All Blog Posts Tagged 'names' (7)

Seeing Double. And Yogurt

I'm not really twice as wordy as usual. I'm getting double postings, and I don't know why. I notice some others are too, and Daniel says it will go away soon. I try to delete one if I catch it. Today's challenge: explain where the ridiculous names used in ads come from. What scientist, in lab coat and black-framed eyeglasses, proclaimed: "We've found a new yogurt culture, and we're going to call it bifidus regularis!" Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 23, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Names Again

How do you choose names for your characters? It often bothers me when two characters in a novel have names that are too similar, and I try not to do that in my own work. I also try to use interesting names, or at least names that interest me. I can't make myself do the name-symbolism thing, like "Brick" or "Steel" for the alpha male character. I suppose my choices are limited somewhat by my upbringing, which is among mostly white, mostly European descendants. Lots of German, Irish, Polish, and… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 14, 2009 at 8:32pm — 9 Comments

What's in a Name?

Two perspectives here: my own and some recent experiences. First, mine. For some reason I don't understand, I often am called Pat (shades of old SNL skits!) If often happened in my years of teaching, not surprising since there was another teacher of similar build, coloring, glasses, and height who is named Pat. So Pat was called Peg and I was called Pat, and we laughed about it. But since I became Peg the Author, I still run into people who call me Pat, and they didn't even know that other per… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 11, 2009 at 10:23pm — 5 Comments

More on Names

Okay, I know I'm being a little picky, but in the book I started yesterday, the author uses his protag's name at least twice in each paragraph. It makes me wonder how many people read for him, because somebody should have said, "Do a word search and eliminate about two-thirds of those instances. That's what pronouns are for." I think this is a great example of what reading aloud does for an author. If he'd heard even a page or two, all those "Jill" repetitions would have become apparent. As a r… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 11, 2009 at 9:26pm — 3 Comments

Naming Names

It appears that there are names that work in fiction and names that don't. I once had a manuscript rejected because the reader didn't like the first name I'd chosen for my protagonist. I guess it wasn't normal enough. Readers need a name they can identify with...and pronounce. We're all aware that in romance the men tend to have names like "Stone" and "Hardin," almost laughably symbolic. I've mentioned here the contention by certain writers at a conference that success in thrillers comes from gi… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 9, 2009 at 9:17pm — 8 Comments

Inventing Words

Poe did it. Shakespeare did, too, and we let them. Now it's rappers, techies and teenagers who are on the cutting edge. They invent terms or use them in new ways and the rest of us pick it up, trying to be cool even though we're way past junior high. I've learned to say "He texted me" but he'd better not, because I'd have no idea what to do if he did. We need some new words that no one is working on, though. As a writer, I find phrases that are outdated, but there isn't a good replacement term… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 19, 2008 at 10:16pm — No Comments

The burden of unique names

There's a trend that's been pissing me off no end and inspired by this article I thought I'd get if off my chest. I work in a community health centre and among the services we provide is Maternal Child Health. As parents come in to see the nurse, I tick off their name that they have arrived and as result I get to see the new trend of giving children a 'unique' name. In most instances this involves giving the child a tradition… Continue

Added by Amra Pajalic on March 14, 2008 at 6:37pm — 5 Comments