Don’t be afraid, it’s not that scary in there!

Bad jokes aside, I created this post to give you a little extra help, if needed. If you’re like me, sometimes you need to see things in action.

In the paragraph below, I’m going to summarize how I create my character names and novel settings. If you’re still a little stuck after following my ‘Steps’ posts, this is an explanation of how I choose my characters and settings. Hope it helps.

In my novella, “A Girl from Nowhere,” I decided I wanted a 16 year old girl and a 17 year old boy as my co-protagonists.

How I Chose My Characters:

For the girl: I chose the name, Abby because I thought it was cute, and her last name, Guyer because it was the street of my grandmother’s house in Philadelphia growing up.

For the boy: I chose Anthony, named after my brother, and his last name Arya, for my best friend’s daughter.

For the setting: I chose New Hope, Pennsylvania because it’s a beautiful and historic area not far from where I grew up.

• Sometimes I choose a name because I feel it fits the personality of the character I want. Other times, I honor special people in my life.

• The setting will always be, for me, somewhere I know well, somewhere special to me.

• The great novelists say to write what you know. I say, write what you know and love. It makes the novel a joy to write from start to finish.

I hope that helps. Happy Writing!!!

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