Naming

To quote the late great Albus Dumbledore -

"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic."

I'm sure I could have picked a better picture than, you know, him dying, but he's dead and there's little point in us denying that any longer.

The words I'm concerned with most today, as I sit here at work looking busy, are Names.

It's funny what a name can do to us. I was recently involved romantically with a young lass and she had a fairly common name. But I swear, the deeper my affections grew for her the sweeter her name became. So much so that even the mere mention of it, even if not in relation to her, gave me the shivers.

The name, though simple and common, was hers and only hers. 

While knowing a name is one thing, giving a name is another matter entirely. Its a large responsibility choosing a name. You have to pick just the right one.

I just started writing a new novel and I've been working a ton on researching names. I need strong names for my characters, memorable names for my places, clever names for my magic and most importantly THE name for my story. I want these names to embody my characters, lands and novel. I want everything they stand for to be mirrored in their name. When these names are murmured in crowds or mentioned in passing I want them to evoke emotion.

However, making a name unique does not give it power. As I said before even the simplest names can be magical if you really know it. Its a difficult thing for me to articulate knowing a name. I think the best way to sum it up is this: comprehending what, who, or where the name represents so entirely that the name develops dominion over that particular object in the mind of the beholder.

The best name in the world will be wasted if spent on mediocrity. Choose your names wisely and know that picking a name is only the first step to giving it power. Picking the name is easy, there is no blue print for giving it magic...except this: It's not the name it's what you write after. No pressure.

- B