Amphelisia

Meaning: (On Both Sides, Around, Noble, Nobility, Kind, Friendly, From the Blessed Isles, and Devoted to God. Amphelisia is found as a woman's name from the 12th to the 18th century, but the etymology is unknown. This form was used by Wolfram von Eschenbach for two characters in his Middle High German romance 'Parzival', one of which was the Queen of France during the time of Uther. Amphélise belonged to the mother of Pope Urban V.)

Origin: (Medieval English, Literature)

Pronunciation: (am-fuh-el-ee-see-uh, am-phuh-elye-see-uh, Elisia: EHLIYSiyAH)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I really think this is a unique name with a great old history. It kind of makes me think amphibian when I see it though. I could not find a pronunciation so I am going to put my guess above but if anyone knows it please let me know in the comment section of this post as I would be grateful. I think this looks a little bit like an Elfish name. I really like this name but the pronunciation or lack there of is throwing me off.


Edit December 29, 2015:

So I felt bad that I had not done enough research for this name or also that I really couldn't find very much. So I looked up each part of the name again. The latter part of the name which is Elisia means the following, Noble, Nobility, Kind, Friendly, From the Blessed Isles, and Devoted to God. So since I think those are great meanings for a part of the name I am going to add it above. I also found the pronunciation for Elisia so I added that above under Pronunciation.

So the first part Amph however was harder. I did read it was similar and came from Amphi like in Amphitheatre, if that is true then the first part means, On Both Sides, Around. I can't be for sure if that is right. Even if I am not 100% sure I am going to add those meanings above as I did for the latter part Elisia.

If the meanings are right then the meaning combinations could be, On Both Sides Noble, On Both Sides of Nobility, On Both Sides Friendly, On Both Sides From the Blessed Isles, ect.

So again I am not 100% sure these meanings are correctly applied to this name but from my research they are close and are meanings for each part of the name separated but not necessary correct when the parts are combined but they seem good to me. This is just one of those old tricky names whose meanings and History has all but disappeared with time and not being used.

Galiena

Meaning: (High One, The Land of the Gaul, Calm, Haughty)

Origin: (Old German, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (GaaLIYNAH)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this but I really kind of like it. The first couple of meanings are really nice, except the last meaning Haughty. I do however see the word Alien when I see this name and so that throws me off sometimes. A good other spelling could be Galena but I still like Galiena a bit better even if I think Alien. It has an outer space opera look and also a royal look which I like.

Carnelian / Cornelian

Meaning: (A Red Gem, Flesh, Fleshy, Made of Flesh, although now the more common term, "carnelian" is a 16th-century corruption of the 14th-century word "cornelian" (and its associated orthographies corneline and cornalyn). Cornelian, cognate with similar words in several Romance languages, comes from the Mediaeval Latin corneolus, itself derived from the Latin word cornum, the cornel cherry, whose translucent red fruits resemble the stone. The Oxford English Dictionary calls "carnelian" a perversion of "cornelian", by subsequent analogy with the Latin word caro, carnis, flesh. According to Pliny the Elder, sard derives its name from the city of Sardis in Lydia, but it more likely comes from the Persian word سرد sered, meaning yellowish-red.)

Origin: (Latin)

Pronunciation: (Carnelian: kahr-NEEL-yan, Cornelian: kore-NEEL-yan)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I was looking at medieval clothing and I saw a dress with a necklace that had a carnelian stone. I really love the name no matter which above spelling is used, though Cornelian is an earlier version. Cornelian makes me think female version or even alternative of Cornelius *see on list of posts*. If you want to see more information about the stone and name meaning go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnelian

I found a site I haven’t used before that had great information on the name Carnelian so if you would like to go to: http://www.onceuponatimebabynames.com/2012/10/carnelian.html

I like the medieval nature of this name and the name makes me think Gypsy for some reason but I also think it would be amazing on an outer space beautiful strong character. This would be a great alternative as well to much more common gem jewel names such as Emerald or Esmeralda *see on list of posts*, Opal *see on list of posts*, Beryl *see on list of posts*, Sapphire *see on list of posts*, Pearl, Ruby, Jade *see on list of posts*, and Amber or Ambra *see on list of posts* among others.

Cheyenne

Meaning: (Derived from the Dakota Indian Shaiyena which is from Shaia “To Speak Unintelligibly”. The name is that of a tribe of Algonquian Indians, as well as a river and city name.)

Origin: (Native American)

Pronunciation: (shiy-AN, shiy-EHN, shy-ENN)

Gender: Female

Okay so I’ve added other Native American tribe names like Cherokee *see on list of posts* but I never got around to adding Cheyenne as I thought it was too over used and I wasn’t a fan. I don’t like the meaning but the name is decent and a good nickname could be Chey (Shy).

Hubert

Meaning: (Mind, Bright, Spirit, Shining Intellect, Intelligent, Famous, Bright Heart, derived from the Germanic elements hug "Heart, Mind" and beraht "Bright". Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century.)

Origin: (Germanic, English, Dutch, French, Polish)

Pronunciation: (HYOO-bərt (English), HOO-bert (German), HUY-bərt (Dutch), uy-BER (French), HUW-bert (Polish), HEW-bert, HYOO-bert)

Gender: Male

This was one of the triplet little brothers of Princess Merida *see on list of posts* from Pixars Brave. The other two are Hamish *see on list of posts* and Harris. It’s a great Scottish name and the meanings are really quite nice and I love it. The meanings remind me of Hugo *see on list of posts*. It would be cool to have character brothers be named Hubert, Hamish, Harris, and Hugo. It has a great history of use and a really good look to the name in general.

Hamish

Meaning: (Supplanter, Yahweh May Protect, Holder of Heel, Anglicized form of a Sheumias, the vocative case of Seumas, a Scottish form of James. The name was adopted by English speakers in the Mid-19th Century.)

Origin: (Scottish, English, Gaelic, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (HAY-mish, HHEY-Mih-SH)

Gender: Male

This was one of the triplet little brothers of Princess Merida *see on list of posts* from Pixars Brave. The other two are Hubert *see on list of posts* and Harris. This is another really great Scottish name. It has nice meanings and would make a great alternative to its form James. 

Ewen

Meaning: (It is a derivative of Eoghan "Born of the Yew (Tree)"), Youth, God is Good.)

Origin: (Scottish, Gaelic, Welsh)

Pronunciation: (YOO-an, YOO-in)

Gender: Male

Here is a nice Scottish name that does look Scottish to me. This name makes me think of actor Ewan McGregor. It has nice meanings and is short and simple and pronounced just as it looks. I really love this name a lot.

Priscilla

Meaning: (Ancient, Old, Little Old Woman, It has been used as an English given name since the Protestant Reformation, being popular with the Puritans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish” (1858). Short form is Prisca.

**below copied from Insight Book Vol. 2 Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses** The shorter form of the name is found in Paul’s writings, the longer form in Luke’s. Such a variation was common in Roman names. Priscilla was the wife of Aquila, with whom she is always mentioned. The two showed fine Christian works and hospitality not only to individuals but also to the congregation by having congregation meetings in their home in both Rome and Ephesus.

Because of Emperor Claudius’ decree, Aquila and his wife left Rome and went to Corinth in about 50 C.E. Not long after their arrival Paul joined them in tent making. (Ac 18:2, 3) They traveled on with Paul to Ephesus, remained there for a time, and were instrumental in ‘expounding the way of God more correctly’ to the eloquent Apollos. (Ac 18:18, 19, 24-28; 1Co 16:19) Returning to Rome for a time (Ro 16:3-5), they later traveled back to Ephesus. (2Ti 4:19; 1Ti 1:3) Their personal contact with Paul extended from about 50 C.E. to Paul’s death, some 15 years later, during which association they “risked their own necks” for the apostle’s soul.)

Origin: (English, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Italian, French)

Pronunciation: (pri-SIL-ə (English), pree-SHEEL-lah (Italian), PRih-SIHL-ah (English))

Gender: Female

This name always had an old world feel to me but also it reminds me of Elvis Presley’s wife Priscilla. The meanings do coincide with the old feel I get but I could see this being on a younger character. Also with the long history of use it would do well in a historical fiction novel. A good nickname could be Cilla, Pris, Prissy, and Prisca. It also has a great biblical background so that is nice.

Eloisa

Meaning: (Healthy, Famous Warrior, Hale, Wide, Hearty, Sound, Safe, Whole, Wood, Forest, Fame, Loud, Italian form of Eloise.)

Origin: (French, Old German, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Scandinavian)

Pronunciation: (e-lo-EE-zah, eh-loh-EE-sah, eh-Low-IY-Saa)

Gender: Female

I think this is pretty and has several different meanings which make it a diverse meaning name which many authors would love. It is also a nice change from Eloise, which is much more common. It seems a name I could see on a character living in a beautiful mountain location, like Swiss Mountains or something.

Eleanora

Meaning: (Light, Torch, Bright One, Shining One, Other, Foreign, Latinate form of Eleanor. Derived from Alienor, a Provencal form of the Greek Helene, which is derived from the element ele (Light, Torch, Bright).)

Origin: (Greek, English, Old French, Old Greek, Italian, Old Provençal)

Pronunciation: (el-ə-NAWR-ə, ehLLeh-NAOR-aa, eh-lə -NOH-rə)

Gender: Female

This name has really lovely meanings that are very bright, airy and light as well, pun intended. It has an interesting look compared to the much more common Eleanor, even if an A is just added at the end. I know it sounds weird but I think it does look different. It seems to be a name I could see on a royal character. Yet this name seems also to be a name I would think would be on a character from The Wizard of Oz or something.

Desiderius

Meaning: (Longing Desire, Beloved, Derived from Latin desiderium, It was the name of several early saints. It was also borne in the 8th century by the last king of the Lombard Kingdom.)

Origin: (Late Roman, Latin, Spanish)

Pronunciation: (DehZ-ihD-ERiy-ahS, des-i-deer-ee-uh-s)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I forget where I first saw this but I think I was looking up another name and saw this one. I love the meanings and the long history of use. It seems like a name I could see on a character setting off on a great epic journey, kind of Odyssey like. I could see this being used in a mythology story, maybe a made up tale in another novel can incorporate its own myths and use this as a name in the made up myth. That would be cool. If it seems long it could be given the nickname Desi (DEZ-ee) which would be kind of cute.

Eldar

Meaning: (Dweller Near the Elder Trees, God Resides, Possessor, Warrior who Fights with Fire"(Eld+ar (ar=Harjar)) Eld=fire, It is also a name meaning “Ruler” in the Turkic language. "El" means state or country in Turkic language, dar is a suffix from Persian language. It is also the word for “Fire” in the Icelandic, Swedish (eld) and Norwegian (ild) language. It is also a common first name among the Tatars, the Crimean Tatars, the Azerbaijanis, the Georgians and the Bashkirs.)

Origin: (Hebrew, English, Norse, Turkish, Persian, Icelandic, Swedish, Azerbaijani)

Pronunciation: (EHLD-R, EHL-dar)

Gender: Male

I used this name as the name of an Island in one of my short stories I intend to enter into a writing contest. I think I first heard this in The Hobbit movie; it was used by the Elves I think. The meanings are beautiful and strong and nature related. It has an interesting use as to its origins and I really like it. It seems to me to be similar to Elder and so it makes me think this would be cool on a wise character but it also has a youthful appearance as well.

End of 2015 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

http://nanowrimo.org/

When I first wrote about this I was a day late in adding info about this challenge for the month and now I am putting it a day before the end as I wanted to make sure I put this on before I forget.

I hope that everyone had a wonderfully great 2015 NaNoWriMo and that you all reached your 50,000 Word count by the months end, tomorrow! If you didn’t reach the goal don’t just stop, keep writing even if the months over, finish the novel. I do hope that your novel became everything you hoped it would become and that you enjoyed this challenge.

Though I didn’t do it this year I am happy to say that I did finish in November three Poems, “Beautiful Nightmare”, “Dream Lovers”, and “Violet Fields” and two Short Stories, “The Girl with the Red War Paint” and “Everly After”.  I am at present about to start two new Short Stories, “Launch: 24 Hours” and “Scarlet Archer”. I also edited and wrote on another novel as well during November.

So though I didn’t do a 50,000 Word Novel I did have a very good writing month in general!

 

So I hope that all that did NaNoWriMo will continue to write come December and that everything you write turns out as good as or better than you expected. If you care to you can share moments, thoughts, experiences from this 2015 NaNoWriMo challenge in the comment section of this post!    

Happy Writing!                                                                                                                        

Faeryn

Meaning: (From the Fairies, Of the Fairies)

Origin: (English)

Pronunciation: (FAYR-in)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I looked this name up after looking up Elfaeryn / Elfarin *see on list of posts*. Faeryn is a very pretty name. I think the meaning is great and makes me think this would be a name fitted for a character whose parents believed in Fairies or perhaps a character from another realm or perhaps a character from the medieval era as Fairies and Elves were commonly believed in more often then.

Elfaeryn / Elfarin

Meaning: (Spring, Arin: Mountain of Strength, Enlightened, High Mountain, Exalted)

Origin: (Latin, Hebrew, Old Norse)

Pronunciation: (EL-FAYR-in, Elf: ELF Arin: AARIHN Elfarin: ELF-AARIHN)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I don’t know where I first saw this name but when I saw Elfarin I thought to make the spelling Elfaeryn to be an alternative spelling. I had hard time finding information on this name so I am not sure how popular this name is. I think this would be cool if used on a medieval character because many names then started with Elf. I like the meanings and the look is interesting.

Laelia

Meaning: (Orchid, Happy, Lunar, feminine form of Laelius, a Roman family name of unknown meaning. This is also the name of a type of flower, an orchid found in Mexico and Central America.)

Origin: (Latin, Ancient Roman)

Pronunciation: (lay-LEE-ah, LIE-lee-a, Lail-lee-uh)

Gender: Female

I was looking up middle name options for a secondary characters two daughters middle names and I wanted it to be an Orchid or flower name. I went with Lunaria *see on list of posts* as one of the daughter’s middle names and the second daughters middle name I made it Laelia. This name reminds me of a Hawaiian name for some reason and so makes me think of an exotic beautiful Polynesian character. It has a nice long history of use as well.

I would love to see this name used more often and with authors of Young Adult novels almost always using unique or rare names and using nature related names this would work, just look at Katniss.

Lunaria

Meaning: (Flower, Moon-Like, Moon-Shaped)

Origin: (Latin)

Pronunciation: (loo-NAIR-ee-uh, loo-NAR-ee-uh)

Gender: Female

I was looking up middle name options for a secondary characters two daughters middle names and I wanted it to be an Orchid or flower name. I went with Lunaria as one of the daughters middle names and the second daughters middle name I made it Laelia *see on list of posts*. The look is pretty and meanings are lovely. It does when said remind me of the moon and perhaps a hippie character, made up example. Lunaria Rainbow Meadow Lark!

But you know I love this name even if it has a hint of hippie in it. I would love to see this name used more often and with authors of Young Adult novels almost always using unique or rare names and using nature related names this would work, just look at Katniss.

Lycaste

Meaning: (Orchid, Greek Mythology: The Daughter of the King of Troy, Sister of Helen of Troy.)

Origin: (Greek Mythology)

Pronunciation: (ly-KASS-tee)

Gender: Female

I was looking up middle name options for a secondary characters two daughters middle names and I wanted it to be an Orchid name. Though I liked this name I went with Lunaria *see on list of posts* and Laelia *see on list of posts* instead. Lycaste is a beautiful looking name with a pretty meaning and an interesting history of use. If you have sister characters it would be cool to have them be named Helen *see on list of posts* and Lycaste, named after the daughters of the King of Troy from Greek Mythology.

I would love to see this name used more often and with authors of Young Adult novels almost always using unique or rare names and using nature related names this would work, just look at Katniss.

Floressa

Meaning: (Flower, Blossom, Floressa is a version of Flora (Latin) with the suffix -essa.)

Origin: (Latin)

Pronunciation: (FLAOREHS-AH)

Gender: Female

This would be pretty on a woman of mythical beauty. It has a look of perhaps a beautiful woman living on an Italian Villa. It is very beautiful and I love the meanings a lot. A similar meaning name on my blog is Florian *see on list of posts*. Floressa is very pretty and could be a similar sounding alternative to names like Vanessa, Chessa, and Flora.

Maelyn

Meaning: (May, The Fifth Month, In Roman mythology Maia: (source of the month May) was goddess of spring growth. Dwells by the Torrent Waterfall, Pond, Pretty.)

Origin: (French, English)

Pronunciation: (MAY-lin)

Gender: Female

I like this name that seems a lengthening of just Mae which always seems to be used in double barrel names like, Mae Lee, Mae Ella, and Mae Belle. I have a few other names on my blog with Mae in them, Maelum *see on list of posts* and Maelle *see on list of posts*.

I have used Maelum as a surname of a character before but now seeing Maelyn I think I would love to use this name as well sometime. It has beautiful meanings and of course would make since to be used on a character or person if born in the month of May or in some reference to that month.

Aila

Meaning: (Oak Tree, From the Strong Place, Hazelnut, Bird, Bringer of Light, Bright One, Shining One, Variant of Ayla, Aila/Ayla is also a Turkish/Farsi name that means halo around the moon, and more generally it means moonlight.)

Origin: (Hebrew, Scottish, Old French, Old Greek, Finnish, Turkish)

Pronunciation:  (EYE-la, AY-Lah)

Gender: Female

I was looking on the internet at costumes or something and I think this was the name of one off the costumes. It has nice strong meanings and they are beautiful as well, especially the moonlight and halo around the moon meanings. I like this name a lot and it is short which is nice but the pronunciation would put most readers off as it has two pronunciations that don’t always looks like it is spelled.

I would however go with AY-Lah versus EYE-la if I were to see this name in a novel. Or I might even wind up saying it as AY-EYE-lah which looks more like it is spelled to me.

Coralina

Meaning: (From the Coral of the Sea, Coral Reef, and Diminutive of Cora)

Origin: (Greek, Spanish, Italian, English)

Pronunciation: (ko-rah-LEE-nə, KAORAHLIYNAH)

Gender: Female

I have added a few other names with Cora or Coral in it to this blog, such as, Corabelle *see on list of posts*, Coralie*see on list of posts*, and Coral *see on list of posts*. This is just another name with Cora and Coral in it but I think it is beautiful as well. It is a nice way to combine two short names Cora and Lina to create a longer but still beautiful unique name for a character.

I think it is beautiful and reminds me of a mermaid or someone who loves the water or who was named for a coral reef, maybe the child of oceanographers or marine biologists. I can’t for sure remember but I think I saw this as the name of a character in a Young Adult novel but I can’t remember if that is true and if so which novel. Either way I would love to see this used a bit more often as it is easy to pronounce and is lovely.

Aloysia

Meaning: (Famous Warrior, Healthy, Safe, Whole, Wood, Forest, Wide, Aloysia is a variant form, with the suffix -ysia, of Aloisia (Old German): feminine of Aloysius. Aloysia is also a variation of Eloise (Old German). Aloysia is also used as a variation of Heloise (French, Old German) and Louise (Old German).)

Origin: (French, Old German)

Pronunciation: (aa-LowWiy-Siy-aa, ah-LOI-zee-ah (German), al-ə-WISH-ə (English), al-oh-WEES-ee-ah, al-o-WISH-a, ah-loh-ee-zyah)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this but I think it was on a TV series. It has a Middle Ages look to it which I like a lot. The meanings are strong and it has a unique look. The pronunciation options seem endless and so that may or may not be great for a characters name but in this name I can see a few nicknames which may help. Nickname options, Al, Aloy (I would pronounce it like Aloe, as in Aloe Vera), Sia, and Alo.

Edit December 29, 2015:

So I finally remember where I saw this name, it was a name of plants in the Verbena Family, example Lemon Verbena. I was looking through some of my plant books once and saw this and really liked it but forgot until the other day where I had first saw it. I love plant names and I love Lemon Verbena's smell so that must have been why I added this name.   

Alemmania / Alammania

Meaning: (Latin name for the lands where the Alemanni lived. The Alemanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes who lived around the upper Rhine River in the time of the Roman Empire.)

Origin: (Spanish)

Pronunciation: (Al-uh-mahn-ee-uh, Al-uh-MAN-ee-uh)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I saw this name when researching Almond / Almund *see on list of posts*. This is a cool foreign looking name. However the pronunciation has me put off. I put the pronunciations above because I literally couldn’t find the pronunciations on the internet. I even asked my sister who speaks Spanish and she was unsure. So I am not all that sure about the pronunciation. If anyone knows the proper pronunciations please leave a comment in the comment section and I will be very grateful. I did my best in trying to figure the pronunciation and put it above.

It has a unique look and seems a name of maybe a Princess or Duchess. It has a very royal look and that appeals to me. The meanings are decent and interesting as well.

Almond / Almund

Meaning: (Defender of the Temple, from Old English Æ {dh} elmund, ‘Noble Protection’, variant of Allman ‘German’, assimilated by folk etymology to the vocabulary word denoting the tree. This interesting and unusual surname is of Old French and Anglo-Saxon origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, it may be from the English name for someone from Germany, derived from the Anglo-Norman French "aleman", German, or "alemayne", Germany, from the Late Latin "Alemannus" and "Alemannia", from a Germanic tribal name, probably meaning simply "all the men". In some cases the reference may have been to the Norman region of Allemagne, to the south of Caen, which was probably so named from Germanic settlers there.

The second source is from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Athelmund", composed of the elements "athel", noble, and "mund", protection. There is no evidence of any connection with the almond nut or tree. The personal name was first recorded as "Almund" and "Ailmundus" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and the surname was first recorded in the late 13th Century (see below). William and Awdry (as written) Almond were some of the earliest settlers in the New World, leaving London on the "Abigall" in June 1635, bound for New England. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Ailmun, which was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.)

Origin: (Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Old English, German, Nordic, Old Swedish)

Pronunciation: (AOL-MahND, AHL-muhnd)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was looking at names and somehow I saw this as a name. I mean Almond I think the nut but Almund does look kind of cool and doesn’t make me think nut. The meanings are pretty strong and it has a pretty long history of use as well. I think this would be a cool surname or first name if used right. I would think it cool to see a character named this. It would give a rare unique charm to the character and would be amazing to see how an author would make it fit so right. 

Just this month I used Almund as the surname of my main character in one of my short stories. The first name of my main character is Sawa and is on my list to be added in a few months. As for Almund I thought it went well with Sawa and seemed to balance the unique looking name Sawa with a more common last name, plus the last name goes well to describe her job and heritage.

Alaqua / Alaquah

Meaning: (Sweet Gum Tree)

Origin: (Native American)

Pronunciation: (AL-uh-Kwah, al-ah-kwa, ah-LAH-Kwah)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

A few months ago I was looking for an alternative to a name I had used many years ago, it is an extremely long story as to why I needed the change but after research and asking a few people I decided to keep the name I had. But I loved this name that looks so similar so I decided to add it to my blog. It is a unique name with a pretty meaning. It does have a very Native American look but also a Science Fiction / Fantasy look as well. I love this name very much.

I have used Alaquah just this month in one of my short stories. It is the name of a tribal elder.

2015 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

http://nanowrimo.org/

So November 1^st - 30^th it is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). This is day 2 of the month and I had hoped to put this up on the first but yesterday was hectic for me. I have heard of this writing challenge in the past years but have never participated in it myself. Basically you write a 50,000 Word Novel in One Month. A fun challenge indeed!

I will not be participating this year but just thought to bring some attention to this writing challenge. Although I won’t be doing NaNoWriMo I have been editing and adding on at least 25,000 words to one of my novels and will be writing a short story and some poems and writing a bit on another one of my novels. So though I won’t be writing a 50,000 word novel all my writing for November probably will amount to 50,000 words, lol.

So if anyone is participating this year then I wish you well and hope you are able to finish your novel in one month. Have fun writing!

If you care to I always love to hear about characters names chosen for novels so if you are writing a novel for NaNoWriMo or just a novel for another reason leave me a comment and tell me your characters names and if I don’t already have them on my blog I might add them to my list to be added in the future.

Also if you want to share minor details about your novel, writing style, or any past experiences with NaNoWriMo or writing in general then leave a comment as well as I would love to hear from you guys. I do understand though not sharing too much about your novels online, so I understand not giving too much away should you comment.  

Happy Writing!

Novel Upload Update!

I know I haven’t updated you guys in a while as to how it’s going with my novels and getting them uploaded to be bought in e-book format on Amazon. Well my laptop computer has been broken since June 2014, I think I told you guys that, and has been with my Brother in Law Karl since April 2015. They just came for a visit and he told me he has tried everything but it is cheaper to just buy a new one. So I will not be able to do an upload or copyright my novels right now.

I was and am really upset but what can I do, you know. I fortunately have my parent’s desktop computer I go to borrow for a few hours when ever I need for writing, editing and blog stuff but they have dial up internet and an outdated browser so I can’t do uploads and copyright from their computer. Also I can’t buy a new laptop right now because I don’t have a job right now and am saving my savings money.

So instead of staying down and sad about it I am going to keep writing and am going to start entering Short Story and Poem Contests in hopes of expanding my writing resume achievements (if I win) and maybe win some prizes or cash too! I have been researching Nationwide and International Writing Contests but if anyone knows of any coming in the end of 2015 or early 2016 and that are FREE to ENTER (No Entry Fee) then please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me about it.

Also I may start sending out Query Letters to Literary Agents again, which I am not thrilled about but I have no other choice. I will not go into it but I have not had the greatest relationship with Literary Agents in the past. The so called “Traditional Route” bums me out more than you’ll ever know. I really hoped to try Self-Publishing first and then perhaps try the traditional route again. But Oh Well!

I know this may sound like I am whining but I didn’t come into this to sound that way or try to be harsh on traditional publishing. I just wanted to update ya’ll on how it’s going. I am looking forward to where my writing will lead and I can’t wait to explore new avenues of writing.

Everything worth pursuing should be a bit hard because it makes reaching it all the more thrilling and a major accomplishment! So I hope everyone out there in everything you do that you never give up, and that you stay strong. Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t Cry, Scream, Yell, throw a Tantrum if need be at first but then pick yourselves up and keep marching toward your goal. A goal that I hope when you reach you can do your funny field goal dance for, lol!

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“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucious

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My Characters Oh My!

I was in Wal Mart a few days ago and while looking around the craft area I saw the book that shows pictures of the sewing patterns and it was set on the costume section. I flipped through as I love to look at the costumes even though I don’t celebrate Halloween or go anywhere that requires a costume.

I love to look though as I wish I could sew elaborate dresses and such but my skills were learned in school many, many years ago and the most elaborate thing I can make is a pillow, lol.

Anyway I saw two costumes I will put a picture of below that I thought those are cool and look like something my characters would wear. So I took a quick picture on my phone and sent it to my mom. The picture was a bit blurry so later that night I went online and found the image.

As I looked further at the models in the image I said wow they look like two of my characters. I thought that more as I am currently editing one of the novels in the series that they are in so they were fresh in my mind.

The blonde looks like a slightly older version of my character Princess Shika, a human princess, and the dark haired one looks like her friend Princess Shamar, an elf princess. Make them a bit younger and they will look like them as teenagers and the actual picture is them as adults, pretty cool! The dresses even look like something they would wear but switched, the long dress on the blonde (Shika) and the dark blue dress on the dark haired one (Shamar).

I love finding images of actual people that look like my characters and love adding them here as I find it so cool and want to share.

The Pictures are a bit rough, as in a bit unclear, but they were the best I could find on the web.

 

 

Musings of a Lonely Writer! ----- Beginning, Middle, or End of a Characters Journey

On this Musings of a Lonely Writer segment I may morph a bit into a Musings of a Lonely Reader so bear with me!

In books or even movies I always tend to love the beginning of a journey so much better than the middle and end. I think the beginning is much more exciting and fun. The end is sad and final. I don’t know if it is the sadness of the ending of a journey I hate or that it isn’t as good at the end as the beginning.

The weird part is that in the Series and Trilogies that I write I always love the later novels way better than the first, not always but sometimes. I think that is so weird. However, I find other authors first books to be better than later novels but like I said in mine I almost always feel I like later novels better.

I think there is such unknown and beauty in the beginning but by the end nothing will ever be the same again for the character and that is often times sad. I think that is why I prefer the beginning of most novels or movies. I have however not determined why I prefer my later novels in a series or trilogy to the first book.

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The beginning book is like the moments leading up to a first kiss, the anticipation kills you leading up to the kiss. The middle book is the kiss itself, sweet but often intense and worth the wait. The end book is the end of a kiss, breathless and leaving you wanting more. But that end makes you feel that it will never be like that first anticipation, that first rush and the intenseness that follows.

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So maybe in a way I appreciate all parts of the books/movies but I tend to still prefer the beginning journey of a character as I still want to feel that excitement building for the character but don’t want it to end as I want to stay in the world the author or movie maker has built.

Whether you prefer the beginning, middle or end I think if the author can make you want to stay forever in someway I think that has the makings of a classic or at least a favorite on many people’s lists. I have yet to truly find a series or trilogy that really makes me want to stay in it and so as a lonely reader and lonely writer I continue to look to find a book that fills that need for me or else I try and write one!

"There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part, so just give me a happy middle. And a very happy start." - Shel Silverstein

“Journey’s end

In western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in Spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night,
And swaying branches bear
The Elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the Stars farewell.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

 

So this has been Musings of a Lonely Writer and if you would like to share what part of a characters journey you tend to like and why then leave me a comment as I would love to get others points of views about this topic. Until next time, Keep Reading! Keep Writing! And Keep Inspiring!

And build me a literary world I want to get lost in and want to explore and never want to leave. Make me love the end just as I love the beginning. Well at least try as I am hard to please as you can see, lol!

Ravenor

Meaning: (Rave: Raven, Applied as a nickname for a thievish or dark haired person. Nor: Light, The Light, Honored, Honorable, God is My Light, Mercy, and Pity.)

Origin: (Arabic, Latin, Old Greek, English, German, Dutch)

Pronunciation: (REYV-NAOR, REYV-NAWR)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I saw this as the name of a Trilogy of books and I liked the look instantly as I love names with Raven in them. I looked it up and saw it is a last name but I could find no definite meaning or origin so just like Gwen-Gana *see on list of posts* I looked up the separate parts of the name Rave and Nor.

So the meanings together in this name are interesting. The first part is dark and mischievous where as the latter half is light and pleasant and good, so a funny name in that regard. I can see a very mixed character with this name, I mean mixed in regard to personality and the way they handle themselves. I can see a mischievous thievish character that truly has a good heart but has a hidden reason for their fiendish pursuits.  

Gwen-Gana

Meaning: (White Woman of the Garden, Gwen: White, Fair, Blessed, Holy Gana: Garden)

Origin: (Welsh, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (GWehN-GAA-NAA)

Gender: Female

I was looking up another name Gwenllian *see on list of posts* and someone said another nice name is Gwen-Gana. They gave the meaning White Woman of the Garden and I was instantly transfixed by the gorgeousness of the name and meaning. However I have not been able to determine if it is a real name and has been used.

So I decided to look up the names separately and together the names do come to mean White Woman of the Garden. So maybe someone else put these together but I can’t tell if it’s a legit name or is just a double barrel name. Either way it is beautiful and worth being added here. I did however find a spa or restaurant in Australia named Gwenganna so maybe it is a real name. If anyone knows about this name then please let me know in the comment section of this post and I will be grateful.

Primrose

Meaning: (First Rose)

Origin: (English, Latin)

Pronunciation: (PRIM-roz, go to this link and run your cursor over the name Primrose to hear how it is pronounced:  http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=primrose)

Gender: Female

I have a character in the novel I finished a few months ago whose middle name is Primrose. It is to go with her nature meaning first name, Gaia *see on list of posts*. Basically the meaning of her first and middle names combine to mean Mother Earths First Rose or The Earths First Rose or The Lands First Rose.

There have been a few Primroses in literature but most notable is Primrose “Prim” Everdeen, the younger sister of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Novels. But fortunately it is not used too often so it still holds a charm.

I think the name Primrose is very beautiful and seems a name that would have been at its height in the Victorian Era as they loved flower names like Rose, Violet, Iris, Lilly, ect. However if used in a the common era I can see some down falls, most notably the nickname Prim as in Prim and Proper and thus making it often be seen as a prudish name. I have seen similar downfalls for other lovely names like Prudence *see on list of posts*. I think they are lovely but can have mean nicknames.

I even at first was not a fan of this name but as you can see the right character came along and changed that for me. I at first intended to not give Gaia a middle name as there was no where it is mentioned in the novel but as I was finishing a spot came up near the end where full names are mentioned and so I added middle names for all the other characters mentioned in that section but was not going to give Gaia one but then I decided I really wanted to give her one. So when I was looking for a middle name for my character Gaia Primrose popped in my head right away but I was reluctant to use it as I was not a huge fan. So I looked around for a more appropriate middle name but Primrose just seemed to be it and so no other name would do. I am pleased with it and it fits my character very well.

Eadlyn

Meaning: (Wealthy Friend, Princess, Born into Royalty.)

Origin: (Anglo-Saxon, Old English)

Pronunciation: (IY-DLihN, EED-lyn)

Gender: Female

I was looking on Amazon.com at new YA books and I saw a new book added to The Selection Series. The main characters name is Eadlyn and she is the daughter of the two characters from the previous books. I have never read the books but when I saw the name I was like that is so cool and unique and reminded me of an Old Welsh or Old English name.

Once I looked the name up I saw where naming the character came in, the character is a Princess. I like the meanings a lot as I love Royal meaning names. I think the look is great and is pretty straight forward on the pronunciation. Though at first I will admit I did pronounce it differently until I really looked at it and then I was better able to pronounce it properly.

Ortiz

Meaning: (Fortification, Son of Orti, The given name Orti seems to be disputed in meaning, deriving from either Latin Fortis meaning "Brave, Strong" or Latin Fortunius meaning "Fortunate".)

Origin: (Spanish, Basque, Latin)

Pronunciation: (AORTIYZ, Or-TEEZE)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I love watching those millionaire real estate shows and one of the real estate agents on the one shows last name is Ortiz. I love the sound of the name and the meanings are very strong and bold. I think this name is very attractive because of it being Spanish. Spanish names almost always seem attractive in some way or another, not always but sometimes. I like too that this name is pronounced just as it is spelled, so easy.