Cliches... Running the Course...

Continuing my perusal of all things cliche, today I have four fresh ones. As a writer, I hear a ton of cliches, but in The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers, there are ones I haven't heard before (and I'm pretty sure a lot of you haven't either).

Grey Eminence: An influential figure in the background. Rogers writes that this saying is based on the life of Francois Leclerc du Tremblay, an adviser to Cardinal Richelieu, who advised King Louis XIII. Francois wasn't famous like the cardinal or the king, but apparently had a lot of unseen influence, akin to the cliche, "behind every successful man is a woman." Reading this my first thought went to Gandalf the Grey- grey in appearance, and a behind-the-scenes guy (at first) in the Lord of the Rings books.

High Dudgeon. I liked the sound of this. It means "a state of considerable anger, resentment or ill humor." I can picture this in a book of high fantasy with knights and swords and treachery. Rogers writes that "dudgeon" means "the hilt of a dagger" and if someone is really ticked, well, you might find him using that dagger against the person who angered them (although the Oxford English Dictionary doesn't agree.

Put the Arm On. This is a complicated way to say arrest, a 'gentler form' according to Rogers, as police officers are considered an 'arm of the law.' It was first used in 1943 by Raymond Chandler when he wrote Lady of the Lake. A second definition is to "borrow money or to ask for a loan." The phrase "putting an arm on him" appeared in the musical Pal Joey by John O'Hara.

Under the Counter. Rogers defines this as something "sold or done surreptitiously; a transaction done somewhat on the sly. The expression arose in World War II when so many storekeepers kept items under the counter for friends or good customers, since so many things were rationed or in short supply."

Photo by Erik Scheel from Pexels

So there you have four more expressions to avoid, although I'm thinking I'll be using  'grey eminence' sometime in my life. It's so old, no one really remembers it, and it was an obscure  British saying, so I think I'd be safe in using it now.

Until next week,


Char

F word in review...

F-bomb

Yeah, I use the F word occasionally. Like when you fall on your butt while hiking and break your tailbone. It's almost expected and anticipated that you're going to let loose the F bomb.

But in book reviews?

I'm not a fan.

I understand some people are very free with the word, that's their style. But if you're judging me on my writing and style, you need to show some. I mean, how can anyone take you seriously if your vocabulary is constrained by constant F bomb usage?

And if it's in your novel dialogue, I understand if that's part of the character, but constantly wading through a stream of them does not add substance to the writing, it detracts from it. I think of prison criminals or street thugs yakking it up when there are more than a few.

When my sons let loose the flying Fs, I always tell them that it shows lack of imagination, especially when they are using it in context with someone being, well, an asshole. It's so mundane. Boring. Trite. Unimpressive. All good insults are those which the person being insulted isn't aware they were until they think about it. Think of Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: "I don't know half of you as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." I still giggle over that one, and wish I had an opportunity to use it. Maybe at my own eleventy first birthday.

Then there are the tee shirts with that word or other obscenities printed on them. Okay, you made your point, "Look at me. Gasp. Be offended." Because sometimes, we are offended. Especially when my kids were younger, I didn't want to go to a theme park and see that or worse. I still don't like to see it. Wear it at home and annoy your family.

In the end, repetitious use is like what Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Foolish consistency is the hob-goblin of little minds..." which means if you can only do the same thing over and over (i.e. dropping the F bomb) you're not too bright.

Char

Name Calling

Some names just stick with us: Katniss, Lestat, Tris, Cleopatra, Han Solo.

I like my characters to have an uncommon name. My current main character in my solo work, Lethal Dose, is Dalen Steele. For Blonde OPS, our editors chose the name Bec Jackson. Other names I've used: Kara, Sun Yi, Kendra, Myca. I'll never use names like Heather, Mary, Elizabeth, John, Dave, Michael. Sure, in terms of the general population these names show up a lot. I hate alliterative names (you find a lot of that in comic books- Peter Parker [Spiderman] for example). Names have to speak to me.

How do I get names for my characters? I used to use a baby naming book, because not only did it have a wide variety of names from many cultures, but it would have the same name in various languages and the meaning. But it would take sooo much time trying to choose the name that seemed to fit.

So I cheat.

I watch the credits at the end of movies (the best: The Lord Of The Rings series because what, half a million people worked on the movies and they credited everyone...?) The right names just seem to jump out at me.

Some authors count syllables (I just listen to how the name rolls off my tongue, does it sound 'balanced?'). Others go by etymology (root of the name), and some have long complicated processes. Yet others use names of family and friends (a bit dangerous in my mind...). And there are some who even go to great lengths to make up names, especially in sci fi or fantasy novels.

What do you think are the best names of characters?

Char

You're Such A Character

Characters- love 'em, hate 'em....

To me the worst thing a character can be is boring (and/or unbelievable). Be bad, be divine, be scary-be all three!- anything but make me yawn. Some of the best characters in my humble opinion: Lestat, Interview With A Vampire (Anne Rice). He can be vicious while he's daring God to show him he has a soul even though he's a vampire. Favorite tragic hero is Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones (Alice Seybold). I raged, wept, I hoped, I despaired. The funniest character I think is Betsy (Elizabeth) Taylor of the Undead and Unwed series (Mary Janice Davidson). I laughed out loud in the middle of Barnes and Noble reading about her shoe addiction. The ultimate hero was of course Aragorn of The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien).

There are so many wonderful, unforgettable characters. I enjoy discovering new ones-and I love the first characters Natalie Zaman and I created in the Sirenz series: Sharisse, Meg, Hades, Demeter, and Persephone (our versions of them). Now, I'm loving our new character in Blonde OPS, Bec Jackson. The reason why I love all these characters: there's something in each of them that I identify with (not being a vampire or a king of men, or a murdered girl) but some facet of their personality is kindred, and touches my soul.

What characters do you feel connected with?

Do svidaniya!

Char