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The Name Game
When we were expecting our daughter we decided not to find out whether she was a boy or a girl, so almost from the time we found out I was pregnant we had two names picked out. Skylar for a boy, Samantha for a girl. I really liked both names, alternately called the baby one or the other, and was totally sure about them for basically all nine months. Until two nights before our girl was born. All through that night I kept waking up thinking “Isabella.” I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. Isabella . . . Isabella . . . it’s a girl named Isabella.
And then she was born. She looked like this:
And oh, wow, looking at that picture for the first time in quite awhile, I cannot believe she was ever that tiny. But I took one look at her and knew instantly that she really was Isabella. My poor husband was a little startled, since we’d never even talked about that name. But I was certain right from the start that that was just who she was.
(And this was, by the way, absolute karmic revenge on the part of the universe, because before she was born I completely didn’t think such a thing was possible. I remember listening to a friends story about how they’d had to discard the name they’d picked out for their daughter because it didn’t fit her and mentally rolling my eyes and thinking, It’s a newborn baby. You give them whatever name you’ve chosen. How hard can it be? )
I know I’ve blogged before about how similar writing a book is to pregnancy. But it really is. You work, you plan, you outline, you develop your characters and really think you know what it is your writing about. And then you get to the finish. You’re within sight of typing those magical words “the end” at the end of your manuscript–and then if you’re very, very lucky, the book starts to whisper in your ear, just like Bella must have whispered in mine, This is who I am.
And this week I’ve been reaching that point with Sunrise of Avalon. That point when I’m within just scenes of the book’s ending, and I finally see with scattered but intense bursts of clarity what the story is really about. Now if this second baby will just hold off on arriving long enough for me to get all those bursts of clarity down onto the page . . .
This entry was posted Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to “The Name Game”
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July 26th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Good luck with Sunrise!! I was hoping that you would clue us for your names on the second child? And little Isabella is adorable there.
I was fretting over the name game for our daughter as well.. we are not too creative or artistic.. and we really were hoping for a boy. SO once we found out it was a girl, Hubby was annoyed so I took the opportunity to come up with the name. And it was hard!! Googling etc.. and then I was at work, at a crafts store, walking down the aisle and there was an item that needed to be picked up and put back in its place in another aisle. It was a name stamp. The name was Morgan. And I knew from that moment on my daughter’s name was going to be Morgan. =) The End.
July 28th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
What a great story, and I love the name Morgan! How could I not with the Arthurian connection!
I’ll tell you the new baby’s name as soon as he/she lets me know what it is!
After last time, Nathan refuses to even talk possibilities until we actually meet the little person and see what name fits! Just another 2-ish weeks to go. And luckily Sunrise is almost, almost done!
August 8th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I knew you would like the Morgan story =) My husband likes to think of Morgan Fairchild & I try to tell him of Arthurian legend and his face goes blank. ;(
Glad you are getting through with Sunrise! And I have been wondering.. where’s the baby? LOL
I am thinking of you, and hope that everything goes well!!
August 11th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I don’t have any kids but I can see what you are saying. I like both Skylar and Samantha, so hold them in reserve.
You’ll know when you hold your baby, what their name should be.
Good luck with Sunrise, and maybe buy a little tape recorder to jot down your thoughts.
Ah the baby will be here before you know it!