By the ever opinionated E.C. Stacy
So, if we writers hope to sell books, shouldn’t we want to know just a little bit about what book buyers want? Let’s face it. We can tickle the keyboard with our clever tales, amusing ourselves for hours, but at the end of the day in order to be a professional writer, we need to know if we can market these pages.
Please allow me to introduce you to Veronica Morfi. She lives in Greece—how cool is that?—studies Computer Science, and would like to write a novel one day, but the key thing is: she reads LOTS of books. I mean tons. To me, Veronica is the kind of expert whose preferences I want to hear about and I’m glad she agreed to be our first guest on Meet the Reader a series dedicated to keeping writers in touch with the street.
CIR: I noticed that you’ve read a few Storm Born titles by Richelle Mead. Do you prefer Mead’s graphic novels or her books?
VF: I have only read her graphic novels and I found them great, but I always think the books are better, even without reading them. I am ashamed to admit I haven't read any of her books... :P
CIR: Mead’s voice and humor make her reads interesting to me. What about Storm Born appeals the most to you?
VF: Besides the story and the beautiful writing I love the Otherworld with all its history and world building.
CIR: Based on your Goodreads ratings, the Harry Potter series struck a chord with you. To me, the premise of the thing alone should have garnered the attention of every agent and editor, yet J.K. Rowling was rejected quite a few times. A kid with sorcerer powers, I mean…come on! Was there anything you found to be an obvious selling point about the first story?
VF: Hmmm...I haven't read the first book in a while, but I still remember thinking that the author had great knowledge about a lot of things. Nicholas Flamel, the philosopher's stone and other elements of her books were real and she combined them great with her imaginary world. And of course who could say 'no' to Hogwarts! I mean, it's like our inner child's dream school.
CIR: Our inner child’s dream school. I never thought of that before. Great point. What would you like to see in fantasy publications in the next decade?
VF: Hopefully my book...kidding! Well, not so much... :P Anyways, I think I want more action, I can't take any more sappy love stories that just have paranormal elements, I want smart, headstrong heroines fighting to save the day and not waiting the prince to come and rescue them.
CIR: I’m glad you mentioned the fighting heroines, Veronica. Agents and editors are definitely trying to locate those types of protagonists in fiction from what I understand. Are there any titles you would like to recommend to writers as a good reference?
VF: Surprisingly enough I can't think of anything...lol. I thought I had this all figured out. Hmmm...maybe something like Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Thank you so much for this interview it was really fun! :)
You can check out Veronica’s blog at http://mostlyreviews.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Monday, August 15, 2011
Twyla, Wyla, or Twy, Part Two of Naming Your Characters.
By Janet Fogg
Last week I commented on the "confusing because of similarity," or tongue-twisting names sometimes encountered in science fiction and fantasy novels, including Footfall’s Chintithpit-mang and Harry Potter’s Gregorovitch versus Grindelwald.
I also mentioned Connie Willis’ method to minimize character-name confusion. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names a character the first letter of that name is crossed off the list and not used again. You won't find Violet and Viola in one of her books unless similar names are important for moving the story forward.
This week I hope you’ll share your tricks in naming characters. Do you use “working” names until your world-building is complete and you're saturated with the personalities of your characters? Or do you change a name mid-way when it just seems obvious that Deborah should be Twyla?
Speaking of Twyla, one approach when seeking an unusual name is to drop a letter from a “more common” name. Not that Twyla is terribly common, but I’ve always been fond of it.
Twyla might become Twy, Wyla, or possibly Yla.
Or replace one letter or juggle the syllables.
Twyla could then be Twyle. Maybe. Twela? Nah. Tweela? Perhaps. Latwy? Hmm… Keep trying.
In Footfall, the “mang” in Chintithpit-mang represents a family within the alien culture, which assists in identifying relationships. Very helpful.
Another idea, regardless of the genre you write, is to search through the baby name lists of various cultures. If you’re using Connie’s trick then that’s even easier. Just scan through the “Cs” until you find a name that tickles your naming fancy.
I’ve occasionally changed the name of a character after completing a manuscript draft, but usually know early on what their name is. How about you? How do you select or craft names for your characters?
Last week I commented on the "confusing because of similarity," or tongue-twisting names sometimes encountered in science fiction and fantasy novels, including Footfall’s Chintithpit-mang and Harry Potter’s Gregorovitch versus Grindelwald.
I also mentioned Connie Willis’ method to minimize character-name confusion. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names a character the first letter of that name is crossed off the list and not used again. You won't find Violet and Viola in one of her books unless similar names are important for moving the story forward.
This week I hope you’ll share your tricks in naming characters. Do you use “working” names until your world-building is complete and you're saturated with the personalities of your characters? Or do you change a name mid-way when it just seems obvious that Deborah should be Twyla?
Speaking of Twyla, one approach when seeking an unusual name is to drop a letter from a “more common” name. Not that Twyla is terribly common, but I’ve always been fond of it.
Twyla might become Twy, Wyla, or possibly Yla.
Or replace one letter or juggle the syllables.
Twyla could then be Twyle. Maybe. Twela? Nah. Tweela? Perhaps. Latwy? Hmm… Keep trying.
In Footfall, the “mang” in Chintithpit-mang represents a family within the alien culture, which assists in identifying relationships. Very helpful.
Another idea, regardless of the genre you write, is to search through the baby name lists of various cultures. If you’re using Connie’s trick then that’s even easier. Just scan through the “Cs” until you find a name that tickles your naming fancy.
I’ve occasionally changed the name of a character after completing a manuscript draft, but usually know early on what their name is. How about you? How do you select or craft names for your characters?
Monday, August 8, 2011
Chintithpit-mang, or, Naming Your Characters.
By Janet Fogg
Recently my husband shook his head and laughed when he saw me re-reading Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Dick liked Footfall but he also jokes about books in which a character’s name or title is overly long or not easily pronounced, as they often are in science fiction or fantasy novels. Footfall is one of those. Chintithpit-mang. Fathisteh-tulk. Raztupisp-minz. Sure, an alien named Ralph might not be particularly frightening or set the right tone, but if a reader pauses while reading isn’t that also a problem?
I encountered that while racing through one of the Harry Potter books. Yes, I was reading far too fast as I couldn’t wait to get to the end, but the first time Gregorovitch was mentioned I stopped cold. Huh? Oh wait, not Grindelwald, but Gregorovitch! Or was it the other way around? Anyway, I do remember a sense of frustration at the time, even though I was only pulled out of Harry’s world for a moment.
Then there’s the "Kwisatz Haderach" in Dune. Not terrible to pronounce but perhaps not euphonious, either. In fact, my husband calls Maud’Dib the “Itzak Kwaggle.” We were both entranced by the book but the phrase "Kwisatz Haderach" made Dick pause and he's always made light of it, though I didn't stumble while reading those words.
At the conference last year Connie Willis explained how she minimizes character-name confusion in her books. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names one of her characters the first letter of that name is crossed off the list. No fair using the same letter twice, so you won't find Violet and Viola in the same book unless similar names are imperative for moving the story forward. I like that. No, it doesn’t address the science fiction/fantasy challenge of creating names that are appropriate for the culture AND easy to read without crossing your eyes, but then again, now I’m thinking about a story where the main character is a really scary alien named Ralph... Be afraid.
Recently my husband shook his head and laughed when he saw me re-reading Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Dick liked Footfall but he also jokes about books in which a character’s name or title is overly long or not easily pronounced, as they often are in science fiction or fantasy novels. Footfall is one of those. Chintithpit-mang. Fathisteh-tulk. Raztupisp-minz. Sure, an alien named Ralph might not be particularly frightening or set the right tone, but if a reader pauses while reading isn’t that also a problem?
I encountered that while racing through one of the Harry Potter books. Yes, I was reading far too fast as I couldn’t wait to get to the end, but the first time Gregorovitch was mentioned I stopped cold. Huh? Oh wait, not Grindelwald, but Gregorovitch! Or was it the other way around? Anyway, I do remember a sense of frustration at the time, even though I was only pulled out of Harry’s world for a moment.
Then there’s the "Kwisatz Haderach" in Dune. Not terrible to pronounce but perhaps not euphonious, either. In fact, my husband calls Maud’Dib the “Itzak Kwaggle.” We were both entranced by the book but the phrase "Kwisatz Haderach" made Dick pause and he's always made light of it, though I didn't stumble while reading those words.
At the conference last year Connie Willis explained how she minimizes character-name confusion in her books. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names one of her characters the first letter of that name is crossed off the list. No fair using the same letter twice, so you won't find Violet and Viola in the same book unless similar names are imperative for moving the story forward. I like that. No, it doesn’t address the science fiction/fantasy challenge of creating names that are appropriate for the culture AND easy to read without crossing your eyes, but then again, now I’m thinking about a story where the main character is a really scary alien named Ralph... Be afraid.
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