Friday, August 5, 2011

Writer's Block - Need help!

OK Fellow readers and writers.
I have put aside, no, I have put it on the back burner that I write on pretty steadily, but I'm off topic. I have been working on my latest WIP. And I wanted to ask for some feed back. So before I get to the questions, here is the general idea. (Remember it is still in the beginning stages.)

Kate and Jess are sisters and are also dream walkers. The Kate meets a boy who is in a coma but has somehow gotten sucked into the dream world that Kate is in. My big problem is there is an evil man - I haven't come up with his name yet, but he is killing girls in their dreams and Kate and Nick's goal is to stop him., but they can't because Kate can't identify him in real life because in the dream world he has altered his appearance.

So some questions:
1. What should the evil man's name be - I like names to have a specific meaning - i use those baby names websites. te he. I am getting tired of calling him evil man - it sounds stupid.
2. Any ideas for clue to help Kate out in the story. I am looking for a particular phrase, a physical feature, and a smell currently - but if you have an idea, please share.
3. Any legends or myths about dream walking you want to point me at?
4. Want to tell me a dream scene you have had or a dream scene that I should put in the book - remember - dreams are crazy so those elements I think will add to the setting of the story.

Thanks for your help!

4 comments:

  1. Hmm, what do you think of Curran for a villain? It is Gaelic for "dagger." What country are these people from? I love names that have meanings, especially if they are not so obvious that people recognize them. As a possible alias, Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams. (I use baby name books for my stories, too. Sometimes I base an entire novel around a name.)

    How does the evil man murder his victims? That can be a good clue as to identity. Physical feature could be anything, a tattoo, a scar, being left-handed, walleyed, albino, etc. As for a phrase, what kind of villain is he? Is he the creepy kind that quotes poetry or the bible? Is he killing for a purpose or for his own crazed reasons? What he says and what evidence he leaves behind depends more on his character and motives than anything else, so I don't know that I can help you with that.

    I have had some pretty crazy dreams, but I don't know if any of them would work. i did have one dream where there were real creatures and fake creatures. The fake ones were harmless and everywhere, but it was the one real one that you had to watch out for. So after being terrified of the fake ones but finally getting used to them, they become part of the scenery until you walk right up to the dangerous, real one without even knowing it. That was a creepy dream. :)

    Your book sounds wonderful and I would love to read it when you finish it! Good luck!

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  2. 'Morpheus' was the God of Dreams - so maybe you could use that.

    'Doyle' means 'dark stranger'

    'Adrian' means 'dark one'

    'Delano' means 'of the night'

    'Kern' means 'dark'

    Do any of those names call out to you? Would they work?

    A dream I had which freaked me a bit:
    I was driving my car and approaching a roundabout, I wanted to turn left but as I got onto the roundabout my steering wheel would only move right or straight so I ended up going round and round the roundabout.
    After many minutes of trying I managed to get off a different exit but as I did my car started clattering. I pulled over and got out but as I turned back to it, it had turned into a Bicycle. I got on the bike and started peddling away, but then the chain snapped. as i stopped and started walking with it, it shook again and turned into a child's scooter. I sighed and got onto it, only for the handlebars to fall off.
    I kept seeing people staring and laughing and no one offered to help.
    I remember being scared and very frustrated that I couldn't turn left or go the way I wanted. It was like something was pulling me away and making me fail. I was sure I was going to end up alone, with no way to get home and be stuck after dark. I woke just as the sun was setting.
    Don't know if you can use that but it made chills run up my spine at the time.

    Good luck with it. :D

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  3. Ladies... you are awesome!!!!
    The names are sparking some interest
    I am going to go do research on morpheus... like asap. I know nothing about him other than he was all about those dreams! haha He might be the start or my origin for the first dream walker.

    As for my murder - he brutally kills the girls in their dreams - stabbing, suffocation, beating with blunt objects - so he is a sociopath. The story is set in the US.

    @ Lieder - you really made me think about my said bad guy. I have picked a reason why he targets the girls he does. I think I want the girls to have something in common - like a feature, the go the same place, I need to think about this!!
    Again ladies. Thank you and dont be surprised when your dreams appear in my book!

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  4. What if Nick has to concentrate hard to hide something about him, and with doing so might 'phase' or 'slip' and Kate notices but plays it off as it's a dream state. But later realizes there is a hint here, but she has to figure out that hint to help figure out how he is in waking state.

    Names, I'm bad with. Sorry.

    I can't remember if there are much on dreams with the American Indian stories. There might be something there. :)

    Good luck to you!

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