Picking character names

As much as writing a book seems like a grand idea that requires a major effort to fulfill, it consists of little things, like writing a little every day, until it's finished, and picking out particular details that will make the book one final beautiful organism that hums with life. It seems big to the reader, but it's really comprised of carefully chosen tiny things. And one of those tiny things are character names. They don't seem important at first, and yet, in a well written book, character names match the story, tell the story, and leave memories in the reader's head long after the book has been finished. Take, for example, the name Harry Potter. It's a household name now, right? There is hardly anyone on this planet, and I mean, planet, who doesn't know who it is. So what makes it so memorable, apart from the fact that Harry Potter series sold like hot cakes all over the world? Well, let's examine it, shall we? Because I'm as curious as you are, having battled this whole naming process in the past year and having developed my own idea about how to do it (and it's not far away from branding which I did for work before I quit my career).

Each name has to be easily spelled and spoken out loud. You may contradict me here, and rightfully so, because there are countless examples of big famous authors doing the exact opposite, but what I learned from being a foreigner and writing in English is that ease of pronunciation rules. Ideally, the first name has to be easily spelled, and the last name has to be, or sound, like a proper English noun (for the sake of this post, we will be talking only English language here). There are two kinds of these names, the actual names that exist in the real world, and made-up names. Let's take a look at actual names. Try saying these out loud and see how they roll off your tongue: Harry Potter, Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, Scarlett O'Hara, Bilbo Baggins, Peter Pan, Yuri Zhivago, Jane Eyre, Lisbeth Salander, Roland Deschain. Do I need to go on? Do you see the commonality between them? They all ring loud and clear, and, for the most part, they are easy to spell. Now, a made-up name has to follow the same rule, it has to sound like a proper English noun, even if it isn't. Take a look at these names: Tarzan, Pip, Tintin, Gandalf, Hamlet, Lolita, Aslan, Dumbledore, Dracula, Haroun, Coraline. I can keep going, but you see how they are all drawing attention to themselves when spoken. I have, perhaps, made a mistake by naming my main character in SIREN SUICIDES Ailen Bright. Many people misspell her name. I went too deep into research. Ailen is a boy's name, it means handsome in Gaelic, and Ailen's father picked out this name because he wanted a boy. I liked how it was close to the word "alien", because this is who she is as a character. In ROSEHEAD, however, I named my main character Lilith Bloom, because it was simple, it was the first thing that came into my head, and it was about flowers, about blooming out of childhood into adulthood, which brings me to my second point.

Pick the first name that comes to mind, literally. This I learned after realizing that whatever my subconscious is telling me is always right, it already knows. I learned to turn off my brain and listen to it, because as a writer I have to stay true to myself, and for that I have to dig deep. There are certain emotional connections that formed in my mind at one or another time in my life, and it's important I tap into them, to make my story ring true. In this sense, use the names that pop into your head, even if they seem outrageously simple. Therein lies their strength. Lilith was a name that perhaps got lodged in my brain after reading something somewhere, or maybe it was because I liked lily flowers, but something about Lilith sounded softer to me than Lily, and I decided to use it. Bloom was a very simple choice because almost the entire story of ROSEHEAD happens in a rose garden, so it just fit. I also like to use names that hint at the appearance of a character, as do many other writers. For example, Lilith's faithful talking pet whippet Panther has been named that because he is sort of a cat in a dog's body, and because he is black and lithe like a panther, and because he is trying to seem a bit bigger than he is. Ed Vogel, Lilith's friend, has been named Ed for the sake of simplicity (but I will never name another character Ed, because when I search my document for "Ed" to make edits, it gave me every single verb ending in "ed"). Vogel means bird in German. Ed looks a bit like a bird, and that's why his last name is Vogel. Because I just got done reading Harry Potter series, the names are still fresh in mind, see how J.K. Rowling does it: Sirius Black, Fenrir Greyback, Olympe Maxime, Alastor Moody. George R. R. Martin likes to do it too: Eddard Stark,  Jon Snow, Davis Seaworth, Asha Greyjoy, which actually brings me to my third point.  

Don't try to invent unique character names, stay true to yourself. Whenever you lie as a writer, the reader will sense it. It goes for everything, even inventing character names. If you go out of your skin and invent something crazy that sounds cool, but you yourself are having trouble spelling while writing, don't use it. Drop it. Rather pick something that feels comfortable, that makes sense to you. Because if it makes sense to you, it will make sense to your reader. You can go as simple as Alice in Alice in Wonderland, or The Cat in the Hat, or James Bond; or you can go as far as Cthulhu. Whatever rings true to you will ring true to your reader. If you happened to have an affinity for a strange name that is complex because it's taken from a different language, so be it, just make sure you let your readers know how to pronounce it correctly. If, however, you absolutely have to invent a name because you're writing fantasy or maybe sci-fi and it's a character from another planet, I suggest you read a book that is far away from all other books any writer has ever suggested to you. It will take you only 2 hours to read it. It's called ZAG and it's a book on branding. Once you read it, you will be able to apply those lessons to creating character names properly, because the logic is the same. Where businesses create markets, writers create worlds. Both have to live in people's minds to take root there and blossom, and I find it that books that are less wordy on the subject are the best ones to follow. At least it's the book that was my branding Bible before Stephen King's ON WRITING replaced it as my writerly Bible. 

Now that I'm writing this post, I realize that I have barely scratched the surface on this topic. It turns out, there is a lot more and I can't cram it all here, like why writers use names starting from same letters like Bilbo Baggins or Humbert Humbert (and how about double names?) or how to pick first names in a family of characters, or how to pick nicknames or names for pets or monsters or... Oy. Please, feel free to chime in. Remember, I've only been writing full time for the past year, so what do I know? I'm sure I missed a bunch of things.

Starting to write a novel is EASY

Photo by Karrah Kobus

This is actually a very timely blog post for me, as I'm starting to write ROSEHEAD, my 2nd novel, on Monday. But it was one of my Twitter followers, Olly Cromack, who asked me to blog about this. Blog about how does one start writing a novel. And I, of course, oblige. I know you're probably expecting an extensive list of things and to-dos that will prepare you for such an arduous task as writing a novel. On the contrary. There is nothing simpler than starting to write a novel. In fact, it's so easy that anyone can do it. What, you don't believe me? Well, before you will turn your back and saunter off, all hurt, let me demonstrate to you how simple it is, if only one knows where to look.

Start from the deepest pain you harbor. That's it. This is the key to you starting, the key to selecting that 1 idea out of 20 whirling about in your head, that true inspiration that you've been searching for. It's there, in the darkest corner of your psyche, hidden and covered and tucked away, lest it tries to disturb your daily equilibrium. Because to write a novel, this is precisely what you need to do to yourself. To rock your boat. To dig deep where you didn't dare looking for years, maybe even decades, to find that one thing that maybe you haven't told anyone about, not even your best friend. That is the hard part. That is why, once you find it, it's easy. Once you puncture it, it will flow, no, it will gush out, it will spill so fast that you won't be able to type fast enough, because it's pain you always wanted to talk about and couldn't. Well, presto. Now you can! Because in your novel you can exaggerate it all you want, you can speak up through your characters, you can show what it's like, and it will be all disguised as fiction, but the source of your story will be a very real emotion, so it will ring true to you reader. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to go there? Because, as easy as it will be writing it all down, it's extremely painful to cut a hole in your soul. It will hurt. This is the hardest part.

Write the first thing that comes to mind. Literally, once you decided that you want to talk about your pain, once you touched those forgotten feelings, you will feel a jolt, and an image or two will pop into your head, I can guarantee you this. Quickly, grab a pen or your laptop and start typing away, describing in detail what you see. Don't worry about grammar, or story structure, or plot, or characters, nothing of the sort. Just write what you see with your inner eye. Here the key is to never stop, until you're done with 1st draft. Not even pause. Of course, it's impossible, you have to sleep and eat and go to work (if you don't write full time). I mean, don't pause for longer than a day or two. Before you start writing your novel, make sure you have a place dedicated to your writing and time set aside, something that you can maintain for months, maybe even for a year, because this is how long it will take you. I personally rely on a very rigid schedule. I don't know how you decide to do it, but you simply can't be interrupted when you're writing down your 1st draft. You can't look back or rewrite what you've written the day before. Because as soon as you slow down, doubt will settle in. The longer you wait, the worse it gets, until your drive will be lost. It's very fragile. It took me 6 weeks to bang out 1st draft of Siren Suicides. if I can do it, you can do it. 

Abandon everything you learned and go crazy. This is again one of those things that stops many beginning writers to write a novel. They want to learn how to do it, before attempting it. They study books, go to courses, dabble in short stories, to test the waters. Wrong. It's not how you learn. You learn by doing. And you learn by having fun. Meaning, you don't worry about what will come out in the end, you go crazy and write down things that make no sense but feel right. The worst thing you can do is think that your 1st draft will look like a finished book. Nope, it won't. It will look like shit, and it's okay. It should look like shit, it's the purpose of 1st drafts. So this is why you have to go crazy, because if you won't be afraid of how it will look in the end, you will be able to access those layers of your memory that you wouldn't be able to otherwise, without cutting loose. Pretend you're five and are learning how to bike. Pretend you have no idea how to do it, you take off, and for a few seconds of balance, you have this fool's bliss, unaware that soon you will fall, and cry, and your knees will be bloody. Starting on your novel is like that, like those first few seconds of complete exhilaration, without fear or doubt. It's the only way to sail through it without getting stuck in writers block. Don't worry, you will cut out the crazy parts in later drafts, but for now it's the liberty to be nuts that will keep you going.

Read your most favorite books. Many people told me in the past that they don't like reading while writing their novels, just so that they won't be influenced by another writer's style. This is a strange idea. Reading will fuel your writing. So I suggest you read books that leave you in awe. Read your absolute favorites, read your favorite authors. When you start writing your first novel, it's not the time to discover someone new, it's the time to rely on old and trusted fun. I will be doing it too, by the way. I'm starting to write ROSEHEAD on Monday, and on Monday I'm starting to reread the entire Harry Potter series. Because I loved the books when they came out, and I am dying to dive into potterland non-stop and see what it does to me. I know what. It will inspire me to keep moving forward. It will inspire you too. I bet you have a bunch of those books that made you catch your breath and exclaim, "I want to write a story like that!" Yeah, read those. You will see what I mean.

This is really all there is to it. Look for your deepest pain. Drag it out from your subconscious to your conscious. Quickly write down what you see. Don't stop writing until your entire 1st draft is done. Write the first things that come to mind, without any structure, simply because they come to you. Go crazy. Oh, and don't forget to create for yourself a writing cave, both place and time, where you can go into your inner world, where it can thrive. Don't start on your novel unless you have that established, because otherwise you will be at the risk of being interrupted and you'll will never finish. Now, why are you still reading this? Shoo! Go! Start! I know your novel is aching to get out. It told me.

Your story is right THE FIRST TIME

Photo by Brooke Shaden

This might sound like a paradox and a far fetched idea, considering common knowledge about the amount of rewrites every author has to go through to make final novel readable. Until last week, I was under the impression that true story comes out in rewrites. I felt like I have a vague idea where I'm going and that vague idea is improving with every Draft. What happened last week threw me off and made me rethink this. I started noticing that in Draft 5 I'd edit a sentence, then write a new one, and then discover that the new sentence is EXACTLY the same one I have written before, in earlier versions, as early as Draft 1. That felt trippy. It also felt like I came full circle, back to the original points that I've lost or dismissed in Draft 2 out of fear, in Draft 3 out of an urge to cut everything I could cut, and in Draft 4 out of perfection. Here is what I think this means.

Your subconscious knows better. The very first time you sit down to start writing, the first time you type up that sentence that starts your new novel, in Draft 1, it usually comes from a scene in your head that persistently wanted to get out. Before you get scared, before any thinking happens, it's pure emotion. And it's always right, it's why you want to write it down and share it with the world. But somewhere along the process all of our doubts start shadowing it, putting it in the corner, and then make us lose it completely. I think maybe that's the cause for writer's block - when we feel like the story is lost, that's when we don't know what to write about. This is just a theory, so feel free to disagree with me in the comments, but it feels right at this moment. Moreover, all of a sudden what Stephen King said in his On Writing made sense. He said that a story is like a fossil found underground, and all you do as a writer is gradually uncover it. So that first sentence, or those sentences that I would write again and again are points of anchor for my story that were always there, I just managed to lose them and find them again in the process.

Your story is a small thing, with big details around it. This is something that I have read about Fight Club and how Chuck Palahniuk, one of my favorite authors, came up with the idea. It started out as a short 7-page story published in the compilation Pursuit of Happiness, and only later it became Chapter 6 in the completed novel. The idea came to him after returning from a camping trip all bruised and being astounded as to why none of his coworkers asked him what happened. They all avoided it. Bingo. Remember what Chapter 6 is about? It's about the main character's boss not letting him to present at work because he's got a black eye. That's exactly what Chuck experienced when he showed up at work bruised. Emotion is the same, but scenario is very different. I've noticed the same stuff happen in my writing. Beginning of my Chapter 7 is the same as the very first idea I jotted down for my story way back in 2008. It repeated itself again in another attempt in 2010, then in Draft 1 it migrated to Chapter 4, and now finally it's back in Chapter 7 of Draft 5. How I didn't see this before, I don't know. I can only attribute my blindness to the fact that I'm writing a novel for the first time and am, of course, doubting EVERYTHING about it.

Your story is an emotional being. Every story is really a few characters being thrown into a situation and then dealing with it. Everything about it is emotional, because if it's not emotional, if it's pure facts, why read it? We read newspapers for facts. We read stories for drama. And, like every emotion, the first time we feel it, it's right. Before our brain kicks in and starts trying to make sense of it. So, no matter how crazy your first attempt sounds, it's the right one. Consider this. I don't know if you read Malcolm Gladwell, I do and love every single book of his. In particular, Blink. There he narrates a story of museum specialists who were called upon to identify an ancient statue, to confirm its authenticity. Every single one of them had an iffy feeling for the first few seconds they saw it, but then when they proceeded according to their established process, everything seemed to be legit. Needless to say, the statue was a fake, sorry to spoil it for you. Read the book for yourself, it's awesome. The point I'm trying to make is, all of those people FELT something before their brain kicked in. Evolutionary, we have been wired to feel and trust our intuition, to survive, to detect things and act quickly. Somehow along with being civilized, we lost this hunter-like ability and don't trust our gut as much anymore, yet we should. I think that's why the first time you write your story down, it's right. But it's hard to believe this, of course.

Having said all of this, I still wonder where this idea will take me. I suppose I'll see unravel in my second novel, trusting myself more second time around. But somehow in my gut I knew my story was right from that first moment I jotted down the first line. Then for 4 years I proceeded doubting myself to finally return back to it full circle. Fascinating. Did any of you have similar experiences? I'd love to hear in the comments. Please, please, please, with a cherry on top! So I know I'm not insane. 

Let your novel thrive in SCHEDULE, NUMBERS, AND ROUTINE

Once in a while I'm being asked about my routine, my schedule, my daily tasks or to-do's or however you want to call those pesky little things that are supposed to propel your writing forward. To answer you and to attempt to root you in the same belief, here goes: WITHOUT ROUTINE I'M NOTHING. For the longest time I was ashamed of being such a routine-freak and was trying to hide this fact from people. I would admire folks who said the stroke of genius hit them in the kitchen, they dropped everything and wrote a masterpiece in a flash. Not me. I have to lock myself in my room every day to produce anything at all. But, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this fascinating Haruki Murakami interview, and realized that he's the same way as I am! So I stopped being afraid and started to believe that it's the only way to succeed. 

Maintain a rigid schedule. There are endless interruptions every day that will attempt to pull you away from writing. I don't know about you, but for me, unless I have specific hours assigned to my writing, I won't do it. Twitter will distract me, or kids, or something else. My schedule is usually very close to this (it varies from day to day within a 30 minute margin):

8-10am - social media; 10am-2pm - writing; 2-3pm - social media; 3-5pm - reading; 5-9pm - home stuff; 9-12am - blogging; 12-7am - SLEEP.

Any time something happens that kicks me out of this routine, it causes me to feel disoriented, which is a weakness in adhering to a schedule, but I also found that schedule creates a certain environment for me to keep my story alive. It has boundaries, it can't escape, it has no other choice but to grow up and mature, like a child that is testing the limits yet feels safe because there are some to begin with. And you heard it before from other writers: turn down the noise, minimize distractions, WRITE. I know not all of us are fortunate to write full time. If you can't, then set 1 hour in the morning or 1 hour in the evening to write. And, before you know it, it will start to flow.

Set specific number goals. I know writers hate math. I hate math. But there is magic in numbers, and I found that watching them grow helps me maintain the pace. I won't let myself out of the room unless I either - write for 4 hours straight OR produce at least 2,000 words (picked this up from Stephen King's On Writing). I keep daily word count and post it for everyone to see on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. People keep asking me, why? Are you trying to make me jealous of your word count? No. That's not why I do it. I do it because other people make me accountable. If I don't post numbers for one day, they will ask me - hey, how about those 2,000 words today? What happened? This makes me move forward. Another plus in sticking to numbers is it takes away anxiety. Suddenly, instead of thinking about writing a whole novel, all you have to do is write 2,000 words a day. That's it. It doesn't sound impossible, and after days and days of doing it, one day you'll find yourself being done!

Create a daily writing ritual. This is your routine, your attempt at capturing that elusive creativity and making it flow when YOU tell it to flow, not waiting for it to appear out of thin air. You might call it a crutch, you might laugh at the idea. Don't. It sets you in the mood. Like putting on exercise clothes makes you more likely to go exercise. For me it's 3 very funny things: playing Words With Friends, drinking coffee, and blasting very loud music. Once I'm done with my social media stuff in the morning, I close down all browser windows, open Pandora and turn it all the way up, cuddle with my phone for a few minutes to play 6 games (yeah, I'm a sucker for words) and then pour myself a huge cup of coffee. This helps me overcome the fear of starting, which sometimes can last up to 30 minutes. Oh, I also have Skype open so that if I feel absolutely awful, my boyfriend can virtually hold my hand and tell me I'm ok. After that, I'm good to start. Make up your own ritual, and you will feel an itch to write every day, because ritual creates comfort.

That's it, the rest is gravy. Well, it isn't, it's still a lot of tears and blood spilled on paper, but it makes it that much easier. Share your approach? What do you do to make your writing flow? Does routine help? 

Forget The Internets. Research your book IN REAL LIFE.

Photo by Benni Pause

While biking this weekend to a funeral home, of all places, I caught myself on a thought that perhaps I'm nuts. Perhaps I should do research for my book like all normal writers do - by Googling, going to a library, reading articles and books on the subject and such. But no, I HAVE to go and see, as if I'm scouting out a movie location (I did write, direct and produce a movie in the past, but that's a whole another story.) So I thought, wait, why do I do that? Why do I go through the trouble of physically going places, submerging myself underwater, stuffing myself in enclosed spaces, running through wilderness in torn jeans, and even dangling upside down? Because. Because it gives me invaluable insight that no Internet research can give. Here is why:

Elements you won't think about. A good book always balances on the description of five senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch. I've got a sticky note on the wall in front of my writing desk to remember. But no matter how meticulously you follow this doctrine, you will leave out elements simply because you didn't even know about their existence. For example, I was writing an escape scene where my character runs through a back-alley. I've mentioned the stink, and the slimy ground, and the dark shadows, the echoing footsteps. I even mentioned the sour taste of air. The next day I went to scout the location. Guess what, it turns out that any back alley is full of pipes. Yes, water pipes or whatever, and they produce this gurgling water noise and steam. Have I not gone, I wold have missed it. Another example - I ran through the woods, not along trails, but deep in the thick of it, and I got covered in spider webs from head to toe. Have I not done it, I wouldn't have even thought there ARE spider webs.

Turn of events you wouldn't imagine. Back to the funeral home. I have a scene where a body is carried into a funeral home for a final goodbye, and some interesting stuff unfolds there. What I didn't know, however, was the fact that bodies can be cremated or chilled ONSITE (yeah, brrrr...) and that funeral homes own properties, namely, cemeteries. You might argue that this is easy stuff and anyone knows that. Except every one of us has had some experiences that are unique and every one of us has missed some experiences that are common to other people. I haven't been to a funeral in US, not once, so I had no idea about the ceremony. I'm sure whatever it is you're writing about, there is something that you are, pardon my language, pulling out of your ass because you've never done it. And that's fine, as long as you manage to make it sound authentic. Sometimes it's only a few sentences, yet they can make a huge difference for the whole story.

Characters you didn't think exist. This is my favorite part. Since my book is about sirens and all things fishy, I went to Seattle's Pike Place market to chit-chat with the fishermen there about catching fish, selling it, things like that. The people I have met were so colorful, I wanted to write several more books based simply on the characters and their speech. It was priceless. Yes, I meet new people every day (that is, when I decide to get out of my writing cave), but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to meet people with whom I'd have nothing in common. Researching my book forced me to talk to fishermen, and the result was so rich, I got hooked on the idea and now do this all the time. Talking to a Funeral Home director took close to half an hour, and I swear I will write him into a book at some point, somewhere, too good to let go.

Energy you didn't think you have. If you're like me, a hermit who doesn't go out much while writing, GETTING OUT GIVES YOU NEW ENERGY! Yeah, I know parties in general are boring, but if you go out with a clear goal of doing research for your book, suddenly a party can be fun for 6 hours straight. I lived through my Thanksgiving dinner like that - it was pure research, hence I was in on the secret while everybody else wasn't, and I was having a blast! I know it like sounds elementary-school humor, yet it's true. I can walk around an empty parking lot with a gleeful smile on my face and to nervous glances of passersby because in my head it's not a parking lot, it's a magical place, and they don't know it! I imagine Stephen King did the same when he conjured up The Dark Tower series, remember the scene with the rose in the vacant lot? Well, if you read it, you'll know what I mean. The perk is, upon returning home, your energy doubles, and that's a great thing. 

It's fun. Again, for the first time in my life I'm doing something for fun. Writing is pure fun to me and I've been denying myself this activity for 20+ years, because what respectable citizen would waste her time on fun?!? I believed I needed to hold a job like everyone else, and I was miserable. Writing is so much fun, and researching for writing is the best fun ever. It's akin to creating a living breathing magical world in your head while nobody has a clue. If that's not fun, than I don't know what is.

There. I think those are my major points about the benefits of researching your book IN REAL LIFE. What do you think? Agree? Disagree?