Sometimes it takes me a while to find the name.
When I first began work on The Source Chronicles, it was my unnamed Fantasy project. I began my glossary so I could track the characters, and I called it The Source. This would, in turn, lead me to find the plot, whereby my mysterious sorcerer was questing to find an ancient something called The Source. He would be called the Seeker.
Seeker of The Source would be completed, and I had even acquired an agent to shop it around. But he was not normally an agent for YA or Fantasy, and after I think two years, we ended our association. Then it was suggested I hire Lone to edit my work, and my writing would never be the same.
I am a far better writer and editor today because of all I learned from Lone’s edit of Seeker. Further, since I was already done with Book 2 and starting on Book 3, she suggested I give the overall series a name. With a suggestion from my best friend Kristin, The Source Chronicles was born. Seeker of The Source became Seeker – The Source Chronicles Book I
Lone and I have long since lost touch, but I found an editor for both Finder – The Source Chronicles Book II, and Clouds of Authority, my Steampunk novel (and first book of The Vapor Rogues series). But for Harbinger, which covers a great deal of characters and time, I am beginning to work with a new editor. Thus far, I suspect she may also help me to grow as a writer and editor.
In addition to regular blogging over at The Ramblings of the Titanium Don, and editing Harbinger, I have been working on an epic sci-fi adventure.
The Space-Opera with No-Name.
I have been working on this sci-fi opus for more than a year. I have created an incredible number of characters, worlds, starships, races, and many unique names. There have been battle scenes, character development, plotting, and both the use and rejection of numerous tropes. This is the kind of sci-fi I would love to watch on a screen, and it’s a whole lot of fun to write.
Yet after all this time, a name eludes me. Sure, it took me some time to come up with Seeker’s original name, but I do not recall it taking me this long. I wait to be inspired, to find the title that will not only excite me, but entice you to want to read it.
There was a professor of mine in college who said every name an author creates has meaning. From my own work, I can tell you that this is bullshit. Certainly there are writers who place meaning in names, and that is a part of their mystique. But many of us simply create names out of randomness. That’s how I work, at any rate.
The title of the novel is important. If it turns out this is going to be a series, or I feel the need to create other stories in the same universe – and I might – the series will need a name as well. On the one hand, this can be somewhat frustrating. But on the other hand, this is part of the fun of writing in general.
Eventually I’ll also have to work out cover art, but that won’t be for a while. So far, I have drawn the top-view of one of the main starships in the series, and I will eventually find an artist to render this better than I can.
A rose by any other name…
Names have power. How many tales are out there where someone hides their “true name” so as not to give away their power? It’s an intriguing concept, really, because we humans are almost obsessed with giving things names.
I write because I feel a need, akin to breathing, eating and drinking. Writing is a part of who I am. I am signed up for an online group and class to improve how I work and earn as a writer, and will likely post something about that down the line. There is always work to be done.
I know that eventually I will have a name for this novel. There is always a name to be found.
Thank you for staying abreast of my work.
I have always named my rides, from my first pedal bike to my most recent motor vehicle. Or, more accurately, I have asked the conveyances what their names were and so far they have deemed fit to share their names with me. Only the most recent vehicle needed to be named rather than share it’s name with me. Mayhap asking the main narrator what is the name of his/her/its tale could illuminate the title. Note that I’ve had many an argument with the vehicles while puzzling out their names, so this may not be the sanest approach.