Blog of writer Pat Griffith

Audience Participation

6/20/2015

One of the best things about going to the movies on opening weekend is the audience interaction. In the case of Jurassic World there were gasps, squeals, cheering, and clapping.

I LOVE THAT!

Sometimes I go see old movies at Castro Theater. When you are in a room full of people who have just paid $10 plus dollars for a movie that is 10-30 years old you know those people are fans and they show it.

The craziest audience I have sat in was for Breaking Dawn. I do not like those movies but the fans are amazing. In the final fight scene I was astounded and the cheers and booing that went on with each decapitation. It was a spectacle to be sure.

Doctor Who fans at the 50th anniversary showing were the best. They are all so loyal and fun. Getting people to pay to watch TV in a movie theater is a pretty impressive feat.

My favorite is when they did the re-release of the original Star Wars trilogy. Again, people paying full price for something they've seen dozens, if not hundreds or times. Luke telling the emperor that he was a Jedi, like his father before him, filled the room with cheers. It was awesome. I suspect that Star Wars VII will be an enthusiastic showing.

In case you missed my official Twitter review of Jurassic World it was: Jurassic World was AAAAAAAHHHHHsome! Not for the faint of heart.

The Name Game

6/5/2015

One of my favorite things about writing has always been naming characters. First it was just about the sound of the name or the significance of the name but it quickly became about the meaning of the name. I think it's important that as you build your characters you take their names into serious consideration.

I think I have a preconceived notions about certain names and these names often get used to fill side characters as a kind of stereotyping. Like Arthur. First things that pops in my head is King Arthur. I don't think of a bear, which is what Arthur means, I think nobility and integrity. This is how I feel about many English/Welsh names.

Sometimes I discover a cool name and I want to find a person to go with it. This is the case with Esben. It's a male name that means "god." With that kind of name I needed a character who thought the world of himself. I wouldn't say Esben is conceited but he is extremely confident and sure of who he is and what he wants.

On occasion I have characters that name themselves. When this happens I think a lot about the meaning. What is my subconscious trying to tell me? I have a fantasy type character who just appeared one day and I knew that his name was Thomas, which means twin. Thomas Anderson is Neo from the Matrix. Neo is the twin of Thomas, they are two sides of the same person. I haven't found the actual twin of my Thomas which makes me think it's metaphorical.

The only precaution regarding naming is you want to mix it up. Don't have all your characters names start with the the same letter or the reader will get confused. If all the names rhyme or end with the same sound it could get confusing too. Say the names out loud. List them together and see how they look on the page.

In this day and age it doesn't hurt to have a unique name but always Google it make sure it's not already taken by some famous book or movie you aren't familiar with. That is of course you are wanting to create an association in the readers mind, i.e. Darcy.

When in doubt workshop it or take a poll. You'll know the right name when you see it.

Audience Participation

The Name Game

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