NA M ES “Names have power.” -Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief What's in a name? Plenty. The name you give your character gives the reader an instant impression, even if they don't know what the name really means. For example, w hat do you think of when you hear the following names: Destiny Colt Barack Ruby Hester Sierra Khan Jesus Barbara Magda Aloha Martha Kofi Prudence Lucifer Bilbo Miranda Filippo Jessie Duncan Anjali Peewee Ishmael Ludwig Ngai Dae won Amber Hercules Scarlett Ashley Midori Gabriel Xerxes Ralph Heathcliff Veruca Hannibal Roshanna Ramona Svengali Hans Isabella Lolita Jeeves Pip Ebenezer Rudolph Gump Scout Winnie Grendel Tarzan Scheherazade I bet each of them gave you an immediate impression, even if you can't fully articulate what that impression is. Well, your reader will have one, too. So when you choose a name for your c
FEAR “Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.” ― Ralph Keyes , The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear Fear isn't something we talk about a lot in terms of creative process. But it can keep us from following our dreams for years, even lifetimes. And that's a real shame. Because, at the end of your life, you don't want to have big regrets. Such as: I never wrote that novel I dreamed of. I never published a short story. I never wrote down that children's story. I never followed my dream of writing . I've heard lots of people say some variation of this. You probably have, too. The good news is, it is virtually never too late to follow your dream. Don't believe me? Check out these late bloomers: Grandma Moses began to paint seriously at the age of 78. Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't publish Little House on the Prairie until she was 64. Frank McCourt wa
GRATITUDE Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul . -Henry Ward Beecher Even for the most optimistic among us, it's human nature to sometimes get snagged in the gears of the daily grind, and to forget how much we have to be grateful for. It's easy to find things to complain about as a writer. I can't get published. I can't make a living. Publishing houses don't pay anymore (or do PR). Markets don't pay what they used to. I've got carpal tunnel/neck & back pain/eyestrain. My editor doesn't understand me. My agent expects too much. I'm too tired from (fill in the blank--working a full-time job, parenting, etc.) to write. No one buys "real" books anymore. No one respects my writing time. No one reads anymore. And sometimes, that angst is the same well from which our creativity springs, so, even if we could eliminate these feelings entirely, it wouldn't necessarily help us be bet
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