If you are an author, whether you are experienced or not, sometimes talking to someone you trust (implicitly) about your story ideas can help you tremendously. I know that’s very simple advice, and maybe you already knew that. But it’s a good reminder. I never would have come up with the story I did for my first book had I not confided in my creative writing professor. Sometimes we need that nudge. So, if you are on the fence about a piece of writing you are working on, hash it out with a trusted friend.
Tag: Write
Character Names
How do you choose names for your characters? Do you merely assign them a name without giving much thought to it? Do you use a process? There are quite a few things one can do to assign names to their characters. I’ve used a baby names book. Looking names lists online works too. If your character is of another culture or country whose names are different than those used in your own, some baby names books have lists of common names used in different countries.
In one of my pieces of writing I used characters of 4 real life people. I asked them permission first. Please, if you are ever going to do this, ask that person or persons permission to use them in your book/story. When I was renaming these 4 people for my story, I tried to choose names that fit their personalities. Trust me, this wasn’t as easy as it may have appeared to be. One gentleman helped me with that, so that one was easy enough to put a name to. The other three took some thinking. I got my baby names book out and browsed male names. I thought of each person individually and then tried out a name on them. I went through several before settling on some that worked well and matched each of their personalities. There was only one problem. One of the guys I couldn’t think of a name for. At all. So I, for the time being, left his name alone and used his real name until I could think of one that suited him. FINALLY, after writing 25 chapters, I thought of the perfect name for him. Of course, I had to go back and change his name throughout the manuscript, but it was worth the wait.
Most often you’re not going to use real people. But the same thing still rings true. The people you make up will have personalities and you will have to choose a name that fits that personality. Also, if you are going to assign a name to a character that sounds funny or out of place, you might want to explain why they were given that name by making that part of your story. For example, if you give one of your female characters the name of Spunky Dickson (a funny name for a female anyway), have the character tell why her parents named her that. Maybe the whole story centers around that. Maybe Spunky is a nickname.
Have fun choosing names for your characters. Don’t make it a chore. Work with it and mold it into your story.
Tuned Out by L. M. Montes
Talk is words,
nothingness pushed forth,
ears hear sound,
but words not profound.
A rain so dull,
no growth it brings
from what you are saying
as I sit and start praying.
Joy I could feel,
if all remained quiet,
but droning of sound
continued as underground.
A hand pushed up,
your words to stop,
and silence ensued
as your words ran askew.
Moody Weather by L. M. Montes
Eyes sagged in droop
when rain tapped the roof,
the sun is high up in the sky
and covered by clouds loop.
My happy mood had parted
when from the clouds rain darted,
Sun’s arms though breached as they reached
and now gray skies departed.
Wielding Words
Your pen (or keyboard) is your sword, and the words are the blood that’s shed as a result of wielding your words onto the page. Words have impact. It doesn’t matter what that impact is. Whether they create horror, harshness, love, peace, or fear; they have impact. You are the person in charge of creating that impact. So what kind of thrust to you want to use to create that impact?
You can make something everyday appear abnormal, or you could choose something abnormal or bazaar to appear normal or everyday. It’s all in the words you choose. How you wield your words is up to you. It’s your story, your voice, your personality. Write the words you want to write the way YOU want to write them.
Homeless by L. M. Montes
Pants, hung low,
Gray, dusty, old hair, in a frizz,
Faded drooping, sunken blue eyes,
A frown so downward cast,
Where is my home?
I do not know,
I do not care,
I am so alone.
But do I care?
I do not know,
Here in my cardboard box
I sit in drunken moan.
My tears, stain my face,
People look at me in disgrace.
Sadness, consumes me,
Surrounds me, covers me.
Slowly, I look up,
I see the riches of allies,
The food of homeless kings,
The rot of days gone by,
Dwelling close,
The stench so wry.
What do I do?
I do not know,
I do not care,
I am so alone.
But do I care?
I do not know,
Here in my card board box
My mind, it runs to go.
Persist
Keeping at it is the key. No matter what you are doing, continuing to do that which you are doing is how you eventually reach your goal/dream. The operative word here is eventually. Sometimes achievements can happen quickly. I’m not saying they don’t. It’s just that most often it takes time. It also depends on what you are doing. Writing a book takes time anyway, but it begins to take less time when you do it all the time. The process becomes easier and the creative flow continues. BUT, for writing to get easier and faster, you MUST persist and continue on. No matter what life throws at you, no matter how hard it gets at various times, push through it.
NEVER GIVE UP. I believe in you. Others believe in you. YOU believe in you too.
Summer’s Love by L. M. Montes
With lilt a breeze gives me a jilt,
and on my cheek it plants,
scents of lavender caress,
floating aloft a flowerbed.
A Summer Dream by L. M. Montes
The emerald blades of grass
Glisten softly in the sun,
With a color wheel of wild flowers
Dancing in the wind.
Ice blue skies with feathers of clouds
Gently floating by.
The sand creates a blanket,
That lies wrinkled under me,
While the sound of sleepy waves
Cradle me to slumber.
Angels in the Mist by L. M. Montes
Your love is my strength,
It gives me warmth,
When I touch you,
Your love sings to me.
When I close my eyes,
You are there,
When I dream of you,
Your presence fills my heart.
But now you are gone,
The Lord has taken you away,
Your spirit and your love,
Are angels in the mist.
Long ago you stepped into my world,
You fed my mind,
And held me tight,
Throughout our years of gold.
So when the wind blows,
Your love floats back to me,
I cherish all you are,
Like flowers in the Spring.
