What's Your Name Again?

Good evening, reader! It's Moon. Today's topic is going to be on naming your characters, but first let me start with the weekly Word of the Day (which I guess should be the "Word of the Week," huh?) This one is thaumaturgy, which is a noun referring to the performance of miracles, usually magic. (This makes me think of Harry Potter, tee hee. <3) It comes from a Greek word meaning "miracle working." There's also "thaumaturge" and "thaumaturgist," (nouns, meaning a both of which mean "a performer of miracles" or "a magician," ) and the adjective "thaumaturgic," (meaning "performing miracles" or "of, relating to, or dependent on thaumaturgy." Like most writers I know, I always want my characters to be detailed and 3-D. Sometimes I went on a baby naming site and looked up meanings to certain names. Though, then I realized that people in real life usually don't match their name, and that it's more important to be time-appropriate than personality-appropriate. After all, the parents didn't know what you would be like when they had you. I mean, "Penelope" is Greek and means "With a web over her face." That means nothing to me. Here are the main things to keep in mind when naming your characters (keep in mind that I embarrassed myself by breaking all of these to help share with you what I've learned):

1. Cultural and story context: A name usually reflects the culture and life of the character, sometimes the genre of the book as well. Aeon Daggercult would be great for a fantasy novel, but not for realistic fiction. People in the 1800s named their kids Martha and Hulda, but you wouldn't see someone with those names in present day. If a character has a Native American background that goes to a high school in New Jersey, his name won't be "Misty Rain" or "Big Bear." They've assimilated. His name might be John. His last name could be an Americanized last name too, but it could also be something from his culture.

* Just a quick note: If you're naming your character from another culture, be sure to do your research. Just because a name sounds like fun doesn't mean you should just name your character that off the bat. Look it up. It could be a boy's name instead of a girl's name. It could mean something completely offensive (You wouldn't name your kid Ass would you?) and the character wouldn't be taken seriously in his culture.

2. Keep the names to a minimum: I know some people have two middle names or five names, but just leave your characters alone. Even if you have a fantasy novel, your reader will just get confused or overwhelmed or just not take the character seriously if her name is "Misty Jessica Clefairy Winefred Humbleton." Not gonna happen. Keep it to two or three names, unless you really feel it's necessary to expand. And keep nicknames to a minimum too: you don't want to confuse your reader. If your character's name is Joseph, keep it to Joe or Joey (but if you have a more creative nickname, use that one, but don't use ALL of them).

3. Avoid stereotypes: This one should be obvious, guys. Seriously. If you have a story based around stellar, celestial things, please don't name your character Luna Moon. Please, I beg of you. You'll get laughed at. I, personally, will laugh at you. You don't want that; I have a very loud, obnoxious laugh.

4. Keep pronunciation in mind: So you don't want a bland name, that's fine. We all want names that our readers will remember and associate with our characters. However, out of desperation, don't name your character Fwejfoievnujsri, because even though that LOOKS awesome on the page of your fantasy/sci-fi novel, your reader will rip out the page in their anger and damn their tongues for all eternity.

5. Don't freak out: In all seriousness, a name is a name. If your character has an awesome, perfect name and a terrible, 2-D personality, you're character will still be unsatisfactory. Name, although important, shouldn't be at the top of your list. Work on learning about your character. You may even change his or her name after getting to know the character more. You can even refer to the character as "Girl" or "Boy" or "Awesome Guy" until you find a name you like. It's not the biggest deal in the world.

That's all for today, guys! Have a good night! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at penelopepaige@rocketmail.com. Time to go sharpen that pencil...

Question: How do you go about naming your characters?

Blog Award!

Good evening, followers! I bet you're wondering, What brings this weekly blogger to posting on a Monday? Well I'm glad you asked! Today is a very fun day, because in this post I'm announcing that Intent Forgotten is the winner of a blog award!

I was given the "Creative Writer" Blogger award by a fellow friend and writer, Jenna! Thanks so much! She is the admin of the Quill and Ink Forum that I moderate. Be sure to check it out!



Here are the rules of the Creative Writer Blogger Award

Nominate SEVEN “Creative Writers”
Post links to the SEVEN blogs you nominate.
Leave a comment on said SEVEN blogs to let them know they’ve been nominated.

So here are my outrageous statements! If you pick which one's the truth, you'll be my seventh nominee! Just post which answer you think it is here!

1. I sometimes pass out in the shower due to exhaustion and illness.
2. I hate sharing my school/art supplies. A pencil doesn't cost that much, but I don't let people borrow any of my supplies because I know I'll never get it back.
3. One time, since I kept tripping on ice, I waddled and slid on my stomach across the ice on my driveway, making it safely to school that morning.
4. I hate wearing shoes, so I usually just don't wear them.
5. I'm blue-purple colorblind officially, but I have more trouble with red and green.
6. I have three homemade tattoos. And they're awesome.
7. I've traveled all over the U.S. I've lived in more places than I can count.

Try to figure me out! Just comment on what you think the truth is and I'll make you the seventh nominee if you guess correctly first! I'll edit this post when someone gets the truth right.

And here are the nominees:
1. Hadhafang of Nodes of Ranvier
2. Emily Cross of The Chronicles of Emily Cross
3. Silent Midnight of Close Your Eyes; You're Entering the World of Words
4. Anne R. Allen of Anne R. Allen's Blog.
5. Kori of Author In Progress
6. Jess G of Snippets
7. The lucky person to guess my outrageous truth!

That's all for today (I can't spoil you guys)! Be sure to come back next Sunday for more writing goodies!

"Girls Do What They Want, Boys Do What They Can!"

Good afternoon, fellow writers! Just to let you know, the title is a lyric from the song "Girls Do What They Want" by the Maine. Good song.

Before we move on to today's topic, let's begin with the word of the day. This week's is evanescent. I used to love the band, Evanescence, and I finally understand what their name means! Evanescent is an adjective meaning to vanish like vapor. It comes from the Latin verb "evanescere," which means "to evaporate" or "to vanish." Exciting, isn't it?

This week's topic is, not the writers, but the readers. I was reading something online awhile back about boys' and girls' preferences on what they want in a novel, the ages ranging around middle grade and early high school.

Here are a few interesting points I've discovered:

- Girls are more active readers than boys
- Girls prefer to read about girl protagonists (but will read about boy protagonists), but boys usually stick to strictly boy protagonists
- Both boys and girls want a character to root for and relate to, yet boys look for sarcastic characters with a sense of humor, while girls prefer a smart, reliable protagonist.
- Girls want a character who has to surpass real life problems, like tough decisions and friendship, but boys want a competitive, funny outlook for their character.
- Girls seem to enjoy stories with more emotional depth and creative solutions to problems, while boys prefer a clear-cut good vs. evil plot. Boys prefer an action-adventure novel, while girls prefer novels relating to real life.

Boys and girls, for the most part, have very different genres and storyline they like to read, so writing for both genders can be difficult. If you want to try to write a unisex novel, try:

- Creating characters they can relate to (ex. a similar age, similar challenges and issues for that age)
- A unique storyline (but whether it's fantasy or realistic fiction, still include experiences the reader can relate to. An adrenaline rush can be achieved by defeating the dragon or doing well in a high school recital.)
- It's easier to get a girl to read about a boy protagonist, but if you really want a girl protagonist for both genders, the girl has to be adventurous and have strong, realistic goals that a boy or girl could have. (A boy best friend can help, too).

That's all for today, faithful readers! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at penelopepaige@rocketmail.com. Time to go sharpen that pencil...

Question: What do you think about writing novels for both genders? Have you ever done it before? Or do you believe that most novels are easily fit for both boys and girls?

Check back tomorrow (Monday? A post? I know!) for a fun announcement. I'll give you a hint: It includes this blog, me, and a shiny award ;)