Naming characters

If you're like me, sometimes a characters name will come to you easily. It fits like a glove and you know it's the right name. But what happens when you have a large cast of characters and you don't want to use a friends name, even if nothing "bad" happens to him/her.
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What I do and I've never run into a situation where I'm stumped for names any longer is to save obits. I know it sounds kind of morbid at first. But I keep a running list of names from the obit section. I reassign the first and last names of course. But I have an endless supply of names. I do not keep the pictures, because I am deciding what my characters look like.
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I know some people use baby books. But this didn't work for me because it only list first names. With my method you also have last names.
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And to take it a step further, I use a birth-date and astrological book to make sure that some character traits are really in line with the birth-date I give a character. Can have a character with a birthday in July become a super talkative Cancer or a character with a June birth-date as a stubbornly introverted Gemini. Those seem like minor things especially if you are writing a character with a specific birthday that is part of the story but the person who has that birthday or studies astrology sees it, they will think you are less than authentic with other parts of your story where you want their trust.
Happy writing.

Importance of Momentum

I have read numerous books that suggest the only way to grow as a writer is to basically write every day.
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Now some of you are thinking, I don't want to write every day. Sometimes I'm plotting in my head, which is akin to writing, but actually isn't. I talk to my characters all day long, in my head also, but if I'm not putting words to paper it means I am still that far behind in accomplishing my goal.

One of the books I use in keeping me on track as I write novels is First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Wiesner. (And NO I am not hawking her books). I have used her method because I don't like to outline. But I have noticed that it helps give me enough structure but doesn't pigeon hold me into a tight confine where creatively can't still thrive. It's a loose enough method for my right and left brain to both feel like they are working.

And one of the things I notice is that if I take the time to start writing, even if my goal is 3 pages, I usually end of writing more. It's the hardest struggle not to edit as I go. Which some writers may also struggle with. But I give myself permission to write badly. I understand that this draft is just that - a draft and not the final product. I understand that in the editing process more nuances of the story may take shape and I'm prepared when I have a decent outline to start with. And her method helps me stay on track because I can use research as a giant excuse not to write. I can get so sidetracked it would make you think I was working on my PhD.

I like the idea of pages a day instead of word count. And I usually use the same method that I use when I'm working on a screenplay. I visualize the scene and write that instead of thinking of the WHOLE finished book. That is too daunting and can stop you in your tracks.

Happy writing.