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Day 9- Curse: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: curse: misfortune or doom; acts or words applied to bring forth misfortune or doom.

Thoughts:

I often wonder if a name can be a curse. Just as I mentioned yesterday, while some names seem to draw others in, some names seem to push them away. Like Chester for instance; I’m sure there was once a time when Chester was an average name, but now it seems as though people try to stay away from it. As if having that name somehow makes you a creepy or sleazy person. I don’t think that’s fair to all the kindhearted and average guys out there who just happened to be name Chester. And what about Lolita? Does she always have to be young vixen? What happens when she grows up? I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Name of the day: Leonardo.

Breakdown and meaning:

While I’m not talking about an artist/inventor or a reptilian ninja, Leonardo is an important character. He’s part of my Eternal Curse Series and his name suits him well. The name, derived from Latin, means “lion”, “loyal”, and “bold” with both Italian and Spanish origins. In my first book Leonardo, aka Leo, is a supportive character, but his influence will be shared with other volumes in the series.

Well, that’s it for Day 9. See you tomorrow.

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Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites: http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and  http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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31days

Day 8- Blessing: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: blessing: favor, gift, benefit.

Thoughts:

I often wonder if a name can be a blessing. Do people who have the prettiest sounding names have some kind of advantage over everyone else with simple, common, or even unique names? The term “plain Jane” comes to mind. Does naming a girl Jane make her plain and simple or did a bunch of simple women just happen to have the name Jane? Why is Bob overlooked, but Rob is sought out? I’m sure these are all perceptions and preconceived ideas, but I wonder how much truth they really hold?

Name of the day: Paul Thornton.

Breakdown and meaning:

Paul is a popular name. It has origins all the major romance languages. For the most part Paul means “small or little”, but not always necessarily in size. In some cases the name Paul means “young”, “small spirit”, or “humble”. In Biblical terms Paul is a convert, the humble one, who seeks to save those once persecuted.

Thornton, with Gaelic origins as a given name and English origins as a surname, means “thorny town” or “from a town of thorns”. I don’t really know if this meaning has any bearing on the character of the person bestowed it. I don’t think it really says much about the person at all, but since it’s English it ties in quite well my character, from It’s Like the Full Moon, because he’s English.

Well, that’s it for Day 8. See you tomorrow.

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Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites: http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and  http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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31days

Day 7- Brand: What’s in a Name? #write31days 2014

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Term of the day: brand: a distinguishable mark; to distinguish with a mark or words.

Thoughts:

There are so many concepts and ideas surrounding the subject of branding, unfortunately many of them are not good. I won’t go into a long draw-out debate about slavery, but branding was taken to a whole new level during that tragic time of U.S. history. Needless to say, not all brands have to be physical or visual marks. Sometime a name is all that’s need to convey the meaning and essence of a complete entity. When that happens, it’s a sure sign that someone truly understands the power of branding.

You don’t have to see the golden arches to know what I’m referring to, but when you imagine them and actually see them, I bet it makes you hungry for fries and burger. And what about that name, McDonald’s? I don’t think anyone has said, “I don’t like McDonald’s” and then there was a debate about who or what McDonald’s is.

Names, images, and even descriptions can be brands. As a writer, I’ve been told and taught that I too  can become a brand. I’m still leery, but steady working on it. I just don’t know how often one truly becomes a “Martha Stewart” or a “Tyler Perry”. Like them or not, these names, these people, have become more than who they are and what they do. They are brands.

Name of the day: Rebecca Tinsdale.

Breakdown and meaning:

With Hebrew origins, Rebecca means “servant of God” or “knotted cord/strong”; the name also means captivating. I like the name Rebecca because it is commonly shortened to “Becca” as a pet/nickname, but that’s a topic for another day. Rebecca is the name of the main character in my upcoming romance, It’s Like the Full Moon, though this isn’t a traditional romance.

Then there’s the name Tinsdale, similar to Tisdale, but not as popular. I originally picked the name because I liked the sound of it.  In my search I found that Tinsdale was associate with fine craftsmanship and some type of, what I assume is, a purification process called Tinsdale Argar Base. I guess I should have paid more attention in chemistry class; I could be totally wrong about this. Also, I did find in my research another use of the full name, Rebecca Tinsdale, in a romance from the mid-90s. While my character is in no way associated with that one, I like the idea that this character’s name is unique, although, not completely original.

Well, that’s it for Day 7. See you tomorrow.

Go back to the beginning to see all the posts in this series.

Outside of my own personal search throughout the years, basic meanings and definitions of the terms used here can be found at the following websites: http://www.meaning-of-names.com/, Google search http://en.wikipedia.org/, and  http://dictionary.reference.com/.

Learn more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords