Ask any writer what the hardest part of writing is, and I’m sure you’ll hear things like “getting started,” “writing blurbs,” “editing,” etc. I struggle with two parts more than anything else; choosing names for my characters and writing movement.
We all have names that make us cringe because it reminds us of someone we once knew that we didn’t like very well. It’s odd, but I’ve only met one or two “Gary’s” that I’ve liked. I also think certain names sound sexier than others. For example, “Dixon” sounds way sexier than “Wayne.” I mean no offense to anyone named Wayne, but that name creates an image in my head, and it’s not one of a sexy man. There are different images for a male character named Dixon and a female character named Dixon.
I spend more time than I should searching for the right name, but it has to be a perfect match for my character, or it trips me up as I write the story.
The other hard part, for me, is movement. I’m talking about how I write the character’s body movement. I have written many scenes without any movement from the character; no facial movement, no hand gestures, no changing stances, NOTHING. How many people do you know that are capable of no movement? Along with movement is, the making sure that I place everything in the room that will be needed for the scene. For example, if one character shoots another one, I better sure as hell put a gun somewhere in the setting before it’s used. Although, writing paranormal and fantasy stories does give me a little leeway. My character can always conjure a gun out of the air, but if that is going to happen, I need to make sure I’ve set up the groundwork for my character to be able to conjure it.
When I started writing Magical Midlife Margaritas, I knew Lucifer’s sister would be named Lucille after my maternal grandmother. I did not like her. She didn’t like me. Despite that, I learned a lot from her. It was more about what not to do, though, but she had a rough life and lived when women did not take control of their destinies. I think she’d be a different person if she had lived in today’s world. So I created a character named Lucille who could be the woman I think my grandmother would be if times were different.
Choosing a name for my oldest was easy. We chose Miranda after Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, and the movie Chances Are. But it was a lot harder to name my second child, and the names had to be perfect.
Speaking of names, I need to get back to the writing cave.
Be a luver,
Terri
