The interesting part about writing a story is creating characters. As I watch them evolve on paper I always wonder where they come from – people I have experienced in my life, characters I have seen on TV, characters and traits that I would like to see in people, or characteristics that evolve as I write the story? Perhaps a little of all.
Creating names for my characters is fun as well. In homage to those that help me with the story – my beta readers, I will give them a cameo. Not a leading role, but a nod to their contribution to my work.
In A Mother’s Gift I named the characters after people I know. Mostly.
The main character Charlotte, was originally called Paula. Paula Martin. I wrote the story using that name and then came across her picture while looking through some albums one day. Not sure what drew me to that album.
Paula was a nurse who cared for my daughter in ICU just after she was born. She was calm and reassuring as we dealt with the questions before us during those early days of my daughter’s life. Thankfully, she came through without a hitch. Paula made that easier.
However, as I read the story, I decided to save the name Paula Martin for another story. Instead, I wanted to honour a woman I knew in school, someone who I went to school through all twelve grades. She was just one of those people who was always there but didn’t stand out like the noisy colourful ones did.
I ran into her at a high school reunion a number of years ago. During our catch up she told me about a math class where she was having troubles with the concepts of the day. She asked the teacher for help and he sent her to me.
I asked her if I helped her. She said, oh yeah, I explained it and made it really easy.
What struck me about that was that I didn’t remember helping her at all.
That’s why I wanted to name my main character after her. So that she would know I remembered her as a person.
Now the Charlotte of my story looks nothing like the Charlotte I went to school with, nor do they behave the same. At least not that I know – school ended decades ago, and we both have lived a lot of life since then.
Charlotte the person is more like someone else I know, but that will have to wait for another blog post.
