22 Comments

I once had a pet beta that was yellow whose name was Noodles. He tragically died by suffocation. He got trapped under a shell and couldn’t come up for air. A fish that drowned, situational irony.

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Noodles fell so your young scientific mind could learn a valuable lesson: Life is often violent and disconcerting, filled with unexpected ironies. Hail Noodles, rest well in the depths.

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Here’s 3 names I’d love to see!

1. Richmond - in honor of my dad’s middle name

2. Mary Elizabeth - my mom and gma’s name

3. Nyxi - my dogs name that I created from 3 of my favorite things

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Nyxi. Hmm. Reminds me of the river Styx. I love it. Mythological hallowed ground.

Richmond. A powerful name. A name with WEIGHT. And gravitas.

Hmmmmm

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Yassssssss!! Can’t wait to see one of em used down the line!

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Thank you Mike for the feedback! I’m planning to read this aloud and I’m sure it’ll help with the process. Good thoughts!!

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How about a lighthouse named after my childhood street, Ridge Heights?

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Many suburbs appear bright and friendly on the outside only to conceal dangers and mysteries below the surface. So it is with the island our characters are heading toward -- outward beauty concealing something darker underneath. Yes, yes, Ridge Heights is but a metaphor for modern life. It will be done.

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Use the name Olivia, or have someone own a cockatiel named Sterling🫰

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Ah, the name made famous by the great bard Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. The Countess Olivia. Beautiful. Unobtainable to many. A metaphor for love itself.

I’ll see what I can do.

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And I think you should try to use a hedgehog in the story...

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The story takes place on a hidden island off the coast of Northern Africa. So far hedgehogs have not appeared to be native to the island. However much of the island still lies unexplored…

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There ya go! They're hiding in a cave on the dark side of the island.😁

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Kathryn is a good name. 😁

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Agreed. I think I have a perfect character for that name...hmm...

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Good or evil? 🤔

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Aren’t all good characters a little bit evil and all evil characters a little bit good?

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Possibly

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I’m so excited about this project. It would be amazing to see Sawyer’s name show up in your story.

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Oh man. I love that idea. I’ll see what I can do :-) but it would have to be a great brave fun and heroic character.

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This would bring Sawyer’s literary arc full circle. We named him after a literary character in Tom Sawyer. Now he could have a new character named after him!

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Can I recommend that you read this aloud to make sure that the flow of the words matches the cadence you have in mind? Also - in point 3, you use a contraction (they’re) that felt jarring to my eye/ear. Throughout the rest of the letter, you avoid these contractions, and the use of it in point 3 seemed unintentional.

For a villain, I humbly submit, “The Dentist” as one who will tap into visceral discomforts.

All the best in your ongoing endeavors! I’m learning a lot from watching your process.

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