On Tuesday, I began a series of blogs that will run through how I take an idea and make it into a story. This is my process and it might not work for everyone. It might not even work for me on my next project. The one thing that I've learned is that my process will (and has) changed over the years. Sometimes drastically.
Names: Sunday Feb 26, 2012
People who've followed my blog for a while know my characters pick their own names. I never get a choice, and if I don't like it, they still get their way. I had one hero a few years ago tell me his name and when I tried to encourage him to choose another, he said, Just use this one until we pick a different one. The next thing you know, the name stuck. His heroine's name is the one and only time they've allowed me to pick. It was torturous and I quickly regretted ever complaining about the name thing.
These two taught me my lesson. Now when I don't like it, I just grimace and go Really? Then I say, okay, whatever.
The name for the hero in the new idea showed up in my head with little fanfare. No announcements. No hints. I suddenly just knew. Ivar. I wasn't even sure it was a real name. And yes, I did grimace. Ivar? Really? Whatever. I looked it up and lo and behold, it is a real name. He was adamant on the spelling from the beginning. I argued because the spelling Ivor made more sense for his nationality, but of course, he won.
The heroine's name came a few hours later. Phoenix. I grimaced again because this is on the trendy side. I did another Really? Wouldn't you rather have a different name? They're very stubborn. So I have a hero with a name I don't like and a heroine with a name that's too trendy for my tastes. Okay. Whatever.
