Theresa Van Spankeren's Blog, page 15
July 31, 2014
Character Names
I have heard that naming your characters is one of the hardest things about writing. That might be a stretch, but it is not something to take lightly.
How do you choose a name, especially for the main character(s)? I think it depends on the writer and what the writer is trying to accomplish. Is the name intended to be a pun or inside joke? Using rhyming names can be useful then (Owen Bowen, Cherry Terry, etc). Is the story supposed to be serious? If so, staying away from rhyming or silly names is a good bet.
Historical fiction writers have an added problem, they have to ensure the names they use aren't glaringly modern or it can jolt the reader out of the story.
Many writers consult baby name books or lists for ideas. Sometimes writers choose names whose meaning goes along with a character's personality or whose meaning completely contradicts the character's persona.
Personally, I have done a little of everything. There are times where a character's name just comes to me like in the case of Julia and Samuel. Others were chosen after a little more consideration of the time period (think Adam and Robert.) Lastly, I have consulted my name book and online sources to choose other names, such as Valentino and Damien, especially as I progressed in the series.
Names can be a difficult thing.
How do you choose a name, especially for the main character(s)? I think it depends on the writer and what the writer is trying to accomplish. Is the name intended to be a pun or inside joke? Using rhyming names can be useful then (Owen Bowen, Cherry Terry, etc). Is the story supposed to be serious? If so, staying away from rhyming or silly names is a good bet.
Historical fiction writers have an added problem, they have to ensure the names they use aren't glaringly modern or it can jolt the reader out of the story.
Many writers consult baby name books or lists for ideas. Sometimes writers choose names whose meaning goes along with a character's personality or whose meaning completely contradicts the character's persona.
Personally, I have done a little of everything. There are times where a character's name just comes to me like in the case of Julia and Samuel. Others were chosen after a little more consideration of the time period (think Adam and Robert.) Lastly, I have consulted my name book and online sources to choose other names, such as Valentino and Damien, especially as I progressed in the series.
Names can be a difficult thing.
June 3, 2014
How the Series Began
Everyone always ask, "How did you come up with the story?"
The simple answer is by accident of course. In high school, I was writing some "The X-Files" fanfiction and many of the characters in this series were originally secondary characters in the fanfiction. (I know as soon as I said that many of you thought of Fifty Shades of Grey)
Well, this isn't "Fifty Shades of Grey." I did not recreate the main characters into my own versions. "Mulder" and "Scully" are perfectly fine the way they are. Writing the fanfiction helped open the door to explore my own characters and storylines.
After a couple of years of writing my own fanfiction, I realized that my characters were in themselves a series, that they had their own stories that needed to be told. The first draft of "War of Destiny: Lost Soul" was written during my last year of high school.
The simple answer is by accident of course. In high school, I was writing some "The X-Files" fanfiction and many of the characters in this series were originally secondary characters in the fanfiction. (I know as soon as I said that many of you thought of Fifty Shades of Grey)
Well, this isn't "Fifty Shades of Grey." I did not recreate the main characters into my own versions. "Mulder" and "Scully" are perfectly fine the way they are. Writing the fanfiction helped open the door to explore my own characters and storylines.
After a couple of years of writing my own fanfiction, I realized that my characters were in themselves a series, that they had their own stories that needed to be told. The first draft of "War of Destiny: Lost Soul" was written during my last year of high school.
