If any of you have been reading past posts, you'd know that I've been attempting to write a book. I know it's very ambitious for someone to write a book, but hey, stranger things have been published.
Nevertheless, this blog was essentially my way of writing consistently, and along with it, improving on my grammar skills and finding my own writing style.
So far, I've written two short stories, and it's been a good experience. I've seen the difficulty in keeping a plot, making it interesting and developing characters at the same time.
However, I have yet to actually tackle the challenge of writing the first few chapters of the main book.
The reason for this delay/avoidance is the lack of a name.
One thing everyone should know about a book's protagonist is that it needs to be something that is catchy, something that has a bit of weight to it and above all is something that can be kept consistent.
Now, when I first started on the project, I came up with a rather good name, however, it is a name that isn't Indian, but rather, Western.
I have no problem with western names, but being an Indian myself, it becomes difficult to write about a person that has zero personal connection to you. The phrase that 'writers write about themselves' is very much true, you can't write about a character unless you give them life with something - it may be from someone else, or from yourself.
So I've decided that the characters name won't be a western name. I may have lived abroad, but it is foolish of me to say that I know how life is in other countries and other cultures.
Thus, I am in a bit of a jam.
I've got a plot,
I've got an absolutely amazing set of villains and heroes,
Plot-twists, backstory, historical references, and love interests are all present and accounted for.
BUT!
Not a single idea on what to name this guy, or what ethnicity I want him, nothing. I know the character that I want for him... but I honestly don't know enough about Indian names to associate the character with a name.
Another question that fills my mind, is that, what if I want to change a characters name, halfway through the book?
Rick Riordan in the Percy Jackson series, established two key antagonists: Luke Castellan and Kronos. However, in the fifth book, he merged the two characters. He made Kronos take over Luke's body.
What this meant for the book, was that other characters viewed Luke, and often referred to him as Kronos. So if this had happened to the protagonists, or the narrator, would the protagonist refer to himself by his name or by the possessed being? Would his personality and characteristics also have to change?
Writing is a tough job! But it's an itch, the itch to write something meaningful and generation-defining, that makes me write.
Nevertheless, this blog was essentially my way of writing consistently, and along with it, improving on my grammar skills and finding my own writing style.
So far, I've written two short stories, and it's been a good experience. I've seen the difficulty in keeping a plot, making it interesting and developing characters at the same time.
However, I have yet to actually tackle the challenge of writing the first few chapters of the main book.
The reason for this delay/avoidance is the lack of a name.
One thing everyone should know about a book's protagonist is that it needs to be something that is catchy, something that has a bit of weight to it and above all is something that can be kept consistent.
Now, when I first started on the project, I came up with a rather good name, however, it is a name that isn't Indian, but rather, Western.
I have no problem with western names, but being an Indian myself, it becomes difficult to write about a person that has zero personal connection to you. The phrase that 'writers write about themselves' is very much true, you can't write about a character unless you give them life with something - it may be from someone else, or from yourself.
So I've decided that the characters name won't be a western name. I may have lived abroad, but it is foolish of me to say that I know how life is in other countries and other cultures.
Thus, I am in a bit of a jam.
I've got a plot,
I've got an absolutely amazing set of villains and heroes,
Plot-twists, backstory, historical references, and love interests are all present and accounted for.
BUT!
Not a single idea on what to name this guy, or what ethnicity I want him, nothing. I know the character that I want for him... but I honestly don't know enough about Indian names to associate the character with a name.
Another question that fills my mind, is that, what if I want to change a characters name, halfway through the book?
Rick Riordan in the Percy Jackson series, established two key antagonists: Luke Castellan and Kronos. However, in the fifth book, he merged the two characters. He made Kronos take over Luke's body.
What this meant for the book, was that other characters viewed Luke, and often referred to him as Kronos. So if this had happened to the protagonists, or the narrator, would the protagonist refer to himself by his name or by the possessed being? Would his personality and characteristics also have to change?
Writing is a tough job! But it's an itch, the itch to write something meaningful and generation-defining, that makes me write.
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