Thank you for this! I love Capote so much. And I'm obsessed with the relationship he had with Harper Lee. It's the only banned book I ever read where I was marveled by the fact that she wasn't shot in the head and still living in the South. I can't get enough of the two. I lived in Tennessee for years. Crazy.
A-ha! In one entry in his abundance of diaries Franz Kafka remarks of two seamstresses who are secondary characters in a play (they sew the linen for the play’s bride): “What happens to these two girls? Where do they live? What have they done that they may not be part of the play but stand, as it were, outside in front of Noah’s ark, drowning in the downpour of rain, and may only press their faces one last time against a cabin window, so that the audience in the stalls sees something dark there for a moment?”
Your order of importance with the DOES > SAYS >THINKS > NAME is fascinating to me. Does that mean you can depict a nameless character with little dialogue and thinking, as long as they are doing something clear and compelling?
And when you say THINKS...is that introspection? Hmmm, I always believed it was a good thing to include introspection to build a character's voice.
You definitely speak to me with this. I hate choosing names for characters. And I even got a baby book of my own with 100,000 names. Should I throw it away? Haha
To me, it always feels like choosing a name is done out of obligation because...everybody's gotta have a name, right? It's even more complicated when you want to choose a name with a meaning that relates to the lesson they have to learn or the theme of the story.
Eh screw it, I'm naming all my male characters Jean-Luc.
I had a drink with Truman Capote one time at the Mansion Bar in Missoula, MT. He was there for a book tour. Told a VERY funny story about a party in Beverly Hills where they had a scavenger hunt. One item was an Oscar statuette. They went to Walter Matthau's house and he gave them his. Johnny Carson was on his team and never left the car cause he was so blitzed. I tried to come up with an original, show-off question to ask Truman and finally said, "So, how did you meet Bianca Jagger" So lame. I still kick myself. And I think it made him mad that I was more interested in her than him. I'm including the anecdote in a new book I'm working on.
The big moosie. That’s what I sometimes call my dog, Abby. Although, she doesn’t really know what I call her. She’s deaf. And an uncoordinated klutz. Things like that nickname made me love Fight Club so much because it gave The Narrator that much more … authority? It makes both characters feel so much more real. Just like what you’re saying with Mr. Good Hair. And depending on how that person relates to you your mind has a way of framing a certain perception of them. It’s intriguing to consider that a guy at work could be Mr. Perfect to everyone at the office and at home to his family he could be Mr. Domestic Violence. The next day he could be Mr. Jobless.
As far as inventing names in writing go...the same principle holds true for someone's job. I don't like small talk. I don't care what you do as a job or what your title is unless some shits on your desk every morning. To quote Django Unchained "You had my curiosity. Now you've got my attention."
I wish I was part of the Zappa family— they have the best names and the coolest of cool, Frank as a Father. Met Dweezil a few times, made him an UPcycled flannel—- he played the whole “Hot Rats” album like a GOD in Cleveland.
Joe Frank! The Bible Salesman! I often think of his stories and that story in particular. Just dark and perfect. He was a good man. It was very action based with short words and visuals and scathing. Yes. I often think of him.
Another thought! My friend just posted a FB story about how to make potato salad. He does this wearing bondage gear and fisting gloves. And he follows the recipes beautifully. And half the fun is the comments. I've never been more excited about potato salad in my life.
And Flannery O'Conner's A Good Man Is Hard to Find which may be my most favorite of all things was nearly devoid of names. Just a bunch of terror. She was devastating.
His name will be Levi because he will be a little bastard.
Thank you for this! I love Capote so much. And I'm obsessed with the relationship he had with Harper Lee. It's the only banned book I ever read where I was marveled by the fact that she wasn't shot in the head and still living in the South. I can't get enough of the two. I lived in Tennessee for years. Crazy.
A-ha! In one entry in his abundance of diaries Franz Kafka remarks of two seamstresses who are secondary characters in a play (they sew the linen for the play’s bride): “What happens to these two girls? Where do they live? What have they done that they may not be part of the play but stand, as it were, outside in front of Noah’s ark, drowning in the downpour of rain, and may only press their faces one last time against a cabin window, so that the audience in the stalls sees something dark there for a moment?”
It’s no wonder he does not ask their names…
Great post.
Your order of importance with the DOES > SAYS >THINKS > NAME is fascinating to me. Does that mean you can depict a nameless character with little dialogue and thinking, as long as they are doing something clear and compelling?
And when you say THINKS...is that introspection? Hmmm, I always believed it was a good thing to include introspection to build a character's voice.
You definitely speak to me with this. I hate choosing names for characters. And I even got a baby book of my own with 100,000 names. Should I throw it away? Haha
To me, it always feels like choosing a name is done out of obligation because...everybody's gotta have a name, right? It's even more complicated when you want to choose a name with a meaning that relates to the lesson they have to learn or the theme of the story.
Eh screw it, I'm naming all my male characters Jean-Luc.
Working in a nursing home I get lots of good ideas for names. Last names especially.
Like a giant stepping into a creek, dividing the stream into many.
Wonderful insight.
My friend just renamed me Fergus, I really like it..
I had a drink with Truman Capote one time at the Mansion Bar in Missoula, MT. He was there for a book tour. Told a VERY funny story about a party in Beverly Hills where they had a scavenger hunt. One item was an Oscar statuette. They went to Walter Matthau's house and he gave them his. Johnny Carson was on his team and never left the car cause he was so blitzed. I tried to come up with an original, show-off question to ask Truman and finally said, "So, how did you meet Bianca Jagger" So lame. I still kick myself. And I think it made him mad that I was more interested in her than him. I'm including the anecdote in a new book I'm working on.
Why does Tyler Durden work so well then
The big moosie. That’s what I sometimes call my dog, Abby. Although, she doesn’t really know what I call her. She’s deaf. And an uncoordinated klutz. Things like that nickname made me love Fight Club so much because it gave The Narrator that much more … authority? It makes both characters feel so much more real. Just like what you’re saying with Mr. Good Hair. And depending on how that person relates to you your mind has a way of framing a certain perception of them. It’s intriguing to consider that a guy at work could be Mr. Perfect to everyone at the office and at home to his family he could be Mr. Domestic Violence. The next day he could be Mr. Jobless.
As far as inventing names in writing go...the same principle holds true for someone's job. I don't like small talk. I don't care what you do as a job or what your title is unless some shits on your desk every morning. To quote Django Unchained "You had my curiosity. Now you've got my attention."
I wish I was part of the Zappa family— they have the best names and the coolest of cool, Frank as a Father. Met Dweezil a few times, made him an UPcycled flannel—- he played the whole “Hot Rats” album like a GOD in Cleveland.
Joe Frank! The Bible Salesman! I often think of his stories and that story in particular. Just dark and perfect. He was a good man. It was very action based with short words and visuals and scathing. Yes. I often think of him.
Had a small revelation this morning. In a sex scene, is the orgasm a kind of clock? Because it would be a moment that concludes the scene.
Another thought! My friend just posted a FB story about how to make potato salad. He does this wearing bondage gear and fisting gloves. And he follows the recipes beautifully. And half the fun is the comments. I've never been more excited about potato salad in my life.
And Flannery O'Conner's A Good Man Is Hard to Find which may be my most favorite of all things was nearly devoid of names. Just a bunch of terror. She was devastating.