I have always had a hard time coming up with fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi names for people in my characters. I can come up with a simple name easily, but it's when I want them to sound special that I run into trouble. I want it to sound different yet somewhat sophisticated, and pronounceable--definitely pronounceable.
A few days ago, I found a method that has actually worked very well for me. What I do is, instead of using a common name or making one up, I use popular names from other countries.
They work well, because they're different from the American names I am used to, so they have that nice "unique" feel to them.
For example, here are a few of the most popular names for 2011 in a few other countries that sound cool:
Australia: Lachlan (,boy, 7th)
Brazil: Giovanna (girl, 5th), Manuela (girl, 7th), Rafaela (girl, 8th), Miguel (boy, 3rd), Matheus (boy, 5th), Guilherme (boy, 7th), Felipe (boy, 10th)
France: Inès (girl, 5th), Manon (girl, 7th), Enzo (boy, 2nd), Raphaël (boy, 6th), Yanis (boy, 8th)
These are all I'm going to post today, just to give you a hint as to what's out there. I hope this helped you!
~Elizabeth
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
My Favorite Things
Well, first off I would like to wish you all Merry Christmas!
My family is one that gets very excited about the approach of Christmas. So excited, in fact, that we make up what the days before are. A couple of years ago, my mom came up with the idea that the day before Christmas Eve must be Christmas Adam, because Adam came before Eve.
So now, instead of saying that it is four days until Christmas, we say that it's only two days until Christmas Adam (somehow that makes it feel like Christmas is closer). *Just so you know, tomorrow is Christmas Fish*.
All jokes aside, Christmas is amazing.
Yet, what surprises me most is that the actual day of Christmas is my least favorite part of it. For me, it's the Christmas caroling and Christmas pageants, the cookie baking and time spent shopping with family, picking out and decorating a tree, going to a Christmas Eve service. . . Not all, I'll admit, but most of the things on my list tend to go along with glorifying God.
With Christmas caroling, you get to not only sing songs praising Him, but it's also an amazing opportunity to show God's love to those you sing to. With Christmas pageants, you get to re-tell the story of Christ's birth. With cookie baking, you are taking time aside to spend with your family to make cookies to give away (of course, we all know that not all of them wind up being given to someone ;) ) , time spent shopping normally involves putting others before yourself and picking out something they would like as opposed to just getting something for yourself. Picking out a tree can also be glorifying God--marveling at His creation.
Then, when you go to a Christmas Eve service, you sing classic Christmas songs like Silent Night and Away in a Manger, Come all Ye Faithful. . . You hear the pastor discuss Christ's birth--and though it is a message that a lot of people have heard to many times to count, still leaves the same effect.
Christ--God's Son--coming into this world.
Not because He had to, but because He wanted to. He wanted a way to be closer to His people--He wanted to sanctify them and make them pure.
He came because He loves us.
And, unfortunately, that isn't exactly what I think about on Christmas Day. I think about all of the things I got, I get angry about the things I didn't. I get impatient when at the family events because they are taking too long to get to the gifts.
Then, at the end of the day, I look at the mess my house has become. Wrapping paper everywhere, gifts thrown this way and that, and I let out a sigh.
Gifts will pass away--they will break, get lost, get left somewhere, thrown out, get burnt. . . Because they weren't meant to last forever.
Yet what Christ did for us--that is something that was meant to last forever. Literally.
I would put the Christmas story on this post (Luke 1-2), but it's already getting quite lengthy. . .But I will encourage you to check it out. It's a story thousands of years in the making.
~Elizabeth
My family is one that gets very excited about the approach of Christmas. So excited, in fact, that we make up what the days before are. A couple of years ago, my mom came up with the idea that the day before Christmas Eve must be Christmas Adam, because Adam came before Eve.
So now, instead of saying that it is four days until Christmas, we say that it's only two days until Christmas Adam (somehow that makes it feel like Christmas is closer). *Just so you know, tomorrow is Christmas Fish*.
All jokes aside, Christmas is amazing.
Yet, what surprises me most is that the actual day of Christmas is my least favorite part of it. For me, it's the Christmas caroling and Christmas pageants, the cookie baking and time spent shopping with family, picking out and decorating a tree, going to a Christmas Eve service. . . Not all, I'll admit, but most of the things on my list tend to go along with glorifying God.
With Christmas caroling, you get to not only sing songs praising Him, but it's also an amazing opportunity to show God's love to those you sing to. With Christmas pageants, you get to re-tell the story of Christ's birth. With cookie baking, you are taking time aside to spend with your family to make cookies to give away (of course, we all know that not all of them wind up being given to someone ;) ) , time spent shopping normally involves putting others before yourself and picking out something they would like as opposed to just getting something for yourself. Picking out a tree can also be glorifying God--marveling at His creation.
Then, when you go to a Christmas Eve service, you sing classic Christmas songs like Silent Night and Away in a Manger, Come all Ye Faithful. . . You hear the pastor discuss Christ's birth--and though it is a message that a lot of people have heard to many times to count, still leaves the same effect.
Christ--God's Son--coming into this world.
Not because He had to, but because He wanted to. He wanted a way to be closer to His people--He wanted to sanctify them and make them pure.
He came because He loves us.
And, unfortunately, that isn't exactly what I think about on Christmas Day. I think about all of the things I got, I get angry about the things I didn't. I get impatient when at the family events because they are taking too long to get to the gifts.
Then, at the end of the day, I look at the mess my house has become. Wrapping paper everywhere, gifts thrown this way and that, and I let out a sigh.
Gifts will pass away--they will break, get lost, get left somewhere, thrown out, get burnt. . . Because they weren't meant to last forever.
Yet what Christ did for us--that is something that was meant to last forever. Literally.
I would put the Christmas story on this post (Luke 1-2), but it's already getting quite lengthy. . .But I will encourage you to check it out. It's a story thousands of years in the making.
~Elizabeth
Monday, December 19, 2011
Contest
Today, I would like to inform you of a cool writing contest going on right now. Vision Forum is doing a 2012 Catalog Story Contest called Women and Children First.
You can choose either of the following pictures:
You can do as many entries as you like--but there is a $5 fee per entry.
After you have chosen your photo, you write the story behind it. It has to be more than 100 words, although it cannot exceed 1,200.
Those under 18 are welcome to enter with parental permission. The deadline is December 31st.
For more information, click on the link above.
~Elizabeth
You can choose either of the following pictures:
You can do as many entries as you like--but there is a $5 fee per entry.
After you have chosen your photo, you write the story behind it. It has to be more than 100 words, although it cannot exceed 1,200.
Those under 18 are welcome to enter with parental permission. The deadline is December 31st.
For more information, click on the link above.
~Elizabeth
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Writing Tip
I was working on my book the other day, and I realized something that just might change how I write for the rest oft life.
POV.
I found that, by changing the perspective, it made it a lot easier to write. In fact, I change it often within each chapter.
It makes it new and exciting. . . Not to mention the fact that it adds a LOT of length.
What makes it easier for you to continue writing?
~Elizabeth
POV.
I found that, by changing the perspective, it made it a lot easier to write. In fact, I change it often within each chapter.
It makes it new and exciting. . . Not to mention the fact that it adds a LOT of length.
What makes it easier for you to continue writing?
~Elizabeth
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Contest Winner!
I would've announced this on Monday, but my internet stopped working. :(
Anyway, to the announcement!
The winner is....
Aylin Brandt!! Congratulations!!!
If all of the judges could email me ( yawhowrite@gmail.com ), then I'll send you her book.
And, again, Aylin, congratulations! Writing 30,000 words in a month is something to be proud of!
~Elizabeth
Anyway, to the announcement!
The winner is....
Aylin Brandt!! Congratulations!!!
If all of the judges could email me ( yawhowrite@gmail.com ), then I'll send you her book.
And, again, Aylin, congratulations! Writing 30,000 words in a month is something to be proud of!
~Elizabeth
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