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How to choose the name for your characters

In many cultures it was believed or believed that names are not only something that is used for others to call us, but that they contain the very essence of the person. Perhaps from a pragmatic point of view this statement can be considered exaggerated, but it is not so much if we are talking about characters. Or would Sherlock Holmes not be different if it were called Sherrinford Holmes, as Conan Doyle originally intended? 

We know that names have different connotations for each of us because they remind us of people we have met and it is impossible to know in advance the meaning that a given reader can bring to them. However, there are a number of useful tips when it comes to naming your characters correctly:

1. Give them an intention:

To begin with, do not choose the name just because you like it, you think it is pretty or your high school girlfriend was called that. Give it an intentionality and you will reinforce your story.

2. Don't underestimate the common:

This does not imply that all your characters have to be called strange or bizarre. Don't dismiss a name because it's too common. María or Juan are very common and not very significant, but this can also be an intention sought to highlight, for example, that your character is a normal and ordinary person.

3. Don't limit yourself:

Not all characters have to bear a name in the story, they can also be recognized by a nickname, by their profession, by a characteristic (such as the one-eyed man or the old man), etc.

4. Don't complicate yourself:

Avoid long, complicated or difficult to remember names (especially if it is a choral work), and try to refer to the character always in the same way so as not to confuse the reader. That is, if Francisco is called "the one-eyed man", but he also appears in the book as Fran and as Paco, in the end it will be a mess to know who you are talking about.

In the novel Crime and Punishment all the characters carry a lot of names (Rodion, for example, also sometimes appears as Rodka, Rodia, Romanovich or Raskolnikov). As I read it, I had to make a real effort to differentiate the characters and, in the end, I chose to assign them a letter and instead of Rodia, R was the protagonist for me. This effort is made by an author like the Russian who wrote novels like Crime and Punishment. But if you are not Dostoyevsky, my suggestion is that you try not to confuse the reader, because he may get tired and put your book down before halfway.

5. Use different names for different characters:

For the same reason as in the previous point, do not use very similar names for secondary characters if you want the reader to remember who you are talking about.

In the first draft of my novel Santa Matriuska, there was a Fermín and a Felipe with whose names I myself. They had nothing to do with each other as characters, but they were also confused by those who read that first version of the novel, so I decided to change the name of one of them and the problem was solved.

6. Think together:

When a movie is cast, it is sought that there is a certain chemistry or harmony between the actors. Your character names also work together, and this can help reinforce an idea.

In the movie Lucia and sex there is a whole symbolic bet with the elements of light, the sun and the moon. Its main characters are called Lucía (light), Lorenzo (colloquial name for the sun in Spanish) and Luna: the three names affect the main idea and function as a whole. Each of them makes the other two make sense.

7. Be consistent:

The names must be consistent with the circumstances of the character, his age, the time (common names today were not so much a hundred years ago) and the place where he lives, his social stratum, the ideology of his parents.

Think of your own name: they gave it to you for a reason, because you were born in a specific place, at a specific time and in a specific context, right? So if you try to maintain some logic in the names you choose, you will give more credibility to the story.

8. Use the dictionary:

In case it helps you, here is the address of an online dictionary of names that also includes a review with the meaning, which may be useful when deciding:

So far my list of tips. What do you think? And you, how do you choose the names for your characters?

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23 tricks to be a more creative writer

The original list I'm talking about is a simple list of 33 tips. I wanted to give it a spin and reflect a bit more on the why of each one, so I decided to tune it up a bit and turn it into a list of 23 tricks to be a more creative writer . What do you think:

1. Make lists

Sometimes we get overwhelmed thinking that we have hundreds of things to do, but if we write them down in a list (in tasks and microtasks), it turns out that it is not so bad. We can solve them one by one and cross them out. In this way, the brain is better organized, calms down and has the clearest path to creativity.

2. Take a notebook with you everywhere

I think I have mentioned this many times, but it is essential: do not separate yourself from your notebook. You never know where the spark might come from and you will appreciate having it with you when it does.

3. Try free writing

Launching into writing without further ado, without thinking, without planning anything, can be a great way to kick-start inspiration. To get started, you can use a phrase or a series of words, then let yourself go.

4. Stay away from the TV and the computer

If you are trying to activate the part of the brain that is responsible for giving you ideas, turn off the television and the computer, disconnect the Internet and forget the phone anywhere, far away. They are useful tools for other purposes, but not at all to stimulate creativity.

5. Be different, like from another world

Dare to think differently, to be weird, a green dog. You do not want to be like the others, forget about that: be original by being yourself.

6. Take breaks

The brain works best when you are resting, did you know? So relax from time to time, jump into the fray for a little bit every day, you'll see how later the ideas come by themselves.

7. Sing in the shower

And in the car, at work, on the street... Sing and whistle all you want because it is very healthy for the brain and for the spirit. And a cheerful person is a more creative person. In addition, singing loudly in the shower, without complexes, disinhibits, relaxes and releases stress.

8. Drink coffee or tea

In moderation, of course. One or two cups a day will stimulate your brain. And it also prevents Alzheimer's disease ).

9. Know your roots

I think it is important for a writer to be clear about where she comes from, to know her culture, her roots and her origin. This helps us find our own voice and identify the way we see the world. This does not mean that we have to limit ourselves to our culture, far from it. Wealth is out there !! But as a good friend told me a long time ago: when you know where you come from, you are more prepared to know where you want to go .

10. Listen to new music

And read new books, visit new exhibitions, watch new movies… Always. Culture is something alive and in constant movement. Look at the new things that are being done in all parts because they can provide you with keys, fresh points of view.

11. Seek other opinions, collaborate, open yourself

If I have learned something thanks to this blog, it is that a writer should not be an animal locked up in his study writing for himself. Either virtually or in person, it is very enriching to share, collaborate in writing groups, comment on texts with other writers... In short, exchange words with others.

12. Surround yourself with creative people

Whenever you can. Creativity attracts creativity.

13. Don't give up

Never. Keep trying. Perseverance is essential if you want to be a writer, as much or more than talent.

14. Practice, practice, practice

Writing is like playing an instrument: you have to dedicate time to it. The more you practice, the closer you will be to excellence.

15. Dare to be wrong

Here's an absolute truth, one of the few that I think exists: you're going to be wrong. That's for sure. Sooner or later we all make mistakes. Everybody. He who is not wrong is never because he does not even try. You have to make mistakes many times to be able to get one right.

16. Visit a new site

Try an unfamiliar food, dare to try new things. That stimulates creativity, of course, and gives you experiences and new material to write about.

17. Watch old movies

And old books. Get closer to the classics. It will be worth it.

18. List your virtues

We usually have very clear defects, right? The virtues cost us more. Make a list of all the good things you have. Believe them, enjoy them, meditate for a while in your qualities. Self-esteem is a good companion to creativity because it removes fears and insecurities that prevent us from thinking differently.

19. Break the rules

You know what is usually said: the rules must be known to be able to break them. But, once you get to know them, dare from time to time to transgress them a little, to write differently, to try other things. Surely you will be wrong many times, but some time you will be right and you will discover something new.

20. Learn something new every day

I really like this tip. It is difficult, but exhilarating. It forces you to be attentive, alert, looking for information to learn. All those interesting things that we learn accumulate in the brain and he takes it upon himself to shape them to create ideas.

21. Clean your workspace

It's not about getting fussy about order, but giving it a refresher every now and then so that everything is clearer helps.

22. Have fun

It's fundamental. Have fun in general and have fun writing. There will be those who believe in the tormented writer, in the bohemian and depressed artist, but I believe that writing, even though it can be harder or tiring at times, can be a lot of fun.

23. Finish something

Or all you can. If you finish what you start, if you get your brain used to doing it, you will make it take things more seriously. Surely also the part of generating new ideas that you will later materialize and, like this list of tips, you will finish.

Well, so far the list. What do you think? Are you agree? Any other trick you guys use?

Happy and creative writing!

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How to write a novel in a month and not give up trying

We are almost at the end of October and NaNoWriMo is approaching, the writing marathon that proposes to write a novel of 50,000 words during the month of November. Surely many of you have heard about this event - even participated in it - but, if not, I recommend you take a look at the page NaNoWrimo .

I think the name "writing marathon" is very apt because writing and running are interlinked activities. Writing a novel (fifty thousand words is a short novel, but a novel after all) is like running a marathon.

The goal is not to get there earlier or to run faster than the other. It is a personal challenge, a competition against oneself where the important thing is to arrive, to reach the goal. Finish. Precisely for this reason, when someone finishes one of these races, they receive a T-shirt that says: "I'm a finisher" (something like "I've finished").

But is it really good to set yourself such a specific goal to write a novel? Should we put a specific number of words to write in such a short period of time?

Not always. There are writers who may find this technique frustrating and find that they are more concerned with counting words ("Have I been 5,000 yet? Aren't half done yet?") Than focusing on writing. If you are one of them, you have two options: you can leave the writing marathon for other writers because it is something that does not suit you, or you can try to follow any of the following tips to participate in the NaNoWriMo :

Plan your novel well

Do a preliminary work before starting to write and create an outline with the complete story, even in broad strokes, to know more or less how many chapters it will have and what will happen in each of them. Do some prewriting work and you'll save time later. If you don't do this, it may get out of hand by the middle of the month.

For a short novel like the ones proposed in NaNoWriMo, the ideal is to create short chapters, between 1,500 and 2,000 words each, to keep them under control and be able to finish them on time.

Convert the words into chapters

The best way to not be constantly counting how many words you carry is to write by chapters or scenes. If you plan your novel well, as we mentioned in the previous point, you will know how many chapters it has and the length of each one of them.

It is not the same to say “I have to write fifty thousand words this month, today I have at least two thousand words” than “I have to finish forty chapters this month; today I have to write two». By thinking in chapters, you can relax and write from scene to scene without stopping every bit to count.

Work in small batches

This is interesting advice for both the NanoWriMo and regular book writing. An average novel has between 90,000 and 150,000 words. Calculated like this, it is overwhelming. The minimum fifty thousand words they propose in NaNoWriMo can be too.

The solution? Divide the bulk of the book into smaller goals. Aim for a specific number of words per day (better yet, chapters) so you don't panic. For example, if you plan to write every day, you can set a goal of about 1,700 words or one chapter per session. Doesn't that seem so much anymore?

Set weekly goals instead of daily

It can also be productive to propose to write X words or chapters a week instead of a day, since not all days are the same. Some will have the inspiration in favor, but others will cost you more to write and you will not be able to finish the goal set.

To avoid getting frustrated before finishing, you can define the number of chapters you have to write each week instead of each day; this way you leave some margin to vary the production depending on how you feel.

Find your most productive moment

A few weeks ago we posted a blog post to find out what your best time to write is. And your place too. The experiment consisted of using cards where we marked certain information in each of our writing sessions. Then these cards will help us analyze when, how and where we are most productive as writers. With this information, we have an advantage when it comes to organizing the calendar to finish our novel.

Make a realistic calendar

Really analyze how many hours a day you can dedicate to the novel. But really, not the ones you would like. Be honest with yourself if you want to finish this challenge. Don't set a goal to write five chapters each day if you're only going to have one hour to write. It is very possible that you do not have time. This would cause you frustration and you would quit before finishing.

Remember that you are writing a draft

If you set a goal for a month to finish a novel, don't be obsessed with perfect writing. It is a first version, a draft. Write it without stopping to touch it up or analyze the details. There will be time for that when you carry out the review. What you have to do during this month is relax and enjoy.

What do you think of writing a novel in a month? Do you feel like it? Have you participated or do you plan to participate in NaNoWriMo?

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Examples of how to write action scenes

In this second post we are going to see six examples taken from books and authors very different from each other, to be able to analyze how they solved their action scenes. Let's see what you think:

Excerpt from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", by JKRowling

Bellatrix raised her wand and exclaimed:

- I torture!

Neville howled and drew his legs toward his chest so that the Death Eater holding him had to hold him in the air for a moment. Then the man released Neville, who fell to the ground, twisting and screaming in pain.

"That was just a snack!" Bellatrix exclaimed, raising her wand again. Neville stopped screaming and lay at her feet, sobbing. The Death Eater turned and looked at Harry. And now, Potter, give us the prophecy or you will have to watch your little friend die slowly.

This time Harry didn't have to think: he had no choice. He reached out and held out the prophecy, which had been warmed by the warmth of his hands. Lucius Malfoy stepped forward to catch it.

But then, suddenly, at the top of the room, two doors opened and five people ran into the room: Sirius, Lupine, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley.

Malfoy turned and raised his wand, but Tonks had already cast a stunning spell on him. Harry did not wait to see if he had hit his mark, but jumped off the dais and stepped quickly away. The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of members of the Order, peppering them with spells from above as they descended the bleachers into the moat. Between running bodies and flashes of light, Harry saw Neville crawl on the ground, so he dodged another beam of red light and threw himself to the ground to reach his friend.

Fragment of “El zorro”, by Isabel Allende

Three times they were able to reload their muskets before Chief Gray Wolf, followed by his bravest warriors, managed to climb the barricade and invade the ship, where he was greeted by the Spanish. In the chaos of the battle, Captain Alejandro de la Vega never lost sight of the Indian chief, and as soon as he managed to free himself from the enemies that surrounded him, he jumped on him, confronting him with a roar of a beast, saber in hand. He dropped the steel with all his might, but hit the ground because the Gray Wolf chief's instinct had warned him of danger a second before and he managed to steal the body, leaning to the side. The brutal momentum used in the lunge threw the captain off balance, and he went forward, stumbled, fell to his knees and his sword struck the ground, splitting in half. With a shout of triumph, the Indian raised his spear to pierce the Spaniard from side to side, but he was unable to complete the gesture because a blow to the back of his neck knocked him from the mouth and rendered him immobile.

Excerpt from "The Return of the King", by JRRTolkien

Suddenly, the hideous beast flapped its wings, kicking up a foul wind. It rose into the air, and then it swooped down on Eowyn, attacking her with its beak and open claws.

Eowyn was unmoved now: maiden of Rohan, descendant of kings, supple as a reed but tempered as steel, beautiful but terrible. He delivered a swift, deft, and deadly blow. And when the sword cut through the outstretched neck, the head fell like a stone, and the bulk of the body collapsed with open wings. Eowyn jumped back. But the shadow had already vanished. A glow enveloped her and her hair gleamed in the light of the rising sun.

Fragment of "The Three Musketeers", by Alexandre Dumas

He had just finished when d'Artagnan struck him a furious thrust which, had he not jumped back swiftly, he would probably have been joking for the last time. The stranger then saw that the thing was happening as a joke, drew his sword, saluted his adversary and became gravely on guard. But at the same moment, his two listeners, accompanied by the host, fell on D'Artagnan with their sticks, kicks, and shoves. Which was such a rapid and complete diversion in the attack that D'Artagnan's adversary, as he turned to face that rain of blows, sheathed with the same precision, and, as an actor, that he had ceased to be , he became a spectator of the combat again, a role that he fulfilled with his usual impassiveness, muttering nevertheless:

"What a plague of Gascons!" Put him on his orange horse, and let him go!

"Not before I killed you, coward!" Shouted d'Artagnan as he faced the best he could and without retreating a step from his three enemies, who beat him to the ground.

"One more gasconada!" Murmured the gentleman. By my faith these Gascons are incorrigible! Continue the dance, because he wants it! When you are tired you will say that you have enough.

But the stranger didn't know what kind of stubborn he had to deal with; D'Artagnan was not a man who ever asked for mercy. So the combat continued for a few seconds yet; at last, D'Artagnan, exhausted, let his sword escape, which a blow broke into two pieces. Another blow that struck him lightly on the forehead, knocked him down almost at the same time, all bloodied and almost fainted.

Fragment of "Africanus", by Santiago Posterguillo

"Follow me who you can!" The general is in danger! And without waiting for a response from his soldiers, he left the Carthaginian group and slashed his way through the Iberians. He charged with such ferocity that once he struck down two enemy warriors, the rest fell back.

Several dozen soldiers followed Hannibal's attack. New Iberian reinforcements met them, but Aníbal's determination was such that enemy after enemy fell under his blows. Blood flowed down the edge of his sword to his hand and then his elbow. He had drops of splatter on his face and someone had hit him in the arm, but he was still steadfast, moving toward his father. Amílcar was no longer visible, but only a bunch of Iberians in a circle striking out. Hannibal sensed the worst. The rest of the soldiers who accompanied him had understood what was happening and seemed to have caught the same spirit of rage that drove Hannibal.

Hamilcar fought surrounded by enemies. One by one the few Carthaginian soldiers who were fighting to protect him fell. There were dozens of Iberians who had thrown themselves against them. In the distance, the wild and desolate roars of elephants seemed to be heard, but they never seemed to arrive. At that moment he felt the first wound, deep, in his side. A bias that made him double over. Another Carthaginian soldier fell beside him. He heard the voice of the rest.

"The general was wounded!" They hurt the ge...!

That soldier could not finish. An Iberian sword sliced ​​through his throat as his interrupted scream warned his companions of endless disaster. The Iberians finished off the rest of the escort and pounced on Hamilcar. He rose once more and raised his shield in resistance. For some reason he didn't have the strength to use his other arm and fight with his sword. He was unaware of the depth of the wound that had cut the muscles in his right forearm. At that moment came a final blow from the back and he felt his body tremble and fall flat on the ground, his face towards the earth soaked by the stream that crossed the valley. The Iberians went to finish him off but at that moment a group of Carthaginians fell on them, roaring in droves and delivering deadly blows loaded with hatred and revenge. Aníbal in particular shot down three Iberians in three accurate shots in less than five seconds. The elephants began to arrive and skillfully directed by their drivers, they crushed the terrified Iberians who had never seen such beasts before. In a matter of minutes all the warriors that had surrounded the Carthaginian general were slaughtered and in a short time the entire attack was repelled. However, for Hannibal, everything had come late, infinitely late.

Fragment of “Everything under the sky”, by Matilde Asensi

What followed was one of the most unusual scenes I have ever seen in my life. At lightning speed, Mr. Jiang drew a long fan at least twice the normal size from his robe and, with a withering blow, threw Fernanda, Biao, Tichborne, and me back against him. ground, far away. I don't remember him hurting me, but the force with which he propelled me could have been that of a Paris bus. However, the most incredible thing of all was that, as soon as we touched the ground, Mr. Jiang was already fighting with the five thugs at the same time without hardly moving and with his left arm calmly resting behind his back, as if having a pleasant conversation with some friends. One of the hitmen threw his leg to give him a very strong kick and Mr. Jiang, calmly holding the fan against his belly, struck him with his foot so that the hitman's leg bounced back, hitting one of his companions squarely and throwing him against a pile of garbage. The guy must have been unconscious because he no longer moved and the one with the kick, who had lost his balance, was tumbling and moving his arms in the air until he crashed against a large rock that hit him square in the head and it bounced him back like a ball. Meanwhile, a third minion had picked up speed and was attempting to kick Mr. Jiang terribly from the left in the middle of the run. But the antiquarian, still unperturbed, parried the blow with his fan, dumping it on his instep. I would not be mistaken, because what I am telling happened so quickly that the eyes could hardly follow it (and I was still on the ground, trying to get up), but I would say that, at that moment, the henchman, while withdrawing his leg, he threw his fist into Lao Jiang's stomach, who, very deliberately, hit him with the fan on the wrist and, from there, went up to his face and hit him too. The guy gave a horrible scream and, as his left cheek began to bleed profusely, his right hand and foot dangled lifelessly, like those skinned animals we had seen in the butcher shops suspended from a hook. Meanwhile, two other hit men were running at Lao Jiang with outstretched fists; the first took a tremendous blow to his ribs that left him breathless and, the second, to the arm with which he was going to beat the antiquarian, so that both were at once hesitant allowing Mr. Jiang to take advantage of those brief seconds to deliver, to one, a tremendous blow to the head that made him collapse to the ground like a wrestler without knowledge and, to the other, a brutal kick in the stomach that catapulted him backwards hunched over himself. Neither moved again.

What do you think of these scenes? Any other that you remember that you liked?

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Learn what creative writing is, examples, benefits, techniques, tips and more

Creative writing is a literary technique that is being adopted by web writers to improve the quality of their content and communicate a message in a more human way. Learn to incorporate it into your texts with this article!

In a world saturated with content, getting users to read a blog post from start to finish seems like an impossible task at first glance. Even if it shows correct information, a text is only successful if it manages to connect with the reader and resolve their concerns.

Given this challenge, web writers are using creative writing to produce more compelling copy for their users.

Do you know what is it about? In this article we tell you what creative writing is, what its benefits are, and how you can use this technique to attract more readers to your blog .

Stay with us!

What is creative writing?

By definition, creative writing is a practice used primarily by writers in the literary world to create epic stories outside the traditional frameworks of journalistic, professional, academic or technical writing .

For this reason, the texts they produce are full of creativity, expressiveness and imagination.

Creative writing has certain elements that keep the reader's attention and curiosity throughout the text, such as:

real or fictional narratives with characters constructed so that the reader feels identified;

ideas expressed with an aesthetic language;

originality in the creation of both informative and entertaining stories;

use of storytelling to awaken emotions.

Due to its ability to present complex ideas in an entertaining way, many companies and copywriters are applying this literary technique in Content Marketing.

4 examples of creative writing

Here are the most useful creative writing examples for Content Marketing.

1. Script

Text that exposes the content and history of an audiovisual material. It is useful if you plan to include videos in your content strategy.

2. Story

Short narration starring few characters, with a simple plot, which seeks to awaken an emotional reaction in the reader. Ideal for explaining methods or processes in a playful way.

3. Story

Structured narration that represents a succession of events through language with a uniform reading. Convenient to include examples in writing.

4. Essay

Text that explores, analyzes, interprets or evaluates a topic, ideal to convince the reader. Synthesize a topic and its purpose is to explore or argue about it.

What techniques to follow in creative writing?

If at this point you have already convinced yourself to use creative writing in your texts, now you must be wondering how to do it? We've put together 7 tips that will make the writing process easier.

1. Plan a writing routine

Relying on inspiration to write is one of the most common copywriters mistakes. The creativity is a habit that takes concentration, which is only possible through a routine work.

Set a dedicated writing window away from any distractions. Get into a comfortable place, put on inspiring music, and begin to hone the ideas you've been working on.

2. Write daily

Like any other technique, creative writing takes practice to improve. Although not everything you write should deserve a Nobel Prize in Literature, getting used to writing every day will give you discipline and perspective.

Stephen King, one of the most prolific authors of this era, commented in an interview that he writes 6 pages a day. I don't want to say that you should follow their rhythm, but their discipline.

3. Read a lot about different topics

Following Stephen King, the fact that he is an avid reader is known. Rather than studying the narrative structures used by other authors, reading books, blogs or magazines will allow you to learn about other stories, have more background and acquire new perspectives.

4. Write down all the ideas that come to your head

Even though you can't depend on inspiration to write, when it comes it's always welcome, right?

Therefore, it is a good idea to always have a notebook and a pencil on hand - or at least the notepad of your cell phone - to write down those fresh ideas that you can implement in future texts.

5. Structure your ideas before writing

Organize the events on a timeline, define which points you will explore first, and how they are triggered, which will help you explain the main topic.

Only when you are clear about what you want to communicate and what the objective of the text is, you can decide how you will write it.

6. Use literary figures

Figures such as metaphor, irony or paradox, to name a few, are available for you to include in your writing to embellish the narrative, as long as they are relevant and facilitate reading.

Of course, no exaggeration with adjectives or words used only in old Spanish!

7. Create bonds with the reader through your characters and their stories

Narration is an essential element in creative writing. Establish a context to include a story within an article and create your characters based on the needs of your readers to generate empathy.

What are the benefits of creative writing for Content Marketing?

Implementing creative writing in a content strategy helps you deliver a message more assertively.

For example, using the dialogue between two characters, you can present opposite examples or ideas. With metaphors you make your text more understandable and entertaining. And with the development of characters empathize with the readers.

In summary, the advantages of using creative writing in Content Marketing strategies are:

attract and retain readers by creating interesting and quality content;

present complex information in a pleasant way;

increase the length of stay by encouraging reading through stories;

improve communication of the message;

promote attention, memory, understanding and concentration;

hook readers to a copywriter or brand's writing style ;

increase the chances of conversion by delivering value.

Conclusion

Creative writing is an increasingly popular technique among web writers for its success in connecting with readers, increasing their time spent on pages, and thus increasing the chances of conversion.