Apart from flagging up my already dodgy browsing history, name-chasing for my characters can be somewhat tricky.
Mostly, they introduce themselves, some bumble along with my stories until the end, change their identity halfway through, and thensome more before they finally settle on a name.
Those usually have faces, features, and full-blown personalities long before they pick their names.
And that can be a bit of a struggle. They arepicky, they are fussy, and they take their own sweet time.
Igenerally go with their suggestions, but I also had a few struggles - like the one with Bella.
She introduced herself as "Stella," when we first met. But two chapters into the story, her name didn't sit well with me: Stella on the space station, travelling through the universe (aka The Stars) sounded fatally cheesy - I mean: story-breakingly cheesy. And I couldn't let this happen. We bargained, we bartered, we fought, and we finally agreed on Bella.
Once agreed, she and I got on like a house on fire! (and I think it helped, that Dylan liked her name too.)
I find it easier to work with a character once they have a name - something I can call them by. "That woman," "the blonde," "the young man," or any such vague descriptor is just not very conducive to getting into a character's head.
Mostly, they introduce themselves, some bumble along with my stories until the end, change their identity halfway through, and then
Those usually have faces, features, and full-blown personalities long before they pick their names.
And that can be a bit of a struggle. They are
I
She introduced herself as "Stella," when we first met. But two chapters into the story, her name didn't sit well with me: Stella on the space station, travelling through the universe (aka The Stars) sounded fatally cheesy - I mean: story-
Once agreed, she and I got on like a house on fire! (and I think it helped, that Dylan liked her name too.)
I find it easier to work with a character once they have a name - something I can call them by. "That woman," "the blonde," "the young man," or any such vague descriptor is just not very conducive to getting into a character's head.
Naming a character is a twisted analogy to eating meat: once an animal has a name, it becomes a pet and therefore inedible. Not because it changes its taste, but because we become emotionally attached.
The same goes for me with writing: I need a certain degree of emotional attachment to "write a character." There is no stepping back and observing from the outside. Intimacy is also the reasonwhy I prefer a first-person POV over a third person narrative: It is closer, more insightful, and it reveals more of a character's true personality.
Getting into your character's head is also a balancing act: get too close, and you can never let them "do their thing" for fear of losing them; keep them at a distance and you will never truly understand what makes them tick - never mind their name!
The same goes for me with writing: I need a certain degree of emotional attachment to "write a character." There is no stepping back and observing from the outside. Intimacy is also the reason
Getting into your character's head is also a balancing act: get too close, and you can never let them "do their thing" for fear of losing them; keep them at a distance and you will never truly understand what makes them tick - never mind their name!
No comments:
Post a Comment