Storyteller Davis
Creating magic on the page and in the world
Sunday Guest Post
Check it out! An article edited a bit that I wrote a while ago. Check this place out, though. A lot of good knowledge on how to write and some good exercises.
As you know, we at The Art of Writing are taking Sundays off. Usually I’d post a picture. However, today we have a guest post by Paul Davis instead. So, enjoy his perspective on the importance of names in writing, and I encourage all of you to go check out his blog as well!
I think often on the power of words, but recently I’ve really focused on the power of names. In my story on Hurskfjell almost everyone has a name. There are few characters referred to as “Guard #2,” or “The Bartender.” Often in fantasy and sci fi there are bit part characters that jump on and off screen, and we just don’t care to name them. A friend of mine commented while reading my story it felt I was throwing in names just to throw them in. I suppose in a sense I was. But it does…
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I’ve seen this technique used a lot in fantasy (and I’ve read all of the Song of Ice and Fire, so now I get to wait months for the next one). One of my favorite authors is Terry Goodkind, who did an amazing job with making you care about those minor characters before they had their throats slit. He gave them names and backgrounds, and some significance by using them to introduce new characters or situations. It’s that form of characterization that I also hope to duplicate in a lengthy fantasy series.