I like long hair. I have long hair and refuse to get it cut because I love it so much. On a woman I also love long hair. There's nothing nicer than a beautiful face framed by lovely long hair.
Hair or no hair?
Interesting questions, which I shall try to answer fully:
How do you name your characters?
Sometimes I have a clear idea of what I want my characters to be called, others, no idea at all and just pluck one from the air at random.
Do their names just come to you, or do you agonize over the decision?
As said before, sometimes the names just come to me. Like in my Random Moment series, I was writing it, guided by the story itself and the characters just felt like they were called Rufus and Cynthia. Amy is based on an actual ghost in my own house called Amy. It is how I'd imagine her to be if she was grown up and able to talk. Mrs Hatfield (Rufus's mother) was one that I agonised over. I stared into space for ages trying to think of her name and then it came to me to call her Mrs Hatfield because I was listening to Metallica and the lead singer is called James Hetfield, so I just changed the second letter. Her first name then came to me from her second name and I never wanted to switch.
How much and what type of research do you do when selecting names?
I do very little research. I sometimes use baby name websites to find their meanings and see if they fit with the story. One time I used a forum on the other site to help me decide on a name. Another time I polled Facebook friends.
Has a name chosen early in the writing ever influenced your decisions about a character's behavior later in the story?
Yes, weirdly. I've currently got a story in production where the main character is very much influenced by his name. Sometimes it's just a minor thing like the character making a pun about their name. The one that comes to mind is when my character was called Steele. It was an erotic story, so you can imagine the quite obvious pun. Sure, it was a cliché to say that Steele was hard as steel, but it had to be done.
Have you renamed characters after you get to know them better, even if you're well into the story?
Yes, actually I'm in the midst of renaming a male character in a story. His female counterpart is called Leah and he is called Liam. I thought they were too similar, so I'm thinking about changing his name. Lord knows what to, but I'll stumble upon something eventually. Once I read the story back, I'm sure his name will come to me.
Have you ever renamed or wanted to rename characters after publication?
I've wanted to, but never done it. I wouldn't rule it out though.
Fun makes you whoop joyously
Dry my eyes, they're sopping!
Time this sentence made sense (it didn't though, did it?)
Forever is a relative term
No, I'm not partial to peanut butter in any shape or form. Bleh!
What food makes you go "bleh"?
For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica. Trying to play along, but so far I've only mastered the intro (which is easy) and the first bit before the first verse. I live in hope that I'll eventually master it. Now, who wants to donate me an Electro Harmonix Big Muff (preferably a vintage one)?
Followed strictly to the letter
Today's word is 'inconsistent' because that is how I feel. My writing isn't going very well because I've been writing in fits and starts and I feel a bit wandered because I'm going, rather inconsistently, between being able to breathe okay and hardly being able to breathe well enough. So, yeah, inconsistent.
I just had a thought and decided to pose the question here. Do you think it's an addiction?
I know when I first started writing and posting stuff on the sister site and then here, I didn't really have much confidence, but I found that when I started to really enjoy writing, I couldn't seem to go one day without writing something, at least, even if it was something silly or just for me. I still feel this way and I wonder if it is because I am addicted to it. I probably am addicted, but as addictions go, it's one of my better ones and very enjoyable.
I watched an TV programme and Bruce Willis was on. He was really boring and I don't much care for his movies. He just seems to make the same movied over and over again, but Peter Sellers is a pretty funny dude. Sure, some of his things are pretty similar, too, but he can get away with it because he does it well. So I'll go for Peter Sellers.
Do you like A Game of Thrones and if so, do you prefer the book or the series?
My word of the day is "possibilities" because there are possibilities in every moment and this feels like a day of many possibilities, including making progress with the smoking cessation.
I believe my word should be "hoarse" because I am hoarse. This quitting smoking lark is bad for your health.
No, I'm far too pedantic for universal satisfaction.
What strange sorcery is this internet thingy?
Word! Help, words are attacking!
Weapons... Swords, not words! Attack!
I've never read any fan fiction, but the idea of it seems like legalised plagiarism. I'd have a better view if I actually had, but if you consider that people influence each other, almost any book could be called fan fiction.
I think I'll repeat Miss Moth's question because I'm interested in other opinions: Are books of fan fiction worth reading?
Travelling sounds fun right now.
"DRAW," said the varmint... *BANG!*
Today I feel the need to read some HP Lovecraft because I'm currently re-writing a story and would like to get some ideas on how to build tension and fear. Why not learn from reading the best and put my own spin on it?
Always, I am on t'internet
Aqualung by Jethro Tull and It is doing a great job of blocking out the noisy bus.