What’s In a Name? (Part 2)

After my recent post discussing the inspiration for my current story-in-progress, I am bringing you another blog blast from the past.  This entry  also from January 2014 talks about character and title names.  There are many moving parts to a story that an author must address.  Any one or more of these can be a thorn in the side to even the most successful writer.  For me, it’s coming up with the perfect character name and title for my book, thus the blog post.

Naming a character is like naming your child.  Sometimes it is one of the most difficult decisions you face, and sometimes you know right away.  In the case of a child, there is no procrastinating.  You don’t have the luxury of waiting to find a name choice suited to their personality because referring to them as “baby” for the first two to three years of their life is not practical.  So in a way choosing a name for a character is somewhat easier.  You are able to name them fittingly, according to their quirks, characteristics, or attitude.

Despite my usual struggle, I had no problem developing the characters for this book.  They came to me instantly, particularly the main male character.  I knew his name would be Colin Randall Reed the moment I thought him up.  It suits him perfectly as a young man coming from generations of wealth, expected to carry on the family legacy.

The female character also proved extremely easy, both developing her as a person and choosing her name.  Sahara Wilson is, as her name suggests, a kind-hearted, not so prestigious, free-spirited personality.

So besides the difficulty of choosing character names, what goes into settling on the right title?  If you read my old post you will see several title choices listed at the end.  I had, at the time thought one of them would be “the one”.  Fast forward two years and none of them made the cut.  Much like life, in writing, the details tend to change often, and usually for the best.

The title I chose is Talk To My Heart.

So now that you know the final book name and some of the back story behind the story, I have plenty of current tidbits and fun info to reveal going forward.  Including some possible requests for your input.  As I work my way toward the completion of this story I cannot wait to share it all with you!