It takes a while for me to get to know them. Plus, more often than not, it’s the characters that tell me the plot and not the other way around. I can’t begin to formulate a story before I know the people who will be living it. And Ava, the girl with wings? Her name means “bird.”įor me, writing always starts with the characters. This was never more apparent to me than when I started writing The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender where Marigold Pie was the self-righteous neighbor with a passion for sweets and Satin Lush the smooth-talking bootlegger. But it was important to me that I found the right name for each of them. It drove my sister crazy that I spent most of our playtime choosing our Barbies’ names and recording them in thick yellow notepads. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I spent hours pouring over the pages of this book, starring my favorite names, highlighting those I found unusual or memorable. Most are surprised to learn that my favorite book as a child was a small paperback bought at a neighbor’s garage sale entitled The Best Baby Name Book in the World. I adored this book and am excited to have Leslye Walton here for a guest post today.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |