One More Chapter
A twenty two year-old's view on life, death,
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
1/12/2014 1 Comment Untitled ~ The Importance of TitlesI think that one of the hardest things one must do in life is to name something. Once you have given something a title, there is no going back. And the title holds so much importance and meaning - it can be a lot of pressure to put on one person. And books aren't the only thing that are titled. There is poetry, songs, schools, websites, places, products, even people! In politics a title can define a person's rank and power over others. It's safe to say that almost anything in the entire universe has a name. Literally. Even The Universe. But what I feel most people have to face most often in their lifetime is naming three things: Their work, their children, and themselves. 1. Your WorkEven if you don't consider yourself a writer or a singer or what have you, I'm sure everyone has experienced this title-related writer's block. Giving your paper, novel, song, etc. is a lot of pressure. It must define what the song means and is about while remaining short and simple. Let me tell you, it is hard to find a combination of one to five words that can sum up an entire story and contain identify the general audience, subject and lesson while also being clever an witty. I used to try and name the "books" I wrote (a.k.a. the ones I started and never finished) before I even wrote the story. THIS was a bad idea. I just sat there in front of the Typewriter or Computer and started at the blank page, hoping a title would come to me. No such luck. Soon I asked my dad how he came up with the titles to his stories and books and he told me that he wouldn't title his work until it was finished. That titles are almost always done last. It's rather ironic if you think about it. The thing that makes the first impression, is on the first page and begins your story/song/poem/etc. is the last to be written. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the title comes before the story. That is when you know you were fated to create whatever it is that has come to you. 2. Your ChildrenThis one is carries the greatest of consequences. So much is riding on what you name your child. So BE PREPARED. That baby will have to live it's WHOLE LIFE with the name you assign to it. Do think ahead, and consider his/her future with that name. I think we can all take away a lesson from Johnny Cash's song A Boy Named Sue here. I think that the best names are one of two kinds. They either have great meaning (while remaining uncruel) or they are unique but malleable. What I mean by this is that while the child's full name may be unique and beautiful to you, there is an easy way to manipulate it into a normal nickname the child can go by. For instance, I once was very good friends with a girl named Nickayla. Pretty right? I was so jealous of her name, but she wasn't a fan. So instead she simply went by Nicky. To anyone who didn't know better, her full name seemed to be the typical Nicole, and that's how she liked it. So start thinking now, because you don't want to be caught holding your newborn baby and completely unprepared for the doctor's unavoidable question, what are you going to name her? You might just find yourself shouting out Blue Ivy! 3. YourselfThere are actually many times that we are forced to define ourselves. And many opportunities to change how we are as well. There is the commonplace Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networks where you must create a "username". For me, I always seem to find myself logging on to create a profile for such websites, and somehow always forget that I must come up with one of these names. I try and think of something catchy and unique, but in the end I always fail and come up with the first thing I can think of under the pressure. Well, actually it's usually the third or fourth thing since my first few are always, somehow, already taken. I mean, how many other people are out there with the same name and birthday as me? I always feel the pressure of creating these names though, because it is how everyone else will find you when viewing your profile, "tagging" you, etc. But, as a writer I also must name myself. When I thought about writing a book, I wondered if I was going to publish it under my name or not. If I published it under my name and got it put in bookstores, then there could be complications. If a person I knew long ago happens upon my book and recognizes my name, then I would feel a lot of pressure to prove myself and show that I gone far and really done something with my life. What if they decide to read it and are extremely disappointed in my work. This would lead to an extremely awkward conversation if, by some strange chance, I was reintroduced to them later on. Now I understand that this is very unlikely to happen, and that I also shouldn't care what others think about my work, as long as I am proud of it. But still....freaky, right? I decided that if I published my book, I would do it under the pen name of Amanda Lucille instead of Amanda Keohane. This is mainly because I am working on a book that is paranormal romance and for a YA audience. Unfortunately I also have a dark side that loves gruesome horror novels, and if I were to write a book of that genre then I wouldn't want to do so under the same name. My father had to do something similar. That way, if I ever have an audience or a fan base, they won't jump onto Amazon, looking for other novels I have published (expecting a similar YA novel) and happen upon something very different. Though, while this would be helpful in this aspect, in the long shot perhaps it would be more beneficial to keep all my work under the same name. Like I said, it's a lot of pressure to name things, especially yourself. Luckily, these blog posts haven't deemed themselves too hard to title, especially today's. And as for children's names, I like Noah for a boy. Any guesses why? Thank you for reading today, Amanda Lucille (hey! that's the pen name I mentioned earlier!) Song of The Day:Skinny Love by Bon Iver
1 Comment
Frankie
1/12/2014 05:45:48 am
Same I love to write I can never figure out a title sometimes I need a title for myself!!!
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About This Blog:I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to write more over the 2014 year, but it has blossomed into so much more than that. I use it to let people in on what's happening in my life, talk about things I find important and to spread the news about amazing people, places and art. Archives
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