I'll be taking the rest of this week and most of next off,
so my grand plan to post to my blogs at least twice a week is already
stumbling. But I'll pick up it again. This Tuesday Chatter is a
rumination on names. My own journey to the proper name for my writing endeavors
is ongoing. Currently, I'm searching for just the right name for the third in
my Cameron Locke, PI series. The search for names for the first two pales in
comparison to this one. But I'm not ready to publish it quite yet, so I still
have a little time.
What's In a Name?
Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By
any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
What shall we name the baby? Or in the case of a writer,
what shall I name this essay, story, poem, novel? Sometimes we start with a
name. Myself, not usually. Almost always the title grows out of the piece of
writing.
Most of the stories and books, finished and partials, that
are on my computer right now have names. But I'm thinking of putting a group of
these Life Slices columns into book form. What to call it? Of course, Life
Slices will be part of it, but I need a sub-title. Perhaps Life Slices:
Ramblings of a Southern Writer. Nah, don't want it that long. Life
Slices: Through Thick and Thin. Maybe. Or not. And it can't be too personal
as many deal with other subjects than my own life though most impinge in some
form. Comments or suggestions welcome.
The two novels I've finished have gone through numerous
title changes. When I find a title I think fits, I know it. But getting there
is often a lengthy process. I'll have sheets of paper with scribbled titles all
around my workplace. Scraps of files on my computer hard drive with possible
names,. first one moving to the top as first choice then another.
When my daughter was born a name was already decided on, if
it was a girl. Can't remember if we had chosen a boy name. I suppose it was a
given he would have been named for his father. That was before ultra sound
pictures informed prospective parents of the gender of their baby almost before
they knew a child was in their future. It was also the time when mothers were
routinely knocked out with drugs before the birth. So as I was waking up in the
recovery room a nurse asked me what we would name our daughter. I reeled off a
name we had never even discussed, knowing as I did that it was not correct!
Reason enough to avoid being drugged when having a baby!
Since I've hardly begun choosing the columns to include, I
have time to choose just the right title. I hope.
