I struggle with names when I’m writing. ALL names – character names, place names, even coming up with the title is difficult for me. My latest short story (it’s supposed to be short, but it keeps growing – stay short dammit!) is about faeries. Not little ones with big wings that sleep under mushrooms, but human sized ones that live in the world of the mist, that you might get sucked into if you step into a faery mushroom circle, and stuck in if you eat their food. Ok, so maybe that also applies to the stories of the little fairy’s too, but anyway…
I wanted some good faery names. So I turned to google. I have a character who has one name, but dreams of these people who call her by another, and I wanted something that would really suit. I love different sort of names, but especially those !
What surprised me the most was the name Alfred. It was at the top of a list of faery names – WT?! Alfred was my pop’s name, it’s hardly a faery name! Well – guess again. The original, fair dinkum, meaning of Alfred is Elf Counsel. My pop loved a laugh, and always had a mischievous twinkle in his eye – I could certainly imagine him being one of the mischievous folk lol. He passed away 10 years ago this year – thinking of you Pop! Love and miss you heaps!
Heather Ewings 