Author: Robin C. Stuart

As I’ve been touching up my current WIP it occurred to me that the names of a couple of characters were combinations of past pets and close friends. It wasn’t a conscious pattern, it just worked out that way because I liked the way the names sound when I say them out loud. Tell me, my fellow Miss Demeanors? How do you come up with character names? Michele: Sometimes when I read a book, it strikes me that a character’s name seems off. A thirty-year-old woman is unlikely to be names Linda. I go online to the year of the character’s birth and peruse the first twenty-five names. From there, I look at where the story is located, what’s the heritage of the character’s family, etc., and take it from there. I also try very hard not to duplicate the first initial of the name of any character because I’ve read it’s confusing to readers and tend to agree. Robin:  Good point, Michele! I also look out for similarities in syllables. Real people around me have as few as one syllable and as many as 3 in their names. I try to mimic that real-world asymmetrical pattern in my cast of characters. Susan: I torture myself over names. If a name’s not right, I can’t more forward and so I spend a lot of time looking through baby names and so forth. I think my favorite character name was Arabella Hicks, who was the protagonist of The Fiction Class. I imagined her mother to be a fan of Georgette Heyer and inspired by one of Heyer’s best heroines. But for my protagonist, Arabella, the name was a nightmare. She was not a romance novel sort of person and would much rather have been named Jane. I liked the idea that the conflict between Arabella and her mother went back to the moment of her birth, and had to do with their two differing ways of seeing the world. And I got all that from her name. Tracee: Susan, I also loved your main character’s name in The Fiction Class! Names are critical. I often use a placeholder (particularly for minor characters) in a draft. A name that I ‘like’ but I know isn’t exactly right. With my books set in Switzerland I also run the names by my Swiss husband. I may think a name sounds right, and have done the research about names of a certain era, etc. but my husband has a local different ear. He will first quiz me about the character’s parents, and education, and place of birth (city or region), religion, and then be ready to discuss. I should confess that I once named a minor character in a book (first name) after a friend who was the inspiration for the character’s physical description. The name was so perfect that I forgot it was her real name and left it in that way. No harm done, but I only realized this in the middle of a publish talk when the question of names came up, and how closely characters are based on people I know. Alison: I’m a huge fan of the social security website. I use it a lot for background characters. Because my books take place in Utah and the larger LDS community, I love using names from Mormon history and scripture. Detective Abish Taylor, my protagonist, got her first name because Abish is one of only a handful of women who are referred to by name in the Book of Mormon. I wanted her to have deep Mormon roots, so she’s also a direct descendent of the third President of the Church, John Taylor. One of my favorite characters (and all around delightfully bad guy) has a secret nickname based on Orrin Porter Rockwell, who was a private body guard to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. A famous–perhaps apocryphal–story about Rockwell has the sharp shooter defending himself on charges of trying to assassinate the former governor of Missouri by pointing out to the court that he, Rockwell, “never shot at anybody, if I shoot they get shot!” Alexia: I often use street signs/place names. I use baby name websites most commonly. Once in a while I use names of people I know. I’ve auctioned off a character naming opportunity once. Sometimes a movie inspires me. Gethsemane Brown is an homage to Cleopatra Jones. Occasionally, a name will pop into my head out of nowhere. You reminded me, Michele, I also use the Census archives to find names that were popular during certain eras. Cate: I use baby name finder to find names with etymologies that evoke the character. I also use the census to find names that were popular during certain times or for certain ethnic groups. I also tend to change my names. I start off with one and then decide, during the course of writing, that the character is really more like someone else. How about you, dear reader? How do you go about naming your characters? 

Have I mentioned before that writing is a team sport? Sure, sure, they’re my hands at the keyboard to make the magic happen but every now and then I need a sounding board. My regional chapter of Mystery Writers of America invited me to submit an article to our monthly newsletter. They asked for my expert view on cyber crime topics, which I’m more than happy to share pretty much anytime, anywhere. The challenge? They left the topic up to me. They gave me the prompt of common misconceptions and/or how to get the subject right. As a veteran investigator, my point of view is different from yours. I know what I know. And I know what I’ve noticed when others write about technical crimes. But that still left a lot of options. I couldn’t decide how to narrow it down to a single topic. There were so many ways to go. I did what any mature adult would do. I went out to dinner. Between the salad and the entree, I threw the question to my dining companion. Conversation turned to depictions of cyber-y things in pop culture.  Within seconds, I found myself sliding my soapbox out from under the table and getting ready to climb on board. “You know what drives me crazy?” I said. “No, but whatever it is, that’s your topic,” my companion answered.  My I’m-about-to-make-a-point finger froze mid-waggle. It landed on my lip as I pondered whether it would be rude to start typing away in the Notes app on my phone. 

Are writers born or are we made? Writing is a compulsion for me. It’s something I did long before I had an agent, because I enjoy it. It feels like a release. I also enjoy creating something out of nothing. I imagine it’s a similar feeling that craftspeople have when they work on a piece and watch it take shape.
 I was pondering this question while looking at family photos. The living room of my parents’ house was overshadowed by bookshelves. Here’s a glimpse. That’s my dad with our dog. The photo only shows half the bookcase. It was so large, I don’t think there’s a single photo that shows the whole thing. My dad built the shelves when we moved in and my parents filled them through library book sales, garage sales, gifts, and, of course, book stores. There were titles from a variety of genres but my dad was partial to thrillers and history. My mom enjoyed memoir. My brother liked horror. I would read pretty much anything put in my hands but I loved mysteries. By the time I moved out, I’d read nearly every book on that wall. It was kind of a family competition.
 Thinking about it now, there’s a strong connection between what I grew up reading and what I now write. Did my family influence my love of the written word? Absolutely. But I also recall writing mysteries from an early age, hoping to entertain my parents. So which came first, nature or nurture? I honestly don’t know. Why not both?
 

 There are lots of ways to learn to write. Classes, workshops, MFA programs, etc. teach story structure, how to show, not tell, and such. However, there are no courses on how to be a writer. No class teaches us how to get past the inevitable imposter syndrome, how to endure the anxious weeks and months while our books are out on submission, or help with ideas and support during promotion tours. This is where community comes in. In the publishing world, that community is most often referred to as “finding our tribe.” No one understands the inner workings of a writer’s mind like other writers. I expected that sense of camaraderie when I started attending writers’ conferences and joined my local chapters of Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America. What I didn’t expect was the generosity and openness of those who make their living as a writer. Every author I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and talk with, including best-sellers and my own fellow Miss Demeanors, takes their tribe seriously. To a person, they’ve been quick to offer guidance and mentorship, share stories of their own dark and stormy days along with their bright and sunny ones, laugh together. I heard a phrase the other day that resonated with me – as we rise, we lift. That’s what a tribe does. We support one another, lifting up those who are just finding their path, even if only by being a cheerleader or shoulder to cry on. It’s never too early or too late to find your tribe. None of us have to go on this journey alone. And that’s what it is, a journey. Yes, when I write I’m often in my office by myself. But my tribe and I help each other enjoy the ride of being writers.    

Every now and then I see aspiring authors throw tantrums on social media. Another one happened last week, so epically ill-advised it went viral within the publishing community and beyond. Seems like a good time to remind folks that writing is a team sport. True, it’s one person’s rear end in the chair at a keyboard or notebook. But if you’re following the path of traditional publishing, you’ll work with freelance editors to polish your manuscript before querying. You’ll attend conferences. Pitch agents. Once you sign with someone, you’ll work with editors and publishers. Whether you’re agented or self-published, you’ll need to reach out to others to help you promote your work – book stores, libraries, media, etc. Ultimately, the goal is to interact with readers. What do all of these groups have in common? They’re made up of people. Lots and lots of them. What was true in grade school is still true in adulthood – how you treat others counts. Social skills are the fundamental key to advancement in any career. And to enjoying life. I know it’s hard. Writing a book – or two or three – can take a long time. At times, it’s frustrating. But unless you play well with others, you may never get invited to the sandbox to experience the good parts. 

This week’s posts have been my nods to using real-life little details in my scene settings. Sometimes they’re a little inside joke or a visual tidbit that’s probably only meaningful to locals, kind of like easter eggs in movies. I do it to add authenticity. Or because I find whatever it is either intriguing, inspiring, or funny. Tell me, my fellow Miss Demeanors, do you include locale-specific easter eggs in the settings of your books? Tracee: Absolutely! Since I write about a real place – with fictional places added in – I do like to add what you call easter eggs. Partly to make the fictional places ring true (I certainly didn’t want to have bad things happen at my husband’s actual Swiss boarding school, but parts of his school made it into my fictional one). I like to provide some real signposts – monuments, or views, for example. I also use food as a bit of authenticity. A Well-Timed Murder opens at Baselworld, and I used a great deal of the real setting there. Big easter eggs for those who follow watches and gemstones! Alison: As a reader, there’s nothing better than feeling like an insider because you know that the food, the place, the thing is real. There’s no question that Blessed be the Wicked is full of easter eggs, from a lunch place in Ogden to the what neighbors bring to a funeral luncheon. (Hmmm, maybe I’m obsessed with things I can eat.) I also agree with Robin that location can be an easter egg. None of the action in my first book takes place in heavily-touristed spots. The backdrop is real Utah with real people. Of course, as Tracee pointed out, it is fiction. However, Mormon muffins with honey butter are completely and totally real and are completely and totally delicious. Alexia: My setting is fictional but I try to mix in details about things that really exist. For example, I’ll use the names of two real brands of liquor with one fictional. The biggest compliment to me is when someone thinks one of my inventions actually exists. Someone once asked me where they could by Waddell and Dobb bourbon. Susan: Yes, and it’s a lot of fun to do. Having been part of the church world my entire life, I’ve grown accustomed to some of its idiosyncrasies (which I love). I had a great deal of fun organizing a meeting of the Dining Out club in Maggie Dove’s Detective Agency, and people in my church have laughed over that. And then there are all the details about life in my little village. Michele: Part of the fun writing about St. John is that it is a Caribbean island populated by strong individuals who have chosen a “way out” place to live, sometimes known as dropouts. One tee shirts boasts, “We’re all here because we’re not all there.” I have an abundance of easter eggs to share in my Sabrina Salters series. The fork in the road, which is really a large metal fork, decorated for each holiday. The stop sign that says “in the name of love” under STOP. Speed “humps” not bumps. Readers who have been to St. John love these insider details and those who haven’t are more intrigued than ever by the island’s idiosyncratic charm.   

Any art student can tell you San Francisco is and has been a haven for visual and performing artists. The city has museums for everything from cartoon art to statue gardens. There are LED light displays on the Bay Bridge, and on the windows of the top 6 floors of the City’s tallest building. The music scene is as lively as it ever was, from string quartets playing in the subway stations to local groups who become major headliners, like Train. The local secret is the art you find in passing. Maybe it’s not so much a secret as something people take for granted. Doesn’t everyone walk past a bronze statue of a man with multiple heads, arms and legs on their walk to the office? Or come up from a Muni station to a stage hosting a hip hop dance group for one random night on Market street? I really like these little gems tucked in not-so-obvious places. I like them so much, I put at least one in each of my books.