No, no, I don't mean that writers see a story in everything compared to your non-writer types, true though that may sometimes be. What I mean is that different writers envision the scenes of their stories in different ways - or maybe not at all. And that contributes a lot to how you write, what comes easily to you, and what you may struggle with.

For a long time, I didn't really understand that. My own writing experience has always been an incredibly descriptive one. And I do mean descriptive to a fault. My early years of Mary Sue style self-insert fanfiction contained less story and more details about exactly what kind of dress my elven princess was wearing. Even today, I often catch myself being too heavy handed in my descriptions. So it always surprised me when I spoke with authors who struggled with their descriptions. But how? You write! You write beautifully! How could you say that description doesn't come easily to you?

What I found is that I really do see my story differently from some writers. I fall into a camp of readers and writers who are very visual. When I read, I'm not just reading words on a page. I'm constructing the entire scene into a mental image. If there's a detail that the author hasn't given me, I fill it in myself. And I know that a lot of people do this when they read to varying degrees, but I've gone so far as to be annoyed when a story suddenly throws in directional cues that don't match what I've already created. And the same holds true for my writing. If I'm writing a scene in my main character's bedroom, I know exactly what it looks like. I know where all the doors are and which walls have windows and how the furniture is arranged inside of it. It's not a conscious thing that I sit down and map out, it's just something that I inherently know when I start writing.

A panelist at ConCarolinas this year (and I hate that I forgot to write down who!) said "I see my stories like a movie in my head, and then I just try to write down what's happening." And that spoke to me because nobody else had ever put into words before how I write. But this also means that I'm a writer who gets easily caught up with trying to describe too much. It's often times difficult for me to determine when I've crossed over from setting up the scene to just overwhelming my story with superfluous details. And while it may be easy for me to "paint the picture," I find that I struggle the most with tying all those pictures together into a cohesive plot.

But that's definitely not true for all writers. I know a lot of amazing writers who don't have the same vivid mental imagery that I do - sometimes not when they read or write. And the beauty of writing is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. We're hardwired differently so we write differently. That gives us the opportunity to learn from each other. I know writers who say that they struggle with description but plot and story cohesion come naturally to them. They can see where their story needs to go and a lot of the important points that they need to hit along the way.

"We're hardwired differently so we write differently. That gives us the opportunity to learn from each other." - tweet this!

My advice is to start by figuring out what kind of a writer you are. Are you heavily visual and bogged down with description like I am? Or do you find your descriptions to be a struggle but your plot line is rock solid? Or maybe you struggle and excel in different areas. If you aren't sure, go back and re-read some of your writing or take a minute to think about what frustrates you the most about what you're currently working on. Once you know what comes easily to you and what doesn't, you can start reaching out to other writers to exchange tips or to give you feedback on your work specific to the areas you need help with.

But before you do that, tell me! Do you have an overwhelming mental vision of what you read and write, too, or is that something you have to work for?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" bemoaned 13 year old Juliet while waxing poetic about her boycrush. And technically, that's true. A rose would smell the same regardless of what we called it. But names are powerful, sometimes iconic things, and finding the perfect name for your characters can be a tricky business.

I am a writer who is entirely incapable of writing a character until I know what their name is. I'm also a writer who typically has characters manifest themselves in the back of my mind, uninvited, but they don't usually come to me fully formed. I may have a scene in mind for them, or a personality trait or two pre-determined, but until I've put a name to them, I struggle to connect with my characters in a way that allows me to start telling their stories. And that's because naming my characters is such an integral part of my understanding them. Because a name shapes your character. Not just in the way a reader views your character, but also in the way your characters view themselves.

How exactly you name your characters is a personal choice, of course, but here are a few things I tend to consider when going through the process:

1. Name Meaning

I think most writers use this method at some point. Especially early in the writing journey when you're first learning to develop characters and every detail seems imperative. And plenty of writers - myself included - continue to use it to find just the right moniker for a character! Sometimes you can use a character's name to hide foreshadowing tidbits (ie. Remus Lupin), or you use a particular name to reiterate something about the character's personality. Kendrick, for example, means 'royal ruler' or 'champion.' This could be a great name for a monarch or maybe even a superhero.

2. Name Bias

Naturally, as we go through our lives, we develop biases around certain names. There are plenty of factors for this - people we know, historical figures, cultural biases, etc. - but the fact remains that certain names will resonate in very different ways with your readers. For example, if you're writing a fantasy novel about a wizard, you'll probably want to steer clear of the name Harry. There are already two fantastic and prominent series that star a magic-wielding Harry, so you may struggle to stand out with a third. Alternatively, a name like Alejandro, with rolling syllables and pop culture significance, may make for a perfect romance protagonist.

3. Name Weight

If you write anything like I do, you probably spend more time on baby name sites than parents expecting sextuplets. And if you don't, I highly recommend checking a few out! A personal favorite of mine is NameBerry. But if you spend enough time on these sites, you'll start to become familiar with the intricacies of names and how much weight they carry - for a baby or for your new character. A name like Archibald, for example, is lofty and not exactly modern or popular at the moment. Simply put, it's difficult to pull off. But you can still use this to shape your character. Personally, I'm a fan of giving characters big, bold names and then letting them decide if they're the sort to embrace it or the sort to insist on a nickname. After all, there's usually a difference between a character who goes by Archibald and a character who goes by Archie.

And if worse comes to worst, you can always scour through name lists or chase the rabbit through "similar name" threads until you find something that simply resonates with you and your vision of a character. And if you have a different method for naming your characters, or if you have a favorite place to go for name inspiration, please let me know in a comment - I love finding new resources!