Onomasiology (Ah-no-may-see-ology)

That's a really fancy word that means nomenclature, or close to it.  I delve into this subject because my characters in my novel do not seem to like the names I give them.  Oh, I finally made them behave.  I now call my female protagonist "Adriana" or "Dree" for short.  The two male protagonists (over which Dree will agonize, pun intended) are called "Jaren" and "Merek" as of this writing.  The two men will both be handsome, charming and brave.  They will look as different as night and day.  Dree's mother is called "Marie" but that is not engraved in stone.  No, I have become expert at the Search and Replace feature of Microsoft Works.

See, Dree's name was originally "Bree" which was short for "Brinna."  Or "Breanna."  But then I read two different books with the heroine's name being very similar to those.  Hence, "Dree."  I admit, it sounds a little too trendy, but, so far, my heroine seems to like it better.  The guys' names are meant to sound a little foreign, maybe even a little otherworldly.  They are, naturally, of a different world.

Many authors that I have looked to for advice say not to have multiple main characters with similar sounding names.  For example:  Dave, Dan, Don and Dennis.  Unless you are trying to be absurd, it gets hard for the reader to keep them separate.  And if you are trying to be absurd, you might as well go with Larry, Darrell and Darrell.

So, if you can believe it, onomasiology is like a science to, well, uh, scientists, I guess.  Of course, they are concerned with the naming of new finds, like a newly discovered fish, or a skeletal bones that reveal another type of dinosaur.  But, for me anyway, the naming of my characters is as important.  At least until I become established.  People like Nora Roberts, Ted Dekker and John Grisham can get away with naming their heroes "Humphrey" or "Eugene."  Or their heroines "Ethel" or "Mabel."  More power to 'em!

For now, I'm sticking with trendy "Dree" and her best friend, a conservative "Amy."  I will probably change Amy's name, though.  Too many real Amy's out there that I don't like.  Maybe, "Elizabeth" or just "Beth."  Hmmm, this will take some thought . . .

When you need a lift . . .

At three weeks post-op for Carpal Tunnel Release surgery, I'm still on lifting restrictions for my right hand.  No more than five pounds.  Now, that's not very much when you think about it.  A full gallon of milk weighs 8.5 pounds.  Even a half gallon would be close.  There's the unknown, like how much does a handful of wet laundry weigh?  And what about other stressors, like how much weight is in the tension of pulling open a car door?  What about pushing open doors to a store (some of them are pretty damn heavy)?  There's also torque, like opening that new jar of peanut butter.

So, I see the dr on Thurs and see if the restrictions will be lifted.  I kinda doubt it.  I instinctively pulled, with my right hand, my mom's hand when she started to fall the other day.  The surgery site was sore for 24 hours.  Here's hoping I didn't tear anything!

The Blank Page

There is nothing quite so daunting, at least to me, a new writer, as a blank page.  I have my "road map" which tells me where I want my characters to go, but things keep changing on me.  (Well, I guess I keep changing them, but that would make me responsible for my own actions, and where's the fun that?)  My characters for my novel (a fantasy) keep wanting their names changed.  What sounds perfectly good at the beginning, starts sounding too . . . trendy, or old-fashioned, or over-used.

Of course, it doesn't really matter what names I use now.  I can always do a search and replace later.  But then I'm back with that blank page again.  This time it's the opening.  Now, I have a bunch of scenes that I dashed off as I thought of them, but they need to be put together and fleshed out.  I've gone through ten or 12 openings already.  I'm thinking maybe I'll use "It was a dark and stormy night" just for grins.

Openings, too can be changed later.  Most of the advice from established authors say to just get it down on paper (or in bytes) because you'll go back and edit it several times anyway.  But, see, my OCD wants it done right the first time.  Or the second.  Or the third.  Anyway, you get the idea.

Yeah, I'm just making excuses.  You knew that already, though.  Okee dokee, I'm going to go to my manuscript and use the dragon-sighting as the opener.  Or maybe a unicorn.  Hmm, then again, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned vampire.  On the other hand, maybe a pack (herd? group?) of goblins . . .

Hands Off

I thought I'd share some pithy thoughts on books:
"There are some friends you don't meet for twenty years and when you meet them again it's as if no twenty years has happened - you're lucky when that happens. I feel the same about books."  Norman MacCaig.

cats and writing:

"As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not."  Carl Van Vechten