Happy π Day! March 14, 03/14, pi! (Although I suppose we'll have to wait another 5 years before we get an even π-er day--03/14/15.)
Why is pi significant? It's certainly not because it's a number of circular mathematical importance, heck no. I hate math. That's why I cherish my relationship with my calculator even more than I cherish my friendship with Krispy.
No, pi is significant because one of the main characters in our long-neglected novel is a girl named Pi. Well, she's named Piety, actually, but we can't blame her if she prefers "the mathematical constant used to refer to the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diamater" versus "reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations/the quality or state of being pious/dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc./a pious act, remark, belief, or the like".
Why Pi? Krispy and I came up with the name after tossing name-ideas around and eventually the conversation degenerated into declarations of desiring delicious desserts. Like pie. Hey, pie! No, pi!
...and thus Pi was born. Or named, at any rate. But since the story is set in a world quite parallel to our own in some aspects, well, being named Pi seemed a bit strange, so we had to retroactively come up with a full name for her. Piper? Penelope? Pia?
None of them seemed quite right. And then, because we are cruel people, we decided it'd be much more fun if she had a name she didn't like, and/or was named after some kind of virtue that, if not necessarily anathema to her personality, was at least the sort of thing you'd roll your eyes at.
How about Piety? Hmm. Sounds plausible, can be shortened to "Pi," wouldn't want to be named that ourselves. Great!
And so did Pi gain her full name. I'm sure she hates us for dumping "Piety" on her, but come on, girl, we hung Pi on you too, while thinking about delectable deliciousness. You can blame us for everything, but give us credit where due too!
Valentine's Day is Val's birthday, and so March 14th must be Pi's birthday--symbolically, at least. Unlike Val, she wasn't created or named or what have you on this day, and it might be a bit much to have her actual factual canonical birthday be today. Nonetheless, she has a day unto herself--Pi Day. We hope that makes up for all the teasing you've received in your life.
Showing posts with label character creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label character creation. Show all posts
2.19.2009
Congratulations are in Order!
Like the title says, there are some congratulations to be made. Let's go chronologically backwards.
Back on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, it was our dear Val's birthday. Val is sort of the reason for the name of this blog and he is a character in the novel Alz and I have been discussing (though not recently because we've been sidetracked by a random side-project and the ever nefarious Real Life). He is sweet and a little bit of a pushover and he is entirely too easily overwhelmed for the task he has been assigned, but it's okay! We believe in you, Val! You will rise to the challenge! (or gloriously combust with the effort...) He was created more or less on Valentine's Day one year ago, which also accounts for his name. However, Val is not short for Valentine.
Now to go further back. On Feb. 5, Alz got her first paid acceptance for publication! The story will be in the 4th Jabberwocky anthology. So CONGRATS! to her. :)
Back on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, it was our dear Val's birthday. Val is sort of the reason for the name of this blog and he is a character in the novel Alz and I have been discussing (though not recently because we've been sidetracked by a random side-project and the ever nefarious Real Life). He is sweet and a little bit of a pushover and he is entirely too easily overwhelmed for the task he has been assigned, but it's okay! We believe in you, Val! You will rise to the challenge! (or gloriously combust with the effort...) He was created more or less on Valentine's Day one year ago, which also accounts for his name. However, Val is not short for Valentine.
Now to go further back. On Feb. 5, Alz got her first paid acceptance for publication! The story will be in the 4th Jabberwocky anthology. So CONGRATS! to her. :)
5.01.2008
Power through!
Krispy said yesterday that she thinks A Nudge is dead and she doesn't know what to post, so I will randomly update on our progress with...random updates on our progress.
So the other week, we decided that we needed more stuff to happen before the Final Showdown. Important details about certain characters needed exposition, other characters needed to actually do things, motivations needed to be clearer, and character development is always good. We'd gotten our outline down to the equivalent of the first stage of Dr. Wily's castle in the old Mega Man games, you know, the beginning of the beginning of the end type of thing. We might have been moving a bit too fast, but there's nothing wrong with that since this is just the outline.
We went back and added a new character who is and was basically a plot device--opening the way for more exposition and development, though, so it's okay, and it's a minor character. I like to think that the way we've incorporated said character into the story makes him better than just some schmoe shoved into the plot to make things happen, but let's say he serves his purpose, complicates things, and furthers the story at the same time, which is a good thing, right?
But adding this single small new role effected quite a few rather large changes. There was, in no particular order, a cosmic showdown in the sky (not the Final one, mind you), angelic interference, lies about engagements and imminent marriage, Time refusing to take sides, a happy anniversary dinner, ascension to Heaven, and revamped kidnappings, to name a few.
After catching up to ourselves and accordingly revising what was left, we've plowed ahead these past few days, hashing out a few names and details and (sadistically) deciding to give a main character ophidiophobia and working out reasons for things happening or not happening. That's part of how we've been operating, too, pointing out reasons why stuff shouldn't or wouldn't happen as much as why stuff shouldn't or wouldn't not be happening, and bam, there's a double negative right there! Hah!
Currently, though, we're in the mid-beginning of the beginning of the end, I think, but even so we still have to go back and add some sections for our antagonists to explain and explore what they've been doing. We kind of got caught upabusing developing our protagonists because such exciting things were happening to them. I suppose we'll just have to have exciting stuff happen to our Big Bad Baddies too--after all, there's always retroactive revision to take care of little things like plot holes, continuity errors, and sudden inexplicable death.
So the other week, we decided that we needed more stuff to happen before the Final Showdown. Important details about certain characters needed exposition, other characters needed to actually do things, motivations needed to be clearer, and character development is always good. We'd gotten our outline down to the equivalent of the first stage of Dr. Wily's castle in the old Mega Man games, you know, the beginning of the beginning of the end type of thing. We might have been moving a bit too fast, but there's nothing wrong with that since this is just the outline.
We went back and added a new character who is and was basically a plot device--opening the way for more exposition and development, though, so it's okay, and it's a minor character. I like to think that the way we've incorporated said character into the story makes him better than just some schmoe shoved into the plot to make things happen, but let's say he serves his purpose, complicates things, and furthers the story at the same time, which is a good thing, right?
But adding this single small new role effected quite a few rather large changes. There was, in no particular order, a cosmic showdown in the sky (not the Final one, mind you), angelic interference, lies about engagements and imminent marriage, Time refusing to take sides, a happy anniversary dinner, ascension to Heaven, and revamped kidnappings, to name a few.
After catching up to ourselves and accordingly revising what was left, we've plowed ahead these past few days, hashing out a few names and details and (sadistically) deciding to give a main character ophidiophobia and working out reasons for things happening or not happening. That's part of how we've been operating, too, pointing out reasons why stuff shouldn't or wouldn't happen as much as why stuff shouldn't or wouldn't not be happening, and bam, there's a double negative right there! Hah!
Currently, though, we're in the mid-beginning of the beginning of the end, I think, but even so we still have to go back and add some sections for our antagonists to explain and explore what they've been doing. We kind of got caught up
3.26.2008
Back to work!
So Krispy and I have gotten back to work on our baby. These past couple of days, we've done a bit of work on characters—motivations, appearances, abilities, etc.—and we've also gone back and revised a bit so that things make more sense. Sometimes things just end up being too convenient or coincidental, you know? And you don't realize it until it's been sitting there for a while. We decided the story would be better off if two particular characters didn't really know each other after all; we'd planned them to have a casual sort of yeah-I-know-him/her relationship, which has summarily been reduced to oh-yeah-that-person-I've-seen-him/her-around-before status. This didn't really affect things hugely, but it's just one of those little things that has to be done.
We've also been developing a new character because we decided that there needs to be a Revelation, and this character will be, I guess, a sort of plot device to get this Revelation happening. It seems like it may be an uncharacteristically flashy Revelation, but, well, you know, when you're dealing with divine spirits and demigods and gods and emo punks and suchlike and so on, maybe some flashiness now and again is appropriate. They've got their pride too. Boy, do some of them have pride…
Anyway, this character will also serve to heighten tensions, hint towards the existence of our Big Bad Evil (because Big Bad Evil sounds cooler than Big Bad Antagonist), and generally move things along—less a nudge in the right direction than a signpost by the side of the road.
One of our other antagonists is proving a bit difficult (getting into his head and deciding what he would or wouldn't do, and how he'd act and react and why), but I think we've gotten a good grip on him recently, and have come up with some interesting ideas for our big finale. We still need to sort him out more, but Krispy and I are toodling along quite well once again, I think.
We've also been developing a new character because we decided that there needs to be a Revelation, and this character will be, I guess, a sort of plot device to get this Revelation happening. It seems like it may be an uncharacteristically flashy Revelation, but, well, you know, when you're dealing with divine spirits and demigods and gods and emo punks and suchlike and so on, maybe some flashiness now and again is appropriate. They've got their pride too. Boy, do some of them have pride…
Anyway, this character will also serve to heighten tensions, hint towards the existence of our Big Bad Evil (because Big Bad Evil sounds cooler than Big Bad Antagonist), and generally move things along—less a nudge in the right direction than a signpost by the side of the road.
One of our other antagonists is proving a bit difficult (getting into his head and deciding what he would or wouldn't do, and how he'd act and react and why), but I think we've gotten a good grip on him recently, and have come up with some interesting ideas for our big finale. We still need to sort him out more, but Krispy and I are toodling along quite well once again, I think.
2.26.2008
What's In a Name?
Let's be frank. Names are ridiculously important, and they are a big issue for me and Alz. If you ever have the (mis)fortune to peek in on one of our brainstorming sessions--whether it be for our joint work or individual work--you'll see how much we trip and stumble. Indeed, the list of "Project ____" names that Alz posted a few posts back should be indicative of this.
For this collaboration, we just went for the hit or miss style of naming people. We tended to do very quick character sketches before attempting to find a name for said characters. Interestingly enough, the method we've been using the most is "So what letters don't you use a lot?" and then we instant message names starting with whatever less-used letter we've settled upon. (Let me tell you, names beginning with U and Q prove to be difficult.) Surprisingly, this method has worked well for this unnamed novel.
We take other factors into consideration as well, such as the sound and spelling of the name in relation to how we think a character is or what a place ought to be like. We also like looking up name meanings or using root words and translating them into another language. I'm especially into names with meanings because I think it adds another layer to characters. It's like randomly clicking around on a DVD menu and finding a hidden Easter Egg.
The most important thing is, of course, "fit." The name and the character have to click. This part is more on the subjective side of things and is too hard to explain since it's more of a feeling than anything else, but I still find it of utmost importance. A name can be hilarious or beautiful or incredibly clever, but if it doesn't somehow capture the character--if it's not "right"--it's all for naught. Names are, after all, an integral part of identity. It's a word (or maybe a handful of words depending) that identifies a person to him/herself and to the rest of his/her society, making it powerful.
We see this for ourselves in our literature and culture. In folklore and fantasy, there's the idea of the true name, in which the knowledge of names is power and in which names are thought to reflect some true aspect of the thing being named. In a similar vein, an article published in Psychology Today a long while back interviewed people who had changed their names, and these people said they'd done it because they were unhappy with their given names, that those old names did not reflect who they really were. Naming practices reflect the belief that names can help shape a person's character/personality and/or guide their destinies. Just look at all the baby name books out there! Chinese names are written and spoken with the surname first, expressing a cultural emphasis on the importance of the family and one's place in a family group. And finally, my specific literature example is from the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. At the end of the play, John Proctor cannot bring himself to sign a false confession and says
I thought this would be an interesting topic on its own, but also because in our current story, Alz and I have found ourselves with more than one character who dislikes their name or at least goes by something other than their given name (i.e. a nickname). This is abnormal, at least for me because I don't often have characters who go by nicknames. Although, I do touch on the "true name" idea passingly sometimes.
So what are some of your favorite names for anyone, real or fictional? How do other people go about naming the Proper Nouns populating their stories? And to reiterate, what's in a name?
P.S. A fun fact related to all this is how Val was named. (I know, I already mentioned him. I can't help picking on the poor dear.) We used our original method of just throwing out names and even looked a few up, but nothing seemed to stick. Then finally, Alz said, "Happy Valentine's Day!"--(and it literally was)--"VALENTINE. HIS NAME SHOULD BE VALENTINE." To which the conversation continued as follows:
K: I guess...we could call him Val and then he can be really embarrassed about it later.
A: I don't know. I just thought, you know, it might be a sign.
We didn't actually name him Valentine, but it's something else, and it's still shortened to Val.
For this collaboration, we just went for the hit or miss style of naming people. We tended to do very quick character sketches before attempting to find a name for said characters. Interestingly enough, the method we've been using the most is "So what letters don't you use a lot?" and then we instant message names starting with whatever less-used letter we've settled upon. (Let me tell you, names beginning with U and Q prove to be difficult.) Surprisingly, this method has worked well for this unnamed novel.
We take other factors into consideration as well, such as the sound and spelling of the name in relation to how we think a character is or what a place ought to be like. We also like looking up name meanings or using root words and translating them into another language. I'm especially into names with meanings because I think it adds another layer to characters. It's like randomly clicking around on a DVD menu and finding a hidden Easter Egg.
The most important thing is, of course, "fit." The name and the character have to click. This part is more on the subjective side of things and is too hard to explain since it's more of a feeling than anything else, but I still find it of utmost importance. A name can be hilarious or beautiful or incredibly clever, but if it doesn't somehow capture the character--if it's not "right"--it's all for naught. Names are, after all, an integral part of identity. It's a word (or maybe a handful of words depending) that identifies a person to him/herself and to the rest of his/her society, making it powerful.
We see this for ourselves in our literature and culture. In folklore and fantasy, there's the idea of the true name, in which the knowledge of names is power and in which names are thought to reflect some true aspect of the thing being named. In a similar vein, an article published in Psychology Today a long while back interviewed people who had changed their names, and these people said they'd done it because they were unhappy with their given names, that those old names did not reflect who they really were. Naming practices reflect the belief that names can help shape a person's character/personality and/or guide their destinies. Just look at all the baby name books out there! Chinese names are written and spoken with the surname first, expressing a cultural emphasis on the importance of the family and one's place in a family group. And finally, my specific literature example is from the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. At the end of the play, John Proctor cannot bring himself to sign a false confession and says
"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"showing what a name represents and its importance to his personal and moral integrity.
I thought this would be an interesting topic on its own, but also because in our current story, Alz and I have found ourselves with more than one character who dislikes their name or at least goes by something other than their given name (i.e. a nickname). This is abnormal, at least for me because I don't often have characters who go by nicknames. Although, I do touch on the "true name" idea passingly sometimes.
So what are some of your favorite names for anyone, real or fictional? How do other people go about naming the Proper Nouns populating their stories? And to reiterate, what's in a name?
P.S. A fun fact related to all this is how Val was named. (I know, I already mentioned him. I can't help picking on the poor dear.) We used our original method of just throwing out names and even looked a few up, but nothing seemed to stick. Then finally, Alz said, "Happy Valentine's Day!"--(and it literally was)--"VALENTINE. HIS NAME SHOULD BE VALENTINE." To which the conversation continued as follows:
K: I guess...we could call him Val and then he can be really embarrassed about it later.
A: I don't know. I just thought, you know, it might be a sign.
We didn't actually name him Valentine, but it's something else, and it's still shortened to Val.
2.24.2008
The Birth of Suilong
Krispy and I decided that we needed another cosmic serpent (who doesn't?) and so we decided that we'd rather create one than steal borrow one from an existing mythology. Then we decided that we should have this cosmic serpent be the Asian-inspired one we'd talked about before, and therefore being Asiatic, this cosmic serpent needed an appropriately Asiany name, as I continue to abuse and create various Asian-related adjectives.
We'd talked before about Japanese/Chinese/Asian names and words, including hebi (Japanese word for "snake") and nure (what Alz believes might be a possible alternate reading of the kanji for "snake" in Japanese, but isn't sure) and various other Japanese and non-Japanese names and words, which lead to a discussion of how sucky it would be for said snaky to be a snake named rabbit (Japanese, "Usagi"), a snake named lion (Arabic, "Usama"), or a snake named bear ("Ursus", Latin). I also suggested the combo name of Usaginure ("Rabbitsnake"), but we eventually got distracted and moved on, never deciding on a name for our new serpent.
Last night we once again turned to the name problem.
Says the Alz, "What's the Chinese word for dragon?"
To which replies the Krispy, "Well, dragon is Long."
Says the Alz, "What about the Chinese word for snake?"
To which replies the Krispy, "The word for snake sounds like you're saying 'uh' but with an S in front and the tone goes upward at the end."
What followed was Alz trying out various combinations of potential spellings in order to mentally sound out this word (remember, this was all text via instant messaging): Su, sa, si, sui? And since sui means "water" in Japanese, we decided to randomly moosh languages together to create a semi-bastardized Asianish name for our newly-designated water-elemental cosmic serpent. We did go through a number of variations concerning punctuation, including Sui-Long, Sui Long, and Sui'long, and I since I had come up with the name, I got to force Krispy to decide on the spelling of it. Reasoning that the apostrophe looks a bit weird in the name and apostrophes in names is off-putting to many people (yours truly often included), she settled on Suilong.
After a bit more discussion concerning a rather nebulous previously-envisioned-but-still-unnamed cosmic serpent, we decided the color scheme of the previous nebulous cosmic serpent we'd envisioned wouldn't match Suilong because the previous serpent is bony-white and spiky. This wouldn't really suit a water-themed snake, we thought, and so we went all out on Suilong, whom we also decided is female because we have too many males running around.
She can fly without wings à la Asian dragons, we decided, and Suilong is seriously deadly lethally viciously venomous. Her venom eats through glass. It'd probably kill you just from a drop touching your skin, never mind getting injected into your body. Or at least that's what I so far imagine.
But what color to make her? Blue? White? Blue and white? We already have cosmic serpents that are on the white/silvery color scheme, so Suilong ought to be different. And then Krispy said, Omg maybe she should be gold, and Alz said, Ooooho I like gold it's shiny omg like a goldfish?
We talked about koi fish, being tricolor with black and white and gold/orange/red, and the beautiful shiny gold of goldfish scales, and Krispy suggested gold with red markings around her eyes, with an orange fin running along her spine. For a while we mused on eye color, because while I thought blue would make a nice contrast in all her gold and red glory, the aforementioned other cosmic serpents already have blue eyes. We talked about her having dark eyes or golden eyes or dark golden eyes like various kinds of fish. Red we discounted because her eye markings are already red, and when I suggested creepy pearly white eyes, Krispy said it was too creepy and too much like a cooked fish. With that image in mind, I was inclined to agree.
Finally I suggested dark red eyes, midnight-red, while Krispy suggested copperishly colored eyes like a shiny penny. Now, I happen to be very partial to shiny things (this may have been evident earlier when talking about making Suilong gold), and when Krispy threw the choice on me because she'd decided on Suilong's name format, I chose coppery eyes for our water snaky. More contrast against the red and gold, I said.
Krispy is supposed to draw our new cosmic serpent, by the way. That's right, Krispy, I'm putting this in the blog. DRAW SUILONG. And in color would be nice too. ♥
We also plugged along further plot-wise last night, found Suilong a nice place in the story to settle in, did a little chronological rearranging of points, added to and clarified some scenes, started a new scene, and worked out some "research" for our researchers to, well, research. Things are coming along nicely—our baby is developing steadily and well. I'm so proud.
We'd talked before about Japanese/Chinese/Asian names and words, including hebi (Japanese word for "snake") and nure (what Alz believes might be a possible alternate reading of the kanji for "snake" in Japanese, but isn't sure) and various other Japanese and non-Japanese names and words, which lead to a discussion of how sucky it would be for said snaky to be a snake named rabbit (Japanese, "Usagi"), a snake named lion (Arabic, "Usama"), or a snake named bear ("Ursus", Latin). I also suggested the combo name of Usaginure ("Rabbitsnake"), but we eventually got distracted and moved on, never deciding on a name for our new serpent.
Last night we once again turned to the name problem.
Says the Alz, "What's the Chinese word for dragon?"
To which replies the Krispy, "Well, dragon is Long."
Says the Alz, "What about the Chinese word for snake?"
To which replies the Krispy, "The word for snake sounds like you're saying 'uh' but with an S in front and the tone goes upward at the end."
What followed was Alz trying out various combinations of potential spellings in order to mentally sound out this word (remember, this was all text via instant messaging): Su, sa, si, sui? And since sui means "water" in Japanese, we decided to randomly moosh languages together to create a semi-bastardized Asianish name for our newly-designated water-elemental cosmic serpent. We did go through a number of variations concerning punctuation, including Sui-Long, Sui Long, and Sui'long, and I since I had come up with the name, I got to force Krispy to decide on the spelling of it. Reasoning that the apostrophe looks a bit weird in the name and apostrophes in names is off-putting to many people (yours truly often included), she settled on Suilong.
After a bit more discussion concerning a rather nebulous previously-envisioned-but-still-unnamed cosmic serpent, we decided the color scheme of the previous nebulous cosmic serpent we'd envisioned wouldn't match Suilong because the previous serpent is bony-white and spiky. This wouldn't really suit a water-themed snake, we thought, and so we went all out on Suilong, whom we also decided is female because we have too many males running around.
She can fly without wings à la Asian dragons, we decided, and Suilong is seriously deadly lethally viciously venomous. Her venom eats through glass. It'd probably kill you just from a drop touching your skin, never mind getting injected into your body. Or at least that's what I so far imagine.
But what color to make her? Blue? White? Blue and white? We already have cosmic serpents that are on the white/silvery color scheme, so Suilong ought to be different. And then Krispy said, Omg maybe she should be gold, and Alz said, Ooooho I like gold it's shiny omg like a goldfish?
We talked about koi fish, being tricolor with black and white and gold/orange/red, and the beautiful shiny gold of goldfish scales, and Krispy suggested gold with red markings around her eyes, with an orange fin running along her spine. For a while we mused on eye color, because while I thought blue would make a nice contrast in all her gold and red glory, the aforementioned other cosmic serpents already have blue eyes. We talked about her having dark eyes or golden eyes or dark golden eyes like various kinds of fish. Red we discounted because her eye markings are already red, and when I suggested creepy pearly white eyes, Krispy said it was too creepy and too much like a cooked fish. With that image in mind, I was inclined to agree.
Finally I suggested dark red eyes, midnight-red, while Krispy suggested copperishly colored eyes like a shiny penny. Now, I happen to be very partial to shiny things (this may have been evident earlier when talking about making Suilong gold), and when Krispy threw the choice on me because she'd decided on Suilong's name format, I chose coppery eyes for our water snaky. More contrast against the red and gold, I said.
Krispy is supposed to draw our new cosmic serpent, by the way. That's right, Krispy, I'm putting this in the blog. DRAW SUILONG. And in color would be nice too. ♥
We also plugged along further plot-wise last night, found Suilong a nice place in the story to settle in, did a little chronological rearranging of points, added to and clarified some scenes, started a new scene, and worked out some "research" for our researchers to, well, research. Things are coming along nicely—our baby is developing steadily and well. I'm so proud.
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