by Rebecca M. Thomas
I love thinking about
names. I’ve named all my cars, the dog’s
array of toy animals, the four little bronze sculptures on my desk, every
character in my as yet to be published novel.
Right now, I’m ruminating on names for my cello, but I can’t decide if
I’ve got a girl or boy instrument. (No, please, let’s not go there.)
Anyway, names and naming
are always fun, but finding just the right name for a person – or a place – can
sometimes be challenging, if not downright frustrating, or even crucial to a
specific text.
So, when I want to get
past the baby name books and websites, I turn to one unfailing source not only
for naming ideas but also for story ideas and historical detail – the newspaper
obituary column. That’s right. All kinds of fascinating, useful, and
inspirational names and information lie buried (sorry, couldn’t resist!) on
these pages. Here you will find hundreds of names each day. Names of the deceased, of course, as well as
the names of their many and varied relatives and the places they have lived and
worked. And you’ll read their life
stories, which are a mother lode of accurate historical data, detail and
tidbits that could enhance a multitude of writing projects.
This is what you’ll
discover:
·
Names suggesting
specific time periods
·
Names reflecting
ethnic or national origin
·
Common or fairly
straightforward names
·
Names derived
from everyday words or objects (You’d be surprised what words turn into names!)
·
Unusual names;
obscure names
·
Names so
intriguing that they can evoke their own story
·
Names that
trigger your own memories, possibly leading to important additions to your
writing
·
Names conducive
for naming fictional towns, streets, neighborhoods, undiscovered planets or worlds
·
Names of cities,
counties, countries ... both known and obscure…or possibly defunct
·
Endless list of
names of places where people worked—places still here and those long gone
·
Descriptions of
real people’s involvement in historical events, with levels of detail and
trivia footnotes found nowhere else
·
Photos of people
from many times and places, offering an abundance of inspiration
If you’ve never thought of
an obituary as a source for your writing, I encourage you to give it a
try. I guarantee it won’t be wasted
time. Above all, your most important
takeaway will be the sense of carpe diem you experience. After all, these stories are already
finished. There’s still time to tell yours.
ABOUT REBECCA M. THOMAS: Formerly director of field services for several
Washington, DC-based national associations, followed by years of freelancing as
a health writer with publication through multiple venues including The Washington Post and
discoveryhealth.com, Thomas now works part time as a personal trainer while
developing a book based on growing up Southern Baptist in the 1950s & 60s.