Tom, Dick, or What’s Her Name

Names intrigue me, primarily because of their built-in baggage.

For example, although Hannibal may have been something of a heroic figure in history, I can almost guarantee that after seeing Silence of the Lambs you won’t ever think of the name, Hannibal, in the same way.

So, what about the name Rhett?  I’ve never actually met anyone with that name, but if I should, I am predisposed to think he’s a rogue.  Why?  Because of that terrific character in Gone With The Wind, of course.

Two very different names and very different reactions.

Which illustrates why the names we attach to characters are so very important.  Without our even realizing it, the names of those people with whom we associate bad experiences influence how we feel about characters with those names.

It works just the same with good experiences, which can create warm, fuzzy feelings when we hear certain names.  For instance, my name is Ramona, a feminine variation of Raymond, my father‘s name.  So it should come as no surprise that I love my name.

Long before I began creating people--excuse me, creating characters--I became a collector of names.  Not necessarily the unusual ones, but those which seem to resonate inside me, many of which are simply family names.  Such as:  Michael (my son’s name), Shannon (a granddaughter), Kira and Mackenzie (distance cousins)

Do you find yourself reacting to names in the same way?  Sometimes choosing names of characters in a similar manner?

When I wrote BORDER HEAT (released earlier this month--Wheeee!!), I named my heroine Caroline, and every time I worked on the manuscript I heard Neil Diamond singing “Sweet Caroline” in my head.

Aha, another naming resource, music.  Let’s see, there‘s Georgia…Linda…Leroy Brown…

Hmmm, maybe our books should come with soundtracks.  What do you think?  Am I on to something?

--Ramona Butler

http://www.RamonaButler.com/

www.ChampagneBooks.com

Location, Location, Location

Did the title of this blog have you scratching your head, wondering how a real estate ad got onto The Writers Vineyard blog site?

Well, I am trying to sell you some real estate.  More specifically, trying to sell you on the idea that an interesting piece of real estate (location) can be a real boost to your book.

In fact, I believe location should be an early consideration when planning your story.  Why?  Because location affects character.  People who thrive in small towns or wide open spaces, more often than not, don't do well in the hurry-hurry atmosphere of big cities.  And vice versa.  So, pay attention to the type of character you place in any location.  Otherwise, you could -- unintentionally -- end up with a fish-out-of-water story.  Of course, if that's the kind of story you have in mind...

Another thing about location is that readers have certain expectations about locations.  They expect your southern farm-boy character's dialogue to be somewhat slower, whereas your big city, hard-driving executive's dialogue should be more clipped.

But I digress.

Most of my own  stories have been inspired by a location.  In many instances, the setting/location is almost a story character. At other times, locations actually dictate the story.

Such is the case with my soon-to-be-released novella, Border Heat, much of which takes place in tiny, primitive Divisadero, Mexico, one of the stops on the famed Copper Canyon Railway.  This railroad line connects the interior city of Chihuahua with the coastal city of  Los Mochis, traveling through a portion of the famed Copper Canyon -- Barrancas del Cobre -- home of the Tarahumara Indians.

The train trip itself was an adventure, traversing 86 tunnels, 36 major bridges, and a major engineering feat in which the railroad circles back over itself, making a complete 360 degree loop.  Until the recent difficulties with Mexican drug cartels, the trip was a popular tour offering by US travel agencies.

My husband and I love to travel and the Border Heat story began to percolate in my mind as soon as I saw the vast, magnificent Copper Canyon.

Some of our other travels have taken us to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Croatia, Puerto Rico, and 49 of our 50 states.  Which means I still have lots of stories to tell.  So I hope you'll follow along on some of my other adventures.  And I hope you'll take a peek at Border Heat when it's released in June.

                                                                         --Ramona

Ramona's Introduction Blog--Ramblings about Life and Love, and......

                                 

  Should I confess to you...this is my first time?

  No, I'm sure it will become obvious soon enough that this is my very first blog.  So here are the facts: I was born in a tiny Arkansas town during the previous century.  (You didn't expect me to tell you the year, did you?)  My southern roots weren't deep enough to hold me though and I soon found myself moving around the country, until I finally landed in the high desert of western Nevada, where I have a terrific view of the impressive Sierra Nevada and only a short drive to fantabulous Lake Tahoe.

  It wasn't until I discovered the forever vistas of the Southwest that I found the inspiration to chase my lifelong dream--to write.  And here I am now, on the verge of becoming a published author in my own right. (More about life as half of a writing team in a later blog)

  At the tender age of ten, I was astonished to learn that a letter I'd written to a Memphis newspaper about a pitifully ugly comic strip character had been published in Letters to the Editor.

  And so the seeds were sown.  From that day on, I was certain that I was fated to be a writer.

  Have I impressed anyone yet?  Probably not.  And certainly not a certain teacher in the one-room schoolhouse in Datil, New Mexico (a mere wide spot in the road), where I spent most of one school year as teacher's helper, because I was the only student in the 8th grade.

  Still, the dream lived on.  And as an adult, I spent too much time producing personal opinion columns and restaurant reviews--all without earning a cent.  Heck, I even had to buy my own meals at those restaurants. (One of which was truly terrible.)

  Yet I finally achieved my goal of getting paid for my writing with a very short poem that appeared in True Love magazine.

Hooray, I was on my way!     NOT!

I became a stringer for a weekly newspaper, had a short story published in a small-format magazine, and sold a travel article which covered the front page of the Dallas Morning News’ Sunday travel section.  Wheee!

With the publication of that short story in Sunshine magazine, I felt as though writing fiction was a decadent dessert after years of a “no-sugar, no-salt, no-fat” diet.

So, can you imagine how excited I am to learn that Champagne Books will release my action packed, romantic adventure, Border Heat, in June, 2011?

Pinch me, please, I’m still dreaming!

Thanks for visiting and please come back next month to learn what inspired Border Heat.

                      --Ramona Butler