It was a chilly, rainy, Portland day. It seemed appropriate to me to go for a very long walk in one of the five cemeteries that surrounded our humble cottage. I think every writer should stroll through a cemetery from time to time. The amazing life stories that you discover when you read tombstones can teach you, and/or inspire you.
I had decided that I was going to write a novel. It would be romance, historical fiction. I knew that I wanted to base a fictional town and people around an actual town and people. I knew that there would be a strong male figure that the book would revolve around. It would take place in the 1800's.
I need a NAME! Names are critical in writing. If you name someone Ebenezer Scrooge even before you know that he is miserly, and miserable, you know he's not a nice person....I mean really Ebenezer Scrooge?
Conversely, ROBIN HOOD, that is the name of a champion. He was generous, passionate in righting wrongs....a superhero long before Superman was created, and he was more or less a real human.
So....a wonderful name for the male fulcrum of my story. There stood a proud tall gravestone. Engraved in larger than life letters was the name BLAKE CALKIN! That was it! A heroes name. I chuckled though wondering if BLAKE CALKIN the man under the tombstone in real life had been a tiny accountant with very thick glasses, that was prohibitively shy, but extremely rich! (Did I mention that beautiful HUGE tombstone?)
Nonetheless, a star was born, a star named BLAKE CALKIN!
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