjectives, fixing typos and grammatical bobbles, and so forth. I actually like doing this. It makes me feel like I wrote a real book.
Once I'm done, I can start thinking about Nano! Only a week and a half!
The word count ended at 91,063, although that's already changed a bit. Because what did I do a few hours after I typed THE END? I opened the file again and started rereading it. I told myself I was insane, but actually, it's an important step. I'm going to set the book aside until probably January, but my brain will be working on it quietly until then. I need to know the shape of the book--its pacing, the characterization, the plot, etc.--to get a better idea of what needs to be fixed. Until this final readthrough of the draft, I don't have a sense of its weaknesses.
This reading also gives me the opportunity for a very light editing pass. I'm making final name changes (Thomas is now Tomas, a minor character Robert became Kilian), adding a line or two here or there to fix the flow, taking out a line or two that seem redundant, eliminating adverbs and adjectives, fixing typos and grammatical bobbles, and so forth. I actually like doing this. It makes me feel like I wrote a real book.
Once I'm done, I can start thinking about Nano! Only a week and a half!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Names redux
I've changed Cassie's name to Cam (thanks for the suggestion, Alan), short for Cambry. Cambree is a name in The Baby Name Wizard, but I thought the double-e ending had too modern a feel. I also changed Cam's last name from Key--because Cam Key sounds awful--to Reeves. Cam Reeves doesn't sound too great either, though. Hmm. May have to keep working on her last name.
But once I changed Cassie to Cam, I had to change her roommate's name again, because I'd changed her roommate's name from Ivy to Em. Cam and Em sound like two cartoon characters. So I changed Em's name to Ruby. I also changed the last name of Cam's new boyfriend from Bowman to Key, because Thomas Key sounds better than Thomas Bowman and the name Key was just floating around.
This is too hard to keep track of. I think I'll play video games for a while.
To keep this post from being too unutterably boring, I'll ask a question. What names do you keep going back to for characters? My default names for female characters seem to be variations of Terry ("Cult of the Butterfly," the swashbuckling fantasy), Elizabeth (Liza in Weaver's Shroud, Lizzy in an abortive mystery novel), and Anna (Anna in a long-trunked novel, Ana in The Taste of Magic). My default names for male characters are variations of Christopher (Kristof in The Weredeer), Robert/Robin (Robin in "Night Court," Robbie in "Never Be Alone") and Thomas ("Final Episode," Bell-Men).
But once I changed Cassie to Cam, I had to change her roommate's name again, because I'd changed her roommate's name from Ivy to Em. Cam and Em sound like two cartoon characters. So I changed Em's name to Ruby. I also changed the last name of Cam's new boyfriend from Bowman to Key, because Thomas Key sounds better than Thomas Bowman and the name Key was just floating around.
This is too hard to keep track of. I think I'll play video games for a while.
To keep this post from being too unutterably boring, I'll ask a question. What names do you keep going back to for characters? My default names for female characters seem to be variations of Terry ("Cult of the Butterfly," the swashbuckling fantasy), Elizabeth (Liza in Weaver's Shroud, Lizzy in an abortive mystery novel), and Anna (Anna in a long-trunked novel, Ana in The Taste of Magic). My default names for male characters are variations of Christopher (Kristof in The Weredeer), Robert/Robin (Robin in "Night Court," Robbie in "Never Be Alone") and Thomas ("Final Episode," Bell-Men).
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
WIP Wednesday: Bell-Men
I've written 18,000 words on the Bell-Men WIP since last week. Not a bad word-count at all! I've come up with some ideas for the plot and have thrown in a murder too. Murders are as good as cowboys and ninjas for moving a plot forward.
I still haven't renamed poor Cassie. It's getting urgent. So since I'm off work tomorrow, here's my Thursday goal: write 2,000 words so I'll be at a tidy 20,000 for the week, and figure out the perfect name for the main character. I think if I change her last name I'll have a lot more options; I can't choose a one-syllable name for her while her last name is also one-syllable.
But right now I want to watch Ghost Hunters and read Cybermancy by Kelly McCullough. It's a nice short book, sequel to WebMage, which I rather liked.
I still haven't renamed poor Cassie. It's getting urgent. So since I'm off work tomorrow, here's my Thursday goal: write 2,000 words so I'll be at a tidy 20,000 for the week, and figure out the perfect name for the main character. I think if I change her last name I'll have a lot more options; I can't choose a one-syllable name for her while her last name is also one-syllable.
But right now I want to watch Ghost Hunters and read Cybermancy by Kelly McCullough. It's a nice short book, sequel to WebMage, which I rather liked.
Monday, September 14, 2009
The frustration of names
Oh noes! Another post about character names! Somebody stop me!
Yes, okay, I put way too much thought into my characters' names. I happen to think it's important. I'm going to have to change the names of the two main characters in Bell-Men, and here's why.
Character 1: Cassandra Key is the current name of my main character. She goes by Cassie. Unfortunately, I have too many characters whose names end with an -ee sound, and that gets repetitive. Also, there's at least one other urban fantasy series out there whose main character is named Cassandra-goes-by-Cassie. Not to mention that the name Cassandra has baggage; like the character in Vivien Alcock's excellent YA book The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, Cassies are often people with strange otherworldly powers. Or at least they can see ghosts. My Cassie isn't like that, and I don't want to give the reader the wrong idea before the book even starts.
Character 2: Ivy, Cassie's roommate. I chose her name before I'd read any of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books, but now that I've read the first two (which I reckon works out to about 300,000 words in all--those are some long honking books), the name Ivy is permanently in my brain as equaling vampire. Also, it's weird that I independently chose Ivy as the roommate's name when it's the roommate's name in the Rachel Morgan books.
See? These are valid and important reasons to change character names! It's not just me liking to mess around with my characters' names. Really!
Yes, okay, I put way too much thought into my characters' names. I happen to think it's important. I'm going to have to change the names of the two main characters in Bell-Men, and here's why.
Character 1: Cassandra Key is the current name of my main character. She goes by Cassie. Unfortunately, I have too many characters whose names end with an -ee sound, and that gets repetitive. Also, there's at least one other urban fantasy series out there whose main character is named Cassandra-goes-by-Cassie. Not to mention that the name Cassandra has baggage; like the character in Vivien Alcock's excellent YA book The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, Cassies are often people with strange otherworldly powers. Or at least they can see ghosts. My Cassie isn't like that, and I don't want to give the reader the wrong idea before the book even starts.
Character 2: Ivy, Cassie's roommate. I chose her name before I'd read any of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books, but now that I've read the first two (which I reckon works out to about 300,000 words in all--those are some long honking books), the name Ivy is permanently in my brain as equaling vampire. Also, it's weird that I independently chose Ivy as the roommate's name when it's the roommate's name in the Rachel Morgan books.
See? These are valid and important reasons to change character names! It's not just me liking to mess around with my characters' names. Really!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Watch those names
I just read an article by Bev Vincent, a writer who happens to be a man, about his recent experiences with an editor who didn't know his gender and made assumptions due to his name. It's definitely a bit of a horror story, and fascinating too. I got it via J.M. McDermott, who tweeted the link with the notation: "Advantages to being ungendered initials?"
I agree with the initials thing--I mean, I write as K.C. Shaw, not Katherine Shaw or Kate Shaw or any other iteration of my real name--but I'm not so sure I agree with the ungendered part. Most people assume someone who goes by their initials is a guy. I have no idea why, actually. It ought to be ungendered. I chose initials mostly to obfuscate my sex, precisely because I write male characters at least as frequently as female characters, including The Weredeer books that are written first-person with a male main character.
Anyway, I do sometimes wonder how much a reader's assumption about an author's sex impacts the reading experience. I thought E. Nesbit was a man for years and years and years, and once I discovered the E. stood for Edith, I caught myself thinking that parts of her books are actually a little, you know, twee--when I hadn't thought that when I assumed E. stood for Edward or something. I also thought Robin Hobb was a man until after I'd read three of her books, but I don't recall that my perspective of her writing changed at all.
As for writers, I think we get lazy sometimes when it comes to names. It's an easy shorthand to name a ditzy character Candi--or name a cutthroat lawyer character Candi and make a dumb joke about it. Slightly more subtly, if I name one female character Terry and another Gwendolyn, it's easy to signal to the reader that Terry is a bit of a tomboy and Gwendolyn more of a girly-girl.
It goes both ways, of course.* A girl given the name Gwendolyn is more likely to grow up to be a girly-girl because that's how she's treated, while Theresa-known-as-Terry has the freedom to be a tomboy or a girly-girl as the whim takes her, since that's more what her name implies. Possibly that's why I've got two different characters named Terry and none named Gwendolyn. Possibly also that's why so many boys' names get appropriated for girls.
I'm rambling because I don't really have a point--I just like to talk about names--but this is a wake-up call not to make assumptions about someone because of their name. It's like judging a book by its cover, and of course none of us would ever do that, right?
*I'd quote from The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg, the best baby name book I've found, except that the new and revised edition that just came out has the same freaking ISBN as the old edition, so that the new and revised edition I ordered from Amazon arrived as the old edition and I had to send it back, and the old edition I've had for years is now at a used book store, and I'm wishing I hadn't been quite so hasty.
I agree with the initials thing--I mean, I write as K.C. Shaw, not Katherine Shaw or Kate Shaw or any other iteration of my real name--but I'm not so sure I agree with the ungendered part. Most people assume someone who goes by their initials is a guy. I have no idea why, actually. It ought to be ungendered. I chose initials mostly to obfuscate my sex, precisely because I write male characters at least as frequently as female characters, including The Weredeer books that are written first-person with a male main character.
Anyway, I do sometimes wonder how much a reader's assumption about an author's sex impacts the reading experience. I thought E. Nesbit was a man for years and years and years, and once I discovered the E. stood for Edith, I caught myself thinking that parts of her books are actually a little, you know, twee--when I hadn't thought that when I assumed E. stood for Edward or something. I also thought Robin Hobb was a man until after I'd read three of her books, but I don't recall that my perspective of her writing changed at all.
As for writers, I think we get lazy sometimes when it comes to names. It's an easy shorthand to name a ditzy character Candi--or name a cutthroat lawyer character Candi and make a dumb joke about it. Slightly more subtly, if I name one female character Terry and another Gwendolyn, it's easy to signal to the reader that Terry is a bit of a tomboy and Gwendolyn more of a girly-girl.
It goes both ways, of course.* A girl given the name Gwendolyn is more likely to grow up to be a girly-girl because that's how she's treated, while Theresa-known-as-Terry has the freedom to be a tomboy or a girly-girl as the whim takes her, since that's more what her name implies. Possibly that's why I've got two different characters named Terry and none named Gwendolyn. Possibly also that's why so many boys' names get appropriated for girls.
I'm rambling because I don't really have a point--I just like to talk about names--but this is a wake-up call not to make assumptions about someone because of their name. It's like judging a book by its cover, and of course none of us would ever do that, right?
*I'd quote from The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg, the best baby name book I've found, except that the new and revised edition that just came out has the same freaking ISBN as the old edition, so that the new and revised edition I ordered from Amazon arrived as the old edition and I had to send it back, and the old edition I've had for years is now at a used book store, and I'm wishing I hadn't been quite so hasty.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Point Counterpoint
After yesterday, I was very grouchy today and spent all my free time reading "D" reviews over at Dear Author. That cheered me right up. I also got some work done on Little Sparrow at lunch, which made me even happier.
When I first started Little Sparrow a few weeks ago, it was going to be told from Hildy's* point of view. Then I realized I needed to explain certain things in a way that only made sense from Sparrow's point of view, so I decided to swap out POV characters from section to section. Then I stopped and did a rethink of the plot, and while I was working on it I got so into Sparrow's POV that I considered dropping Hildy as a POV character entirely. But now that I've started back in writing, I think telling the story from both points of view is absolutely necessary and--I'll admit it--a lot of fun.
*Yes, I can't leave the awful name of Hilda alone. At least Hildy sounds a lot cuter than Hilda, and I may change the name anyway. She just seems like a Hildy, what can I say?
When I first started Little Sparrow a few weeks ago, it was going to be told from Hildy's* point of view. Then I realized I needed to explain certain things in a way that only made sense from Sparrow's point of view, so I decided to swap out POV characters from section to section. Then I stopped and did a rethink of the plot, and while I was working on it I got so into Sparrow's POV that I considered dropping Hildy as a POV character entirely. But now that I've started back in writing, I think telling the story from both points of view is absolutely necessary and--I'll admit it--a lot of fun.
*Yes, I can't leave the awful name of Hilda alone. At least Hildy sounds a lot cuter than Hilda, and I may change the name anyway. She just seems like a Hildy, what can I say?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Title woes redux
I renamed Hilda. She's now Coral, which is so much better for her character. Also, she doesn't come across as an instant frump.
I can't figure out the title, though. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions, particularly the suggestion that maybe not everyone will instantly figure out that by "drake" I mean "little dragon." Yeah. Like, maybe most people think "duck."
I'm tempted to just go with Justice as the title, but that's not terribly descriptive, so then I think (inevitably) that maybe Blue Justice might be better, which it really, really isn't. It sounds like a Tick episode, actually. So then I think, well, maybe I should try one of those newfangled poetic quotations, which requires a trip to Barlett's Familiar Quotations, which is downstairs, ...and I end up with such miseries as Wild Justice and Virtue of the Soul. And after flipping idly through the book, I am now ready to go right back to Justice. Or just call it The Mighty Novella, which at least amuses me.
UPDATE: The Price of Justice. Yay!!
I can't figure out the title, though. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions, particularly the suggestion that maybe not everyone will instantly figure out that by "drake" I mean "little dragon." Yeah. Like, maybe most people think "duck."
I'm tempted to just go with Justice as the title, but that's not terribly descriptive, so then I think (inevitably) that maybe Blue Justice might be better, which it really, really isn't. It sounds like a Tick episode, actually. So then I think, well, maybe I should try one of those newfangled poetic quotations, which requires a trip to Barlett's Familiar Quotations, which is downstairs, ...and I end up with such miseries as Wild Justice and Virtue of the Soul. And after flipping idly through the book, I am now ready to go right back to Justice. Or just call it The Mighty Novella, which at least amuses me.
UPDATE: The Price of Justice. Yay!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Help me rename this novella
I know, I'm the worst titler ever. The working title for my formerly 3-day-novel-contest entry is Hilda and Justice, and it's the worst bad title I've ever come up with. So I ask you, my gifted friends, to help me come up with a less bad title.
Here's the (probably also woefully bad) query I've just written, which might help give you some ideas. Also, if the query stinks please let me know. I thought maybe Justice and Revenge would work as a title, but then I realized it was almost as bad as the title I've got. I'm really bad at this. Also, I probably need to change Hilda's name to something that isn't quite so offputting.
"Hilda Black spent her healing apprenticeship working in the drake fighting pits, but she left it all behind years before. She doesn't want anything to do with drake fighting and the bad memories it brings back. But Grant Mickelson is in town again with his troop of drakes. If Hilda's going to get revenge on him for what he did to her years before, she needs to get into the trainer's section of the arena. And that means she needs a drake of her own to enter in the upcoming tournament.
"She finds Justice, a young drake who's just fought in his first junior match. He's flashy, enthusiastic, and intensely loyal to her. Hilda only planned on entering Justice in one match, but she can't just discard him once the match is over. And, she discovers, he was trained by Grant. With Justice's knowledge of the man, Hilda plans a more subtle revenge on Grant than her original idea of blackmail.
"But revenge is harder than Hilda expects. It means having to accept Grant's job offer and work for him as a drake healer, even though being near him terrifies and confuses her. And she has Justice depending on her for friendship and training too--even though the drake is keeping a secret from everyone."
Yes, I know. It sucks enormously. Oh well, thanks very much for any suggestions!
Here's the (probably also woefully bad) query I've just written, which might help give you some ideas. Also, if the query stinks please let me know. I thought maybe Justice and Revenge would work as a title, but then I realized it was almost as bad as the title I've got. I'm really bad at this. Also, I probably need to change Hilda's name to something that isn't quite so offputting.
"Hilda Black spent her healing apprenticeship working in the drake fighting pits, but she left it all behind years before. She doesn't want anything to do with drake fighting and the bad memories it brings back. But Grant Mickelson is in town again with his troop of drakes. If Hilda's going to get revenge on him for what he did to her years before, she needs to get into the trainer's section of the arena. And that means she needs a drake of her own to enter in the upcoming tournament.
"She finds Justice, a young drake who's just fought in his first junior match. He's flashy, enthusiastic, and intensely loyal to her. Hilda only planned on entering Justice in one match, but she can't just discard him once the match is over. And, she discovers, he was trained by Grant. With Justice's knowledge of the man, Hilda plans a more subtle revenge on Grant than her original idea of blackmail.
"But revenge is harder than Hilda expects. It means having to accept Grant's job offer and work for him as a drake healer, even though being near him terrifies and confuses her. And she has Justice depending on her for friendship and training too--even though the drake is keeping a secret from everyone."
Yes, I know. It sucks enormously. Oh well, thanks very much for any suggestions!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Your Amazon order has shipped...
...you are now broke.
I've ordered five books this time:
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston (that's the one I'm really excited about--I keep hearing good reviews of it)
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Storm Born by Richelle Mead
The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Now, about this name Angie Fox. Pseudonym or real name, what do you think? I say pseudonym, but then she probably is saddled with the real name of Angie Fordalinni or something like that, plus I'm fond of messing with my own name so I don't blame anyone else for doing it too. But Aaron Polson suggested I try and sell Weaver's Shroud under a pseudonym since it's so different from my current style. And making up pseudonyms is fun!
Anyway, the alternative is spending the rest of my lunch break eating inadequate chili and reading other people's internets.
I've ordered five books this time:
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston (that's the one I'm really excited about--I keep hearing good reviews of it)
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Storm Born by Richelle Mead
The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Now, about this name Angie Fox. Pseudonym or real name, what do you think? I say pseudonym, but then she probably is saddled with the real name of Angie Fordalinni or something like that, plus I'm fond of messing with my own name so I don't blame anyone else for doing it too. But Aaron Polson suggested I try and sell Weaver's Shroud under a pseudonym since it's so different from my current style. And making up pseudonyms is fun!
Anyway, the alternative is spending the rest of my lunch break eating inadequate chili and reading other people's internets.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
And I have to get up in seven hours, too
I just got an email that my undead shark story has been shortlisted for the Dead Bait anthology. So at least I know they like it well enough not to reject it out of hand, but now I have to wait. And you all know how patient I am.
Actually, I am patient, but I complain a lot.
I'm reading Sarah Monette's Melusine, which I started almost two weeks ago but put down for a while since, after seeing "Slumdog Millionaire" on New Year's Day (an amazing but agonizing movie), I just couldn't face anything else grim for a while. It's beautifully written, and I don't even have to read it in a permanent flinch, because Monette starts off with absolutely no-holds-barred awfulness happening to one of the main characters. After that, I know she's one of those authors who detail wretchedness in loving detail, so every bad thing that I half-expect to happen is going to happen, at length. So I don't have to dread that something awful might happen, because it will happen. Does that make sense? Unfortunately, something that doesn't seem to be happening is a plot. Monette does a lot of walking in place, which is why the book is 500 damn pages long.
Anyway, I'm on page 176 now and only just met the character of Magnus in the last section or so. I have a character named Magnus in The Taste of Magic--not a big deal, except that I also have a character named Felix. No one will ever believe that it's a coincidence and not some half-assed attempt at an homage or whatever, so since I really can't change Magnus's name, my poor Felix will have to get renamed. That's a pity, since I love the name Felix. I already had to change another character's name, and I think that may have been a mistake--he was named Alexander, which was just perfect, but I already had two characters whose names begin with A and two characters whose names end with an "er" sound, so Alexander had to go. I renamed him Dominic. I don't know what I'll rename Felix.
I'm only yammering like this because I don't feel good. I hope it's something I ate and not a stomach virus. Every time I lie down I have to get back up, so now I'm just sitting here with Bunny the laptop, feeling grim and tired and unhappy. So I guess I should go back to reading Melusine.
Actually, I am patient, but I complain a lot.
I'm reading Sarah Monette's Melusine, which I started almost two weeks ago but put down for a while since, after seeing "Slumdog Millionaire" on New Year's Day (an amazing but agonizing movie), I just couldn't face anything else grim for a while. It's beautifully written, and I don't even have to read it in a permanent flinch, because Monette starts off with absolutely no-holds-barred awfulness happening to one of the main characters. After that, I know she's one of those authors who detail wretchedness in loving detail, so every bad thing that I half-expect to happen is going to happen, at length. So I don't have to dread that something awful might happen, because it will happen. Does that make sense? Unfortunately, something that doesn't seem to be happening is a plot. Monette does a lot of walking in place, which is why the book is 500 damn pages long.
Anyway, I'm on page 176 now and only just met the character of Magnus in the last section or so. I have a character named Magnus in The Taste of Magic--not a big deal, except that I also have a character named Felix. No one will ever believe that it's a coincidence and not some half-assed attempt at an homage or whatever, so since I really can't change Magnus's name, my poor Felix will have to get renamed. That's a pity, since I love the name Felix. I already had to change another character's name, and I think that may have been a mistake--he was named Alexander, which was just perfect, but I already had two characters whose names begin with A and two characters whose names end with an "er" sound, so Alexander had to go. I renamed him Dominic. I don't know what I'll rename Felix.
I'm only yammering like this because I don't feel good. I hope it's something I ate and not a stomach virus. Every time I lie down I have to get back up, so now I'm just sitting here with Bunny the laptop, feeling grim and tired and unhappy. So I guess I should go back to reading Melusine.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Hey, where's my STUFF?
Okay, so I had planned on blogging about the names in The Taste of Magic, because I realized the other day that I'd used almost every single name on the list I made before I started the book. And some of the names I ended up using in odd ways, like the name Ryman became ryma, a type of alcoholic beverage, and Amon became amon, a traditional troll instrument, and so forth.
But I can't blog about it because the notebook where I have that list of names, and also the bedside table where the notebook was sitting, and in fact pretty much everything else in the whole house, is gone. Because I am moving in with my mom this weekend and while I was at work little pixies came and packed up my belongings and took them to my mom's house. I had to go over to Mom's when I got home to collect a pair of jeans.
Fortunately, the pixies didn't notice the book I am reading, Stevermer's A Scholar of Magics, which I am enjoying immensely and didn't want to put down just yet. I think that's the only book in the house at the moment. Oh, and I loaned my brother Shearin's Magic Lost, Trouble Found, partly out of curiosity to see if a guy would like it, partly because I like the series and I'm recommending it to everyone. I'll keep you all posted on my brother's reaction.
But I can't blog about it because the notebook where I have that list of names, and also the bedside table where the notebook was sitting, and in fact pretty much everything else in the whole house, is gone. Because I am moving in with my mom this weekend and while I was at work little pixies came and packed up my belongings and took them to my mom's house. I had to go over to Mom's when I got home to collect a pair of jeans.
Fortunately, the pixies didn't notice the book I am reading, Stevermer's A Scholar of Magics, which I am enjoying immensely and didn't want to put down just yet. I think that's the only book in the house at the moment. Oh, and I loaned my brother Shearin's Magic Lost, Trouble Found, partly out of curiosity to see if a guy would like it, partly because I like the series and I'm recommending it to everyone. I'll keep you all posted on my brother's reaction.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A name and a title!
I just signed up my blog at Technorati. Well, why not? All the kids are doing it.
I've got a name for my main character and a title for the book! The first is Analefa (Ana for short), the latter is The Taste of Magic. I kept Carafel as the name of the city Ana lives in (although I tacked another L to the end). I'm still not done fussing over names, though, since I've decided Byron is a stupid name and anyway that character is going to die at the end of chapter two, which means the real bad guy still needs a name. Vincent's name stands, though. It's perfect for him. I even gave him a good last name, Ondarr. I think I made that up, but if I unwittingly swiped it from someone else's book, please let me know.
I went to Borders today and tried to find something new to read (because my to be read stack isn't quite to the ceiling yet). The selection sucked, though--just the same old names over and over, and nothing that looked even remotely interesting. No wonder bookstores aren't doing too well right now. There's no variety.
I've got a name for my main character and a title for the book! The first is Analefa (Ana for short), the latter is The Taste of Magic. I kept Carafel as the name of the city Ana lives in (although I tacked another L to the end). I'm still not done fussing over names, though, since I've decided Byron is a stupid name and anyway that character is going to die at the end of chapter two, which means the real bad guy still needs a name. Vincent's name stands, though. It's perfect for him. I even gave him a good last name, Ondarr. I think I made that up, but if I unwittingly swiped it from someone else's book, please let me know.
I went to Borders today and tried to find something new to read (because my to be read stack isn't quite to the ceiling yet). The selection sucked, though--just the same old names over and over, and nothing that looked even remotely interesting. No wonder bookstores aren't doing too well right now. There's no variety.
Friday, October 10, 2008
The right name
An idea that I've been turning over in my mind for, like, evar has finally blossomed. I may do this one for Nano instead of Charmed Circle. It's going to take me a lot of heavy-duty plotting and worldbuilding in the next three weeks, but I should be able to do it.
First step at this point is to name my main characters, which will help me make some decisions on how they play off one another. I sat down with two name books and made some lists earlier.
The bad guy's name was easy to pick out. He's going to be Byron, rakish and dark. Also corny, but I think I can pull it off. Once I had his name, I had to strike Rowan, Tobin, Alban, Kilian, and Tarkin from the good guy name list (-en names are hot now for guys, have you noticed?). None of those were right anyway. I picked Asher instead, to be abbreviated to Ash--but I changed my mind when I thought that sounded like a Buffy name. Since that character's a vampire, I had to strike any possible Buffy connotation names, which isn't easy since I've never watched that show. After a lot of thought, I picked Vincent instead. That happens to be the name of one of my cats, but I really like the name and I think it'll work well for that character.
So now I have the bad guy, Byron, and the good guy, Vincent. The main character's name is a lot more difficult. I'd like to avoid another two-syllable name if I can. One-syllable women's names are fairly rare, but they're almost always strong--stronger than I really want. Three-syllable women's names are common, but they tend to sound too soft. I want a feminine sounding name but not a frilly or girly one.
I need a three-syllable name with hard consonants, then, but I can't use a B, R, N, V, or S. I can probably get away with a T since it doesn't really sound in Vincent. See how difficult this is? You think I'm being picky, I bet, but it really is vitally important that my main character's name doesn't echo the names of other characters too much.
I don't think I know my main character well enough to name her yet. But at least I've named the two other main characters. Boys are always easier for me to name than girls; maybe that's why the girls end up with clunky names like Hilda and Ellen.
First step at this point is to name my main characters, which will help me make some decisions on how they play off one another. I sat down with two name books and made some lists earlier.
The bad guy's name was easy to pick out. He's going to be Byron, rakish and dark. Also corny, but I think I can pull it off. Once I had his name, I had to strike Rowan, Tobin, Alban, Kilian, and Tarkin from the good guy name list (-en names are hot now for guys, have you noticed?). None of those were right anyway. I picked Asher instead, to be abbreviated to Ash--but I changed my mind when I thought that sounded like a Buffy name. Since that character's a vampire, I had to strike any possible Buffy connotation names, which isn't easy since I've never watched that show. After a lot of thought, I picked Vincent instead. That happens to be the name of one of my cats, but I really like the name and I think it'll work well for that character.
So now I have the bad guy, Byron, and the good guy, Vincent. The main character's name is a lot more difficult. I'd like to avoid another two-syllable name if I can. One-syllable women's names are fairly rare, but they're almost always strong--stronger than I really want. Three-syllable women's names are common, but they tend to sound too soft. I want a feminine sounding name but not a frilly or girly one.
I need a three-syllable name with hard consonants, then, but I can't use a B, R, N, V, or S. I can probably get away with a T since it doesn't really sound in Vincent. See how difficult this is? You think I'm being picky, I bet, but it really is vitally important that my main character's name doesn't echo the names of other characters too much.
I don't think I know my main character well enough to name her yet. But at least I've named the two other main characters. Boys are always easier for me to name than girls; maybe that's why the girls end up with clunky names like Hilda and Ellen.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Unfantasy names
I just realized how mean I am to my female characters. I give them horrible names. Witness these names taken from recent stories--and these are all central characters:
Grace
Dottie
Hilda
Rose
Ellen
Helen
Madeline
Emily
Liza
Sasha
Now a similar list of male names, all of them taken from the same stories as the names above:
William
Dominick
Fin
Maxwell
Harris
Jack
James
Zack
Kristof
Gabe
While I do like some of the women's names in the list above, I like all of the men's names, with the possible exception of Harris. I don't know what this says about me, but here's something else: most of the women's names were chosen because they sounded flat-footed. And I write fantasy. I wonder if I might be trying too hard to avoid allegations of Mary Sueing.
Grace
Dottie
Hilda
Rose
Ellen
Helen
Madeline
Emily
Liza
Sasha
Now a similar list of male names, all of them taken from the same stories as the names above:
William
Dominick
Fin
Maxwell
Harris
Jack
James
Zack
Kristof
Gabe
While I do like some of the women's names in the list above, I like all of the men's names, with the possible exception of Harris. I don't know what this says about me, but here's something else: most of the women's names were chosen because they sounded flat-footed. And I write fantasy. I wonder if I might be trying too hard to avoid allegations of Mary Sueing.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Names I can't use
At lunch I was reading the fantastic Baby Name Wizard blog and came across the name Shiloh. As a result, I've had the Neil Diamond song of the same title stuck in my head all afternoon now.
Same with two stories I'm working on, one titled "Long Way Home" and the other "Underground." Both inflict me with Norah Jones earworms for long after I've stopped work on the story. Fortunately, I really like Norah Jones--but what if I didn't?
So now I realize that in addition to all the other naming restrictions I hang upon myself, like the one where I won't use the same name for two characters even if they're in completely different stories, I have to be more careful about names (or titles) that might conjure up songs. There are a lot of songs out there and only so many names I like.
Same with two stories I'm working on, one titled "Long Way Home" and the other "Underground." Both inflict me with Norah Jones earworms for long after I've stopped work on the story. Fortunately, I really like Norah Jones--but what if I didn't?
So now I realize that in addition to all the other naming restrictions I hang upon myself, like the one where I won't use the same name for two characters even if they're in completely different stories, I have to be more careful about names (or titles) that might conjure up songs. There are a lot of songs out there and only so many names I like.
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