26
Jun
So you’ve decided on your hero’s name, and it’s Edward.
Edward is a nice name. Just not for an alpha male.
While there are no hard and fast rules about names, and any name should be fine — you’ll soon find it’s not.
K, T and R names are the strongest sounds, hard sounds, making your hero sound tougher.
John vs Jack
Jack sounds stronger, John sounds softer.
Short can be better than long. (Not always!)
Donovan vs Don
Don sounds stronger.
Donovan sounds more reliable though.
Then there is meaning to consider.
You wouldn’t want your hero’s name to mean "Flowerpot" or something, right?
(Or maybe you would… It could be a giggle if he gets pulled up on it all the time.)
Anyway.
As I said, K sounds and the like sound "Strong"..
However, if you don’t want a hard sound at the beginning, try to pick a name with one in the middle.
And, for God’s sake, don’t name them all Jake, or Jack. 
Please. I’m begging you.
Peruse baby name sites (there are plenty out there) and say the names out loud.
See which one sounds strong, and which comes off as soft, or even weak.
On those sites, you will also find the meanings. Check them out too.
Make the name pronounceable.
(I should talk. One of my heroes is called Raxsaixahael. His friends call him Bob – because they can’t pronounce it. He also answers to Rax, however. And I picked this for a reason. 
)
Last but not least — there is fashion to consider.
Some names are eternally popular. Some… well.
Before you name your hero Willard, consider when the story is set. Or have a good reason for choosing an old fashioned name. (Maybe he was named after his Grandfather?)
But if you have no reason for calling your hero Ulysses, or Erasmus, then think about it a little. (I personally like old fashioned names, so don’t let me deter you too much.)
There are a lot of things you can do to enhance your hero, but probably the most important is his name. We make a lot of mental assumptions when we hear a name.
If we are introduced to a Beau, we’d naturally assume he’s handsome, for instance. (After all, that’s what the name means.) His name may be Beauregard, and he could answer to any number of nicknames (Beau, Bo, Reg etc) but the name has to make an impression on us — and it better be a strong one, if he’s the alpha male hero.
I (personally) wouldn’t get a strong impression from a hero named Kenny, even though it’s a K name. The cutsiefying of the -ny takes away the strong sound. I’d have a better impression of Ken, or Kenneth.
Names are difficult, to be sure.
But they are what define your characters.
So choose well.
25
Jun
There is a great post on hero names on Samhain’s blog at the moment.
Beyond Jack and Jake – What to name your hero.
It got me to thinking.
I will dig out the dynamics of a name again and blog about it.
I might be a few days, but…
In the meantime — check out the link above.
24
Jun
There is a new group out there, in case you didn’t know.
A group aiming to change the way RWA deals (or rather doesn’t deal) with electronically published authors.
It’s a Yahoo group, called RWAChange. Here is the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWAchange/
I am for change. I’m sure there are a great many things RWA is good for, but unfortunately if you’re not in the US, don’t belong to a chapter, or – gasp-wheeze-cough – are electronically published… then there isn’t a heck of a lot for you there.
My feeling about RWA?
John Steinbeck said it best:
“A dying people tolerates the present, rejects the future, and finds its satisfactions in past greatness and half remembered glory”
I feel RWA is ignoring potential and is rejecting change. A change that has been asked for for the past 10 years. I left because of the issues affecting electronic authors (and publishers), but now they are addressed once more.
Maybe this time there are some open minded people who will listen.
If you want to be a part of it, join the group, see what it’s about.
24
Jun
I’ve just had one.
It made me feel bad, naturally. It made me question if I’m any good, naturally.
My crit partners think the story rocks, the writing rocks.
The agent I queried… didn’t.
Well, I will continue and not let it daunt me.
So if you are in the same boat, and you’re garnering rejections — don’t let it get you down.
Continue. Hang in there.
Remember:
“Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.”
– Norman Cousins
And in that vein — Onward!