Fast Draft workshop: Day 8

I admit it. I'm a sick person. I live obsessed with my heros' and heroines' names. I can't write a story if I don't have the "perfect" name for them. Many fellow writers have suggested me to give them temporary names (or "working" names) until I can come up with something better for them, but I just can't do that. I've tried; believe me, I have T-R-I-E-D. But it just drives me crazy not knowing their names! I keep thinking about their names (to the point of obsession) so I can't focus on the story until I have their names. Sometimes I've gone for days without writing a word of the story just because I don't know the name of the hero and heroine; and therefore, nothing in the story - the plot and the conflict - makes sense to me. For me, a name is very thing. It says so much about a character that I get a feel for them. (Look at Pearl in The Scarlet Letter, or Ernest in The Importance of Being Earnest.) Through their names I get to know so much about my characters. Who they are. How they perceive life. What makes them tick. That's why I keep a database on Excel with names for heroines, heroes, and villains. Every time I see a name I like, I put it in. Then I try to find a last name that matches. I also keep a list of surnames for that purpose. Am I crazy? *watches you all nodding emphatically* Hey!!! You don't have to agree so fast, you know. Besides, it was just a rhetorical question. Sheeesh! Is there something you must absolutely need to know about your story/characters (like the title, characters' names, the name of the town, etc.) before you jump to write the story? Pages written for Fast Draft workshop: 0