Names in Writing: I recently read an interesting post by Philip Athans on the blog, Fantasy Writer’s Handbook, where he discusses the capitalization of a common word being used as a proper name. As in: the Tower, the Witch, the Magician, the Chancellor, the Mountain, the City etc. I’m guilty of this myself in my WIP. And, that’s okay if I’m using it as a placeholder until I come up with something better. He goes on to say that to elevate a common word is a missed opportunity for creative world building. And, I agree. Looking back on my choices of the Alchemist and the Sorcerer, the Broadsword and the Amulet, I realize that these were cop-outs on my part, choosing the easiest solution. But all is not lost, now I have a new world-building challenge to name my characters, cities and weapons in a new way that adds depth, meaning and magic to my world.
What I’m reading this week: Private, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. “Former Marine 
helicopter pilot Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe. It is where you go when you need maximum force and maximum discretion. The secrets of the most influential men and women on the planet come to Jack daily – and his staff of investigators uses the world’s most advanced forensic tools to make and break their cases.” Readers are given three intense and unrelated mysteries. Forensics are used to prove guilt for the largest case of the three and it’s not overly technical. We’re in Jack Morgan’s 1st person POV with other POVs in 3rd person close, which is a technique I’m hoping to borrow. Patterson and Paetro work so well together it’s hard to tell there were co-authors on this novel. The prose is crisp and fast paced. The narration is strong and all the characters, even the minor ones are memorable. The writing style paints a vivid picture with very few strokes, keeping our focus on the story. Well done.
My favorite dream interpretation this week:
Clock:
A symbol for time passing.
1. If you dream of watching a clock ticking, with the hands moving steadily, this is a warning that you need to stop wasting time.
2. Winding a clock or watch indicates that you are taking control of the situation.
3. Hearing a clock strike indicates that the time has come for some positive action.
My favorite Abraham quote this week:
“You are the vibrational writers of the script of your life, and everyone else in the Universe is playing the part that you have assigned to them.” —Abraham
To learn more about Abraham (channeled by Esther Hicks), the Law of Attraction, or to sign up for Abraham’s daily quote visit: http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php
My favorite writing prompt this week:
“Having lost a bet, he was now tasked with turning a class of school girls into secret service agents.”
My favorite writing quote this week:
“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” –Jane Yolen
My favorite from the inter-webs: So, perhaps you’ve found that you have a few capitalized words that are common in your work. Where to begin though? If you need help getting those juices flowing, there are lots (and I mean lots) of random names generator websites out there. Even though the results may not initially be right for your world, they may spark inspiration that will lead you on a name-making journey. I’ve cruised through a few sites and the most prolific one by far is Fantasy Name Generator. The creator is obviously fond of role playing games, but there is so much more. Hovering over the “Fantasy Name” tab, you get a drop down list 5 columns wide by 26 items long. Yes, that’s 130 different random name generators from Alien Names to Zombie Types. I could write forever on the possibilities, so you’ll just have to check it out.
Find it at: http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
D.M. Sessous: writer, artist & dreamer 