(July 1st - 7th) Assignment The First: "Names"

Hello fellow aspiring writers! :) I just read through all 71 emails Debra sent me with our old stuff and I'm even more excited for this group to get off the ground. I'm going to cheat a little bit and use an assignment from last time just to get things underway. There are two that I was debating between, but since this week will be short I'm going with the "easier" of the two.

There are a lot of aspects to writing, and a lot of preparation phases. Character development, atmosphere/scene settings, plot outlines and more. This week we will begin our character development with a basic exercise... Names...

When you name a baby you're taking a real chance, because you have no idea how the little tyke is going to turn out; we all know people whose names seem to belong to someone else. When you name a fictional character you have no excuse for getting it wrong because you should know him/her better than the members of your own family. The names you choose to give your characters could suggest certain traits, social and ethnic background, geography, and even things that have yet to occur in your story. Think of Vladimir Nabokov's Humbert Humbert and Henry James' Merton Densher - they just SOUND right. Charles Dickens was so adept at this subliminal skill that some of his characters' names have become generic, representing personality types - like Uriah Heep and, most notably, Ebenezer Scrooge. The names you choose have a strong and subtle influence on how your readers will respond to your characters. You may have to rename your characters several times before you get it right.

Name the following characters, keeping in mind that you can plant, within a name, a clue to their role in your fiction. Include an explanation with each name on how you decided upon the name you chose.

1. A loquacious, gregarious librarian.

2. The jealous younger brother of a 13th century Scottish laird.

3. A 1920's crooner.

4. The lecherous owner of a fast food restaurant.

5. A surgeon who cheated on his medical boards.

6. The fat, spoiled daughter of an 1800's merchant class couple wishing to elevate themselves into the ton. (Aristocracy)

The objective is to recognize the names you give your characters should not be drawn out of a hat, but carefully tested to see if they "work." You are sending a message to the reader about who the character is, where he came from, and where he is headed. A name can send a message as powerful as a title.

Happy Writing!
~Heidi~