Monday, January 21, 2008

What’s in a Name?

By C.L. Beck
© 2008

For some unknown reason, a lot of my writing inspiration comes while I’m doing the dishes. There I stand, soap and bubbles up to my elbows, pots and pans stacked haphazardly while waiting for a good scrub and I get an idea for a blog. Is it possible my muse has a twisted side and just waits for me to start the water running before she’ll arrive?

I suppose I should be grateful she shows up at all, but it is inconvenient to try to remember ideas until all the dishes are washed. The only other alternative is to stop what I’m doing, dry my hands, and head to the computer … leaving the dishes for someone else to finish.

Wait. What’s wrong with me? Leaving the dishes for someone else to finish? Well, bless that sweet, little muse’s heart!

My dishsoap-y idea today revolved around book titles. What if the books we know and love had been born with different titles. Would we have read them anyway?

Take a gander at these:

What if The Old Man and the Sea was titled Geezer on the Big Pond?
The Scarlet Letter was titled The Big Red A. (Sounds like something from Sesame Street!)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was titled Out of the Closet—Tales of Big Cat and the Old Hag.
The Lord of the Rings was titled Lord of the Flies. (Oh wait, there’s already a Lord of the Flies.)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was titled 60,000 Miles of Salt Water—Straight Down.
The Work and the Glory was titled Trials of the Mormons—In 532 Easy-to-Read Volumes.

Those are just a few that came to mind. And I’m sure I could come up with hundreds more, but … well … those dishes are still waiting for me and the water is getting cold.

(I found this quote long after writing the above and thought you would enjoy it. "The best time for planning a book is while doing the dishes."— Agatha Christie)

What books C.L. recommends:
Life is Like Riding a Unicycle by Shirley Bahlmann
Publishing Secrets by LDS Storymakers (BJ Rowley and others)
Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction by Jon Franklin
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Rennie Browne & Dave King

View C.L.’s other work:
Newspaper Column
Photography Website

6 comments:

Tristi Pinkston said...

Those are great!

I get a lot of inspiration while I'm in the bath or shower -- must be something about water.

C. Michelle Jefferies said...

My MC lives in my shower, seriously. He tells me stories as I shampoo my hair. I have often times blogged or written with my hair in a towell. :)

Michelle

Anonymous said...

I think I'd like to read "Geezer on the Big Pond"!

Cindy Beck, author said...

Tristi,
It's either something about the water ... or the fact that we are indisposed. :)

Thanks for dropping by and reading!

Cindy Beck, author said...

Michelle,
I believe your MC has visited me in the shower. What a shock, too! :)

Thanks for dropping by and commenting.

Cindy Beck, author said...

Weston-Wendy,
Well, since you're interested, maybe I'll have to write it. Sorta like "On Golden Pond", only with less swearing and the old geezer will be a geez-ette! :)

Thanks for coming by and for commenting.