Tag Archives: writing process

Jul 23 2014

Naming troubles… again

A few posts ago I mentioned my struggles in naming my characters. But that’s not the only place I’ve struggled with names.

At the moment I’m having trouble naming my book. 

I’ve been through several names, and there have been issues with all of them from different people.

The name I’m using at the moment feels too childish for a YA novel: Fairies in the Wind. 

I was originally using Aer (like air), but it was suggested that it was too vague. Then I tried Aer Faydom which I used for a long time, but when I was at a course everyone agreed it was too difficult to pronounce. 

I’ve submitted under all three names and not had any luck yet (obviously). But this might not be because of the title, but as that’s the first thing they see it’s very possible. 

And as I was discussing with another blogger, I have a placeholder name for my book of Fairyland. Placeholders are really the most obvious and unimaginative names ever!  

Another option I’m thinking of at the moment is Aer Auri. I was using Auri as my series title. (Auri as in aurum as in the latin for gold like AU. They are not quite the rules but thereabouts)

Any thoughts?

 

Jul 14 2014

Villains

I saw a post from a fellow writing group member about his villain and it got me thinking.

I don’t have a villain in the sense of someone everyone loves to hate. So many villains are actually liked, and in some cases they are liked more than the heroes.

Don’t get me wrong, I have antagonists, just no love to hate people. In the next one, I’m writing an annoying good guy. But again no love to hate bad guy.

I’m now wondering how important this kind of character is?

Often the key to building this character is forcing sympathy, showing the backstory, and how they got that way.

In a way, this love to hate person is liked because they have flaws. They aren’t put up high on a pedestal and out of reach. They are – in some cases – more relatable.

This is something I’ll need to think about some more.

Jul 11 2014

Naming

I’m on a roll this morning writing, when I’m pulled short. I would have stopped soon anyway, because of work and all that, but this was more abrupt. I’m stuck naming a new character I’ve just introduced.

The one thing I’ve found very difficult is naming my characters. I’m writing a fantasy story, so I’m using made up names. It’s the making up bit that’s hard. I’ve played many computer games in my time where I’ve had to name the people in the game so I’m fine with real world names.

When I very first started writing my fairies, I used plant-like names. I’m glad I’ve changed since, because I’ve been reading other fairy books, and they all use flowers etc. I then decided to go back to what my 10 year old self came up with, and used that idea for naming them.

(I should add that what I’m writing now, has it’s roots in a story I tried to write when I was a child. Back then I’d created the characters, but couldn’t formulate the story.)

So when I decided I didn’t like the plant-like names, I used initials as stand-ins. It took me until I was about halfway to find names that stuck. 

But now as more characters are introduced I need to make up new ones.

Such is the struggle of writing!