The Obscuron, Issue 16
Hello Obscuros! Life has been going to work and going to sleep. Rinse and repeat. Nothing tragic or exciting. Umm, my current obsessive food is lasagna.
[The 7 Cs]
Have you read a book where many of the characters’ names start with the same letter? Like, there's a Chris, and then a Caroline, and then a Charlotte, and maybe a Chrysanthemum just to keep things interesting…? Was it difficult for you to keep the characters straight? I don't think I've gotten a complaint about that from my writing, but it's something I worry about often. I mean, it's not like there's a Matt, and then a Matthew, and then a Mattie, and round it out with another Matt—but this one only has one t. Let's be honest, who among you didn't have at least one other kid in your friend group that didn't have a name that started with the same letter as yours—hell, even the same name as yours—that rarely happens in books and shows/movies. I can only name one book series/movie where this happened: Scott Pilgrim. There was Scott and Other Scott, one of Wallace's boyfriends. Other Scott couldn't even be called a tertiary character, but he was there…
Where was I? Oh, yes, the name game. I try not to have too many characters' names with the same first letter unless it's a naming convention I have. Is that weird? Is it that deep? The way I create characters is different from how I've seen my peers do it. The character’s name informs me of its personality traits. The right name can really give me a better sense of who they are. You know how some people seem to embody their names. It's like you see a good looking college guy with floppy blond bangs, tight polo shirt, cargo shorts and they introduce themselves as Brad or Tyler and you're like, “Of course you are.” If the name changes, so does the vibe.
I’m reworking an old project about a demon opening a coffee shop and I’m updating some of the character names and three of them start with B. These are great names and I want to keep them. Why not? Why shouldn’t I keep them? I suppose if anyone has a problem with it, they can kiss it and miss it. I do what I want.
[Watch Me WIP]
Instead of working on Bleakwood and Chicken, my mind has been cranking out ideas about the demon coffee shop. I would love to publish them in little novelettes. I think that would be cool. I already have some coffee themed titles because I love bad puns.
Speaking of bad puns, I’ve also started outlining Book 4 of my Paranormal Anxiety series. I’ve plotted this book four times before but none of them stuck. They weren’t gripping me. I guess the fifth time is a charm. I’m feeling this one is a great step forward. I have much faith in this one. I’m hoping to have the outline done at the end of this month. I really would like to have the book written by June, edited by July, and ready to print in August in time for Tucson Comic Con in September and TUSCon in November. I’ve got high hopes. High apple pie in the sky hopes. May the words be ever in my favor.
[Story Drop]
Episode 5 of Bones & Gravy- Zombie squirrels? Really?
That may be it. I have another series about a gay couple that experiences weird events but it’s just a regular Tuesday for them. I’ll think about it.
I am grateful for the folks who read and like my work. I would love comments telling me how much you like/dislike my stuff. It really gives me a good feeling and validates me. Thank you for your continued support!
Thank you so much for reading!
CDB
