I'm holding a CONTEST until July 18th, 2008 - Just because.
If you leave me a comment on my blog OR my website (www.shadaroyce.com) you'll be entered to win a Barnes and Noble gift card!
Thanks for playing!
Shada Royce
Thursday, July 10, 2008
What's In A Name
What's in a name? My name, Shada, means Pelican in American Indian (Cherokee I believe), and if you've ever seen my chicken legs - you'd say I was true to my name sake.
So I thought this week I'd talk about character names. Personally, as a writer, I think character names are one of the biggest hurdles for a writer, and therefore, one of the most important.
In my story "Always Tomorrow", my hero's name is Gavin Saxton - a very British, Victorian sounding name to my ears. I even had someone from the UK email me, lettling me know HIS name was Gavin Saxton. Anyways, I had one reader complain about the name - calling it soft. Now I must admit, the character names for "Always Tomorrow" just came to me on a whim. As with most stories they hit me like a bolt of lightening. But after I wrote the story, I decided I wanted to know what Gavin meant and what his leading ladies name, Sara, meant.
Gavin meant "White Hawk" and Sara means "Princess" - ok, so you can draw SOME conclusions into each of their characters.
But then my "Divine Sister's Trilogy: The Maiden of Life", the heroines name is Eve. This name again came to me on a whime, as well as her physical characteristis, notably her white-blonde hair. Surprisingly, the name Eve means "Life Giving" - so how perfect of a name for the Maiden of Life - protector of life from the mood swings of Mother Earth.
My "Cowboy's Aren't For Loving", the heroine's name is Mallory. The story is about a woman who looses her fiance, looses her biggest client, looses her job and moves to Nashville with her sister to start a new life. Well, Mallory means "Ill-fated luck" - imagaine that - LOL.
In my latest story "Natural Treasure", I struggled with my heroines name. She's of American Indian heritage, she a well-respected archeologist intent on protecting her heritage, and her father was a geologist/archeologist. So I wanted a name a hippie, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of father would name his child. After a few days and 20 names, it hit me. Jade. The perfect name for her. The hero - his name flashed to me on the drive to the dratted day job: Bryce Sterling.
So yeah, what is in a name. Do you think character names can make or break a novel? And what are your most memorable character names and why?
Come on - let me hear your feedback!
Thanks for reading -
Shada Royce
So I thought this week I'd talk about character names. Personally, as a writer, I think character names are one of the biggest hurdles for a writer, and therefore, one of the most important.
In my story "Always Tomorrow", my hero's name is Gavin Saxton - a very British, Victorian sounding name to my ears. I even had someone from the UK email me, lettling me know HIS name was Gavin Saxton. Anyways, I had one reader complain about the name - calling it soft. Now I must admit, the character names for "Always Tomorrow" just came to me on a whim. As with most stories they hit me like a bolt of lightening. But after I wrote the story, I decided I wanted to know what Gavin meant and what his leading ladies name, Sara, meant.
Gavin meant "White Hawk" and Sara means "Princess" - ok, so you can draw SOME conclusions into each of their characters.
But then my "Divine Sister's Trilogy: The Maiden of Life", the heroines name is Eve. This name again came to me on a whime, as well as her physical characteristis, notably her white-blonde hair. Surprisingly, the name Eve means "Life Giving" - so how perfect of a name for the Maiden of Life - protector of life from the mood swings of Mother Earth.
My "Cowboy's Aren't For Loving", the heroine's name is Mallory. The story is about a woman who looses her fiance, looses her biggest client, looses her job and moves to Nashville with her sister to start a new life. Well, Mallory means "Ill-fated luck" - imagaine that - LOL.
In my latest story "Natural Treasure", I struggled with my heroines name. She's of American Indian heritage, she a well-respected archeologist intent on protecting her heritage, and her father was a geologist/archeologist. So I wanted a name a hippie, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of father would name his child. After a few days and 20 names, it hit me. Jade. The perfect name for her. The hero - his name flashed to me on the drive to the dratted day job: Bryce Sterling.
So yeah, what is in a name. Do you think character names can make or break a novel? And what are your most memorable character names and why?
Come on - let me hear your feedback!
Thanks for reading -
Shada Royce
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
