YA Girl: Episode 1

by Kristen Crowley Held

Greetings Monkey Tribe!

A non-writer asked me recently if my characters talk to me, which inspired me to create YA Girl: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Life of a YA Writer.

Today I give you Episode 1:

YA Girl Episode One
by: tenheld


So, um, anyone else have an MC who talks to them?

[Insert Perfect Name Here]: Character Naming Resources for Writers.

by Kristen Crowley Held

I am really, really, really good at obsessing over character names. So good, in fact, that I've assembled quite a collection of books and websites that I use to seek out the PERFECT name. The name has to sound right both out loud and inside my head, has to fit the character without being too obvious and, if I'm really on my game, should have an extra layer of meaning known only to me (and readers well versed in name origins).

Occasionally, if it's not my protagonist who remains nameless, I can get away with writing things like [insert perfect name here] but usually I spend hours/days/weeks searching through my favorite character naming resources before I can move on.

Since I'm big on hidden meanings, one of my favorite resources is a book called Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse Dictionary of Baby Names by Amanda Elizabeth Barden. 

"Baby Names Made Easy offers selections organized into categories of meaning, making it easier than ever to choose a name that is significant to you."

Some sample categories: Animals & Insects, Hardworking, Magic, and Protector. Have a character trait in mind? Pick a category and you'll find a list of associated names.

Does your character have siblings? The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg includes potential names for sisters and brothers with each listing. The Baby Name Wizard also has an awesome website that lets you track the popularity of a name over time and figure out in which part of the country your name is most often used. For a small fee you can also sign up for the Baby Name Wizard Expert Edition which uses Flash tools like the Name MatchMaker to find a name based on "your unique tastes and style."

Writing a Fantasy? Check out The New Book of Magical Names by Phoenix McFarland.

 

Need a surname?

The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon has names and surnames from more than 45 countries.

Some of my favorite online character naming resources include:

Nameberry.com which lists names by every conceivable category. Looking for a Hipster name? Or maybe an Old Lady name? They've got you covered.

ParentsConnect.com allows you to search for names by meaning. Enter a word and they'll provide a list of names.

Nymbler.com helps you find the perfect name by having you choose names you like, but that aren't quite right, and extrapolates from there.

            

Looking for a cool nickname? Check out:

http://www.moonzstuff.com/articles/nicknames.html

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pacumber/nick.htm

Or maybe you just want a randomly generated name?

If you use Scrivener you've got a name generator built right in. 

If not, here are a couple of online name generators to check out:

http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm

http://www.behindthename.com/random/

That ought to keep you busy for a few hours/days/weeks!

And now that I've shown you some places to look for them, how do YOU choose the perfect name for your character?

Perfectly "Pinned" Novels

Hello Monkeys, Ellen here . . .  A few weeks ago, Monkey  Kristen blogged about making collages (here) and how doing so can help with the writing process. Her ideas were imaginative, creative, and very helpful. While reading Kristen’s post, fellow author and friend, Heather Petty, remarked how she uses Pinterest to do much the same. Being that I like Pinterest, I wanted to know more. 

But first, you might be wondering what’s Pinterest? Well, Pinterest is an online site where you can create “virtual” pin boards. Kind of like bulletin boards, but online.  You can categorize them with any theme you wish. I’m not going into detail about how to join or how to use the site, but if you haven’t “pinned” yet and are curious, click (here)

I’m a chart kind of person and I love to organize. I’m not obsessive about it, but I get a feeling of “calm” when things are in order. (Wish that applied to my housekeeping.) I also enjoy design and creating “artsy” things. All these are reasons I enjoy Pinterest. But the potential of Pinterest in representing your novel is endless.