Dec. 8th, 2004

pegkerr: (Default)
Instead of writing, I went Christmas shopping. And I ended up only getting stuff for myself, including two new Georgette Heyer novels that I have NEVER READ BEFORE. So, when I got home, I dove into the pages of Sprig Muslin rather than writing.

Priorities are priorities.
pegkerr: (Default)
I posted this in a comment to [livejournal.com profile] llinos, who wondered aloud, most reasonably, whether it might in fact be a tad pretentious to name a house that already has a perfectly serviceable house number. Thought I'd make it a separate entry to explain my thinking a bit to all.

Well, I see your point, if the only purpose of the house name was to identify it for the postman who delivers the mail. If utilitarianism were the only cause, you are absolutely right, there is no "need" to name my house. But that's not why I want to come up with the perfect name.

To me, a home is more than just a house, if you understand me. I want to name the home. The Victorians understood a home as a sacred place; English landscape designers talked about the "genius of the place." I want to name my home because I want to put into a beautiful word, or two or three, what my home means to my family. Not just me, you understand, so I shouldn't choose a name that only I like, or is significant to only me. It should be right for all four of us. Which is why if Rob doesn't like it, it can't be used.

Don't you feel that your home is more than just the wood or bricks or stone that you live in, the place you sleep and where you store your clothes? It's where I garden, and where I dream, and where I write, and where I brought my babies home and started teaching them about the whole wide world. It's where I have my liveliest fights and most loving moments with my husband. It's my home. It is extremely important to me. I write about my home here all the time because it's in the background of all my stories about my family, and one odd thing I've noticed about my writing is that I can't write about a character freely and fully unless I've figured out the character's name.
Edited to add: and of course, a name would have to include what is important about the house to the other members of the family, too. Therefore a "writing name" per se wouldn't be quite right, because that would be naming it just my home instead of our home.

And yeah, some of the names I suggested earlier were derivative. Yeah, yeah, okay, my bad. I was just struck by some of them. *Is mildly embarrassed now* But I wouldn't have used one of them unless it was right. And these suggestions so far, apparently, are not right. So, I will wait for something original and just right to come along.
pegkerr: (Default)
Parents strike to protest messy kids.

I have to think that it would have been easier for them if they had pushed the issue more when the kids were younger.

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