by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I keep saying the novel I’m developing “has no literary aspirations.” And that is true. And, yet, one of the characters has a name that is a little bit too on the nose for it not to be taken as a commentary on the Trump Era. And not like in the pulpy way I am aiming for, but in a Female Persuasion or The Corrections type of way.
But I’ve come up with an argument for why I like the name. Usually, when both my head and my heart like a name for a character, I keep it. And that’s the case with this character. It was just after some rumination that it occurred to me that…ooopse! Given how political the novel is meant to be from an existential level, the name of a very critical character would be an obvious wink and a nod to the reader about my views on things.
Anyhoo, I’ve read two really good books on character development and I may re-read them they’re so good. There’s just so much to learn about how to create believable characters.
So much of this novel is limited only in how good — or bad — my writing is.
