Ok so I am hoping that writing this will help me to fix the problem I am having.

Ok so I am editing a piece that I wrote a few years ago, it’s a piece I love. It has a few twists to it. But here is the point, I have a female character who has a love hate relationship with her best friend, although they are more or less allies. But I have pre-paved a boy interest for her, you know one of those douche bags in comparison to the whole story he doesn’t have a focal point but he does have his eye on the girl. It’s going to be a predator prey type thing but who is what tends to be quite fluid. There is a natural divide. So is my main female character going to experiment with the friend (who for those that need clarity is female). It’s not to have a story of experimentation, it’s not even something I considered viable for her. A drunken kiss perhaps at most but I don’t think they blend together in a power couple way. Like personality wise, yes they have each-others backs. But no, they don’t feel like a happy ever after couple thing.

There is a lot of gratitude and affection between them. Sure that line could possibly be blurry. Probably an accidental kiss. But I think said friend is definitely hetero but the main, well there could be a question. An unease. I don’t know. It would make a simple edit/rewrite into a giant rewrite on the ending. I mean I would probably ship them, but ones straight for certain. So I think there is the opportunity for a confusion which could lead to very rushed decisions trying to conform back to the status quo.

I ship them, I can make ship happen. But friend doesn’t fit into the world that she is falling into, flirtationships and oh it’s just so sad. I think I will add that accidental kiss with Dutch courage. Get the ship going just to sink it and shut it down. The first main bi character I would write and she doesn’t get to be herself. It seems so real, like I am sure there are people that deny who they are. Oh this is a sad ship… sad, sad ship. Oh I am sorry, I am so sorry for anyone who reads this and knows how mean I decided to be. I feel sorry for anyone who reads this story and gets hurt by the ship. But the ship hurts me too.

It was never even meant to be an option, or a possibility.

I ship it.

But I am writing it.

So I am sinking the ship.

 

And just in case you are wondering if this is to do with The Diary of Elliot Parker, I am sorry darlings but it’s not.

 

Oh I am writing the scene right now…

Oh ouch “college experience”… heartless girl!

Oh ouch, they are still friends but someone’s still thinking about it.

Man it sucks to see like a movie in my head sucks more seeing how she really looks when she is alone, the thoughts she is trying to ignore.

Wow it kind of sucks.

#betthatwasanawkwarddinner

#swiftlychanging conversation

 

I wonder if this will create more tension in the original planned relationship? How does the new partner navigate the now messy friendship? Questions I need to answer for myself.

 

 

Looks like I gave a little commentary on the writing. But yes, its two whole new chapters that were never meant to be in the book at all… MAGIC…

 

May luck and adventure be on your side 😉

ARA xxx

Here is the cheeky little link for The Diary of Elliot Parker available now!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX

How do I name characters?

 

Well that is a question that I am finding hard to answer. There are instances when characters are inspired by real people, this can be tricky, I try not to use real names for real people ever, as you may have noticed. To a degree I respect their privacy. But I also am aware that sounds like a contradiction. Yes, I still tell the story, it is my story, I make it principle that I still give the opportunity to have a degree of privacy. That being said, I am unlikely to use the names of people that mean a lot to me in general, just because again I respect their privacy and because they are precious to me. I am also unlikely to ever name a character a name I would like to name my kids if I ever have them. Partly because it would feel weird to me but partly because I don’t want to presume that it won’t influence who they become as adults. Weird huh?

Characters in a different sense still have that feeling of being almost children, it’s hard to describe. We create them. Sometimes naming them feels impossible, some characters go through a few names until there is one that fits them just right. Its natural.

So, originally I started searching for names via baby naming websites, that can be frustrating, you can however see the meanings which is something I often take into account. Although occasionally it really is just what feels right for the character and their journey. So it can also be easy to end up very split in a name no matter how hard you try. The most recent way that I have chosen to name the characters on a project is to go through a cheap (literally 2 quid) baby name book I picked up, go through and underline names I like and write down names that might be appropriate and to take note of the meanings. Once this is done I got cracking on the fun side of the work which is the writing and the plotting finished. But no once I had a list of names at least 20 to each gender. Then I got cracking on choosing the names appropriate to the story and then made a clear note. Some characters changed their original name in this process.

Sure it can be tricky, of course there are names that naturally appeal to being used for certain characters. I know for a fact there are maybe two or three names that have been used a few times for a few characters. It happens, there are certain characters that just appeal to those names. I do try to find other names but sometimes it just fits to re-use them.

There are odd characters with significant names. Sometimes they are just by nature a character who makes me smile that gets that names.

But not all characters are created equal. Much like when you read a book there are characters that you don’t like there are names you don’t really like so of course they go hand in hand with one another. That being said I don’t always use those names.

I didn’t realise how hard I would find this question.

I name characters in a way that I try to relate their journey or who they are or what they symbolise. That is the core of it. Some of it really is just fun, choosing a name that just feels like that is going to be the right choice.

I don’t know how people name their kids, but pets I can deal with sometime is just is choosing something that suits their personalities.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

Here is the cheeky little link for The Diary of Elliot Parker available now!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX