What's in a name?

I am the worst person at this, ever.

So it comes to sitting down with a new revolutionary great idea for your latest novel. You have the storyline all planned out - you are deadly sure that this book will change the world as it is and will influence many generations to come. You know it should be a bestseller in many countries and appear on various charts as numero uno. There is only one problem - what to name your characters? How to bestow them names worthy of their own characterisations?

I wrote something a long time ago which featured a main protagonist named Ivy. Now Ivy can be pictured into two visualisations here; the first of which is the plant itself - green and poisonous, winding itself onto any surface and digging its roots into foundations, creeping into the inside and snaking up walls, seeking out any possible weakness in structure and exploiting it.
But as for a polar opposite mental picture - Ivy can also be regarded as a beautiful name for a little girl with big green eyes, pale skin and a sweet smile.
This was the character I had dreamed up for that piece of work. I decided to take the name of a devious plant and pair it with a more positive reflection - not only to throw my reader off, but to also surprise myself too.

But how do you know if you've given your chosen character a deserving name?

Imagine how you would expect them to look. Strong jaw? Pearly white sharp teeth? Golden wavy hair? You wouldn't name a little girl Henry and a macho muscled man Sandy, would you? The names completely throw off the character that perhaps you wanted to portray. Little Henry and Sandy have magically transformed into the polar opposite of what you initially wanted.

So what are the right names for your characters?

That is something only you yourself can answer. You know your mental pictures, you know your plot and your scenery and ultimately you know how you want it to end.
For my main protagonists, I tend to pick less popular names that would stick in my readers' minds. In Beneath the Door (uh oh, plug time!) - I chose Terin - not overly feminine, quite strong and harsh on the tongue, which was exactly what I was aiming for.

Overall, in some aspects names mean so much more to a great story than the plot itself. Next time you want to write an epic three piece trilogy about the adventures of Joe Bloggs and John Smith - think again.

-H x

New Features.

Hey guys!, I have taken the decision to introduce some shiny new things to this little blog of mine in order to showcase my talent and that of others as well.

For an example of what is to come; In an ever-changing industry, new bloggers, writers, poets, ect. Find it increasingly difficult to be able to break into the mass net that is social media.

I want to be able to take those blog/pages belonging to those that really deserve some recognition for their work. Eventually, I want to be able to set up awards for this purpose as well - this totally is going to be my new goal for the new year.

Here is an overview of what you can expect coming up;

1) Sunday Spotlights:- Every Sunday I delve into the depths of social media and find nuggets of literary talent to share with you all. This can range from blogs to personal portfolio websites. If you'd certainly like to appear on one of my spotlights, please let me know.

2) Bucket List - Every book I am going to read or have yet to. Any suggestions of course, would be welcomed and I promise to attempt to read all of them! Published and non published included.

3) Reviews - A page dedicated to reviewing the work of new up and coming authors, which will include; pros, cons and constructive critique.

4) Beneath the Door - An entire page dedicated to my later project. On here you will find my progress, characters bios, possible concept art and of course snippets into some of the chapters as well.

I will continue to ad, alter and update as I go along and improve the usability and readability of this blog. Suggestions are welcome, as are requests, questions, ect.

Until then, stay frosty. (Can I pull this off?)

H x

Never be afraid to use personal experiences!

In fact, this could be one of the best tools that you'll ever use in writing.

But let's back up a second here; firstly, why would you feel the need to Influence your story with your own personal experiences? Why should you, especially when the experience may perhaps daunting and unwelcoming?

Closure and feeling.

There are plenty of pros and cons to this. It's a tricky skill that can either make or break the novel. I put it down to working out exactly what kind of novel that you want to write, firstly. Now close your eyes and imagine that you are the story and you are the protagonist. Maybe you want your story to be told? Put your main character in your position and get them to experience the memory or event. How do they feel? What is their first reaction?

More often than not, it will be your feelings and reactions coming through the words. Having done this before, the last emotion I was expecting to feel was shock. Shock that I were seeing my innermost secret feelings and experiences laid bare in front of me under an alien alias that was my protagonist.
However, in an odd way this is a good opportunity to also connect with your character, to share and through doing so, to heal as well. Your secrets are out, as are your deepest emotions. Now sit back, take a breath and enjoy your freedom.

Influencing your story doesn't have to involve negative experiences however. What about the first time you held your newborn child? The feeling of falling in love for the first time and the sheer anticipation of awkward first dates? There are so many events that can be drawn upon that inspiration is everywhere.

So, the next time you feel the snag of Writers block? Look a little closer to home for inspiration.