Overheard #273

"We resist instructions."

Ice Faces

eyes, nose and fangs

 

not really a face, but almost a snaggletooth grin

anteater head and front paw

Overheard #272

"Some people have muscles they never use, but speed skaters – not so much."

Voice

In a week, I will lead a mini-workshop on voice. I have definitions and examples, but it all boils down to this: 

It’s not what you say, but how you say it. 

Okay, that sounds like a Hallmark card (Happy Valentine’s Day), but stay with me.  

The essence of voice comes down to word choice, speech patterns and rhythm of language because they express the personality of the character. 

It’s simple. We’ll have plenty of time for the writing exercise that follows my discussion.

Overheard #271

"There's nothing like talking about sweat to transition to the prosaic."

Character Names

I haven’t fallen off a glacier or been trapped in a crevasse. Cross country skiing has been excellent, and I can’t manage a camera on skis, so there are fewer pictures. The ice formations are mostly covered in snow. 

While I was waiting to get a critique on my WIP, I started thinking about a new project and researching character names. Some names go in and out of style, while others that enjoy regional popularity. Here are some websites that might help other writers figure out what to name characters. 

For characters in the United States, The Baby Name Wizard allows you to find the popularity of names from 1880 to 2012. The Social Security Website tracks names given to babies in the US by both year and state. Flowing Data has interesting graphics depicting trendy baby names by region and year. For the most common names around the world, go to Baby Center.