What Not to Do With your Stories + Other Randomness

N A M E S

Dare I say more?

Names are a huge part of life- in fact, studies have shown that names set up certain expectations, can influence people, and seem to be tied to self esteem. However, they can also be tied to perception and stereotypes. 

Most parents have a distinct idea of what a name means- it's basically a brand that you wear for the rest of your life (unless you decide to change your name). Parents also consider the effects of having such a name- will my child get bullied? Will they receive any horrid nicknames?

Now, what happens when you name your kid Espn? How are you supposed to pronounce that- Aspen, Espen? What?

And that is real news- there was a Texas couple who named their child Espn after the sports brand ESPN. I'm sorry to say this, but that's just stupid.

In this day and age when nobody names their daughter Olive or their son Bob, and instead go for more 'out there' names and monikers like Blue Ivy, Apple, and Air Pilot, it's nearly impossible to find a fitting name. Why, just yesterday I saw a question on a public forum- Is Katherine too old fashioned of a name? 

Well, Katherine is most certainly not! It is a name that has traveled through the centuries with us- yes, the spelling has differed- but the pronunciation is more or less the same. 

Now for what I really had to say- name your characters like you are naming you own child. Understand this, would a parent in their right mind name their child 'Champagne Scott'? I think not. 

I completely understand the use of more futuristic/magical names in fantasy and Sci-fi novels. However, what I do not understand the use of 'Ember Roseetta Mccalway Hallighan Jenesis Taylor Kanye Lindsay Swift Madonna Timbuktu' 'cause I don't think a parent would name their child that unless they were very drunk and lived in a psychiatric institution, but I'm sure they were not.

What doesn't make sense to me is when the author decides to name their gay MC 'Esmerelda' Like whaaa-?

There is a very thin line between unique and stupid- and no offense to any Kardashian lovers, but North West is just a terrible name. Also, I completely understand the whole thing with languages because something that means one thing could mean something else in a different language. However, please try to put in an authors note in the beginning just so I don't sit there wondering why you'd name your character 'Pee'.