Help!

Alright. I have been having HORRIBLE writer's block and can barely scrounge a couple of words together for my story, if I am lucky. So, being a person that likes to frequently update, I am in desperate need of an idea to post for my blog. Ideas, ideas, ideas. The problem is...I got nothing. What I have decided to do to satisfy my readers, is take concepts and ideas from viewers on what they think that I should do. Something interactive (maybe doing drawings, contests, etc.). But it's up to you guys to help me. So just comment on this post and let me know what you think. Ask me questions about things in the book. Post ideas. Whatever. Just have fun, and help me post a great post!

Character Names

Many people have been asking on how I get the names that I do for my characters. I have posted many responses and have decided to dedicate a post to the topic. To quote what I have said before:

"The characters are first imaged in my mind, and then I have to figure out whether or not their name needs to sound "soft", "hard", "sly", "sharp", "quiet", or "loud (or a mix of all of the above. For example, Forde needed to have a hard name, but it needed to sharply grab the reader's attention. The "f", "r", and "d" in "Forde" are hard letters, and come off as a blockish sound. His last name, however, has a more sharp sound to it. The "ick" in "Barrick" is cut off abruptly and leaves a nice ring to his name. Often times the names just jump into my head. Wreaknatter, Wapper, Flare, Alsenoth, Kala, Chi-Chi, and Kara all came without any difficulty. Mordin, Sketh, Greilner, and Regalon were all extremely difficult (Sketh especially). Often times I have such a perfect image of who these characters are in my mind that their names never seem adequate enough. It's just really random, but it is ALWAYS fun to make up them names. Also many of the names end up having a deeper meaning (see my Roots post). Alsenoth's name is especially deliberate in its meaning. So, I guess there are just a number of ways on how I get my names."

Obviously there are other ways that I actually form and mold my characters into shape (often I will have a name before an actual fleshed-out character). Just ask me about specific character's names, and I will gladly describe to you the origin of their name!

Roots (Part One)

The world of Tarterrior comes from many ideas and thoughts, many of which are from the English language itself. The "Roots" posts will show where some of the ideas, names, and species came from. Many of the story's characters, items, and ideas reflect their origin of word. Enjoy!

Terra [Tarterrior]: Land, or earth. Commonly associated with mountains.

Rio [Tarterrior]: Spanish for "river". Commonly associated with water in general.

Cathari [Carthraith]: A member of a Christian sect which professed dualistic belief that emphasized ascetic renunciation of the world. Condemned by the Church. Commonly associated with the word "heretic".

Bar [Forde Barrick, Flare Barrick]: To keep secretive and closed off. A way to prevent something unwanted from happening.

Grim [Mordin Grimsparr, Griff Grimsparr, Zech Grimsparr]: A sign of death or loss. A sinister omen of Mal-intent. Often associated with the Reaper.

Flank [Flankers]: To strategically outmaneuver an enemy in battle by stalking them from behind until the time is right.

Liberty [Zaliff Lebetto]: To be free to make one's own decisions.

Wen~Ti [Andonta Wenwott, Trill Wenwott]: The Chinese God of literature. Mainly associated with knowledge and intelligence.

Druid [Wreaknatter Drudlok, Greilner Drudlok]: A Celtic priest or sorcerer associated with the black arts.

Anodynia [Andonta]: The absence of pain.

Mend [Solazmendor]: To heal or fix something that has been broken. To repair over time.

Solace [Solazmendor]: A place of peace and rest. A place where one can heal and relax. Often associated with being quiet or calm.

Queztalcoatl [Quetzal]: A God of the Toltecs and Aztecs, 1578, one of the manifestations of the Sun God Tezcatlipoca and represented as a plumed serpent. Sometimes--but rarely--represented as a bearded man.

Griffin [Griff]: A mythological beast; its head composed of an eagle (as well as its wings), and its body composed of a lion. It is often associated with something magnificent yet extremely powerful.

Zechariah [Zech]: An Old Testament prophet who returned from exile. He was stoned and killed "in the court of the house of the Lord" while performing the will of God. A martyr.

Scout [Sketh]: To examine, seek, search, hunt, inspect for the purpose of obtaining information; reconnoiter. To observe. Also, another meaning defines the word as dismissive; to treat with scorn, to scoff, to deride, to reject with disdain. A spy.

Ferde [Forde]: A Hungarian word which means "from or to the side"; not straight or symmetrical. Not directly.