Questions for writers

Question Three: How do you name your characters?

I don't have a rule or formula for my choices of names. The last character I gave a name to was a judge. I call him James Mason. In one instance I had a group of five men, come to kidnap the women, in Spelville. I just juggled sounds and names until I came up with Edgar Snossil, Jerry Peasalt, and three I can't recall at the moment. I tried to give them personalities befitting their names. I named one western Character Mean Jay Lee Lewis, deriving the name from Jerry Lee Lewis. One rancher who was a sort of dumb jerk got Elmer Ford. A woman in the Mexican Red stories was modeled after actress Katy Jurado. I named her Katy Ramirez, a combination of Jurado's name and the character she played in High Noon, Helen Ramirez.

I know it sounds odd to non-writers, but characters tell me their names.

I had one as Jodie James and could not hear the character's voice until I typo'ed and it was Josie James. And then the character became clear to me. So, now she's Josie James.

Two tween girls were always going to be named Kitty and Mink. It wasn't until I was writing them that they got last names—Kowalski and Lopez, respectively.

I have named some characters after people I know (with permission, of course). Many people love that. A few years ago I needed a ton of names to be terrorists and asked a large FB writing group. Got a lot of volunteers.

The book I'm currently editing is a space opera. The ship is mainly populated with people I went to high school with, a fact that makes me smile.

I sometimes slip in last names of people I know but in such a way they can't be confused with the actual people.

Editing my latest, I discovered I changed a man's name from Jay to Ray halfway in. I just finished making him Ray throughout.

How about Johnson?

My names are mostly just surnames.

I usually pick names of people I went to school with and if I didn't like them I give them a sticky end.

When I wanted a Dutch name I googled a Dutch phone book.

I didn't get any further than A.

I opted for Alkema, that sounded good enough, no need for Bs.

I named a bonobo chimp Grape simply because I felt like it. No particular reason.

Question Four:
Indie or traditional?

I had thought seriously about taking Mexican Red to a traditional publisher. The first one I checked out that receives westerns unsolicited expects us to put two spaces between every sentence. That's a lot of sentences. I wonder how prevalent this is?

On Twitter I got educated about it. Getting hundreds of responses. Almost sorry I asked.

When I learned typing, we always put two spaces after a period (unless it was the final sentence). It just makes it easier to read. Compare this to:

When I learned typing, we always put two spaces after a period (unless it was the final sentence). It just makes it easier to read. Compare this to: When I learned typing, we always put two spaces after a period (unless it was the final sentence). It just makes it easier to read. Compare this to:

I get it. But computers space the letters differently than typewriters, and most publishers prefer the single space now. For other purposes it's according to individual taste.

Peter M Neeves
liked a reply to your Tweet
Wow, I just told the manual typewriter story in 2 replies and then researched it again to discover it's bogus!
Single space after FULL STOP is a result of publishers cutting costs by reducing the amount of page space per publication!

Save page space! And then, using signatures of 8 pages, you sometimes end up with up to seven blank pages at the end of a book!

What is kerning? Kerning is the spacing between individual letters or characters. Unlike tracking, which adjusts the amount of space between the letters of an entire word in equal increments, kerning is focused on how type looks — creating readable text that's visually pleasing.

I had intended to submit Mexican Red to a publisher that accepts unsolicited western manuscripts, but first to delete the stories from my blog. Then I remembered some are on Vocal and can't be erased. So I guess it will be on Amazon instead. I need to find out if there is a free guide to preparing the book before approaching Amazon, to make it as seamless as possible.

As a writer, do you plot your stories before you begin or are you a pantser? Do you change the plot once it is set or stay rigidly on track?

As for me, I rarely know very far ahead where a story is going. In The Outlaw Rides I had a scenario where Red's love object (Katy Rameriz) runs off with a scamp and marries him; alternately the scamp kidnaps her after being rejected, two or three others. I didn't write on it for over a week because I didn't know how to resolve it. Finally I moved ahead and the characters did as they were created to do and I was able to bring this series of stories to a close.

While gathering material for my book, 4 Tales of Mexican Red, I thought it all to be well edited. But once they were all in a single word document I discovered that much work still was needed. The original story, the longest, suffered minute changes throughout. Then I came to Mexican Red and the Banker. It just didn't fit. So it's 3 Tales instead of 4. Still at work on the last two. Then one hopefully final read after that. Good thing I am retired and have the time.

Cats saunter. Nothing else saunters.