Then, there are the somewhat odd names I come up with. I used to call Zach, my art buddy in high school, Za. Not Z, but Za (pronounced ZUH)...because that's how I roll. My best Florida friend is now referred to as "Old Lady". She's a year younger than my mom, so...you know...she's OLD.
Others get nicknames that have to do with how we met, especially if I need to differentiate them from someone else I know with the same first name. Example: Jeremy the Mechanic is not the same as Jeremy My Cousin who is completely different from Jeremy from Jersey. (yes, that is how they are listed in the contacts list on my phone)
And, of course, there is my friend F***ing Mark. Trust me. There's a story behind his nickname, but as it paints me as a bit of a dumbass and isn't all the interesting, I'll refrain from sharing that little tidbit.
So, is it any wonder that my characters all end up with little nicknames for each other, when I have such a penchant for them myself? In ALWAYS & FOREVER, Mia (my MC) called Kal (her friend/boyfriend) Kallie more often than not. Her little brother Ben turned into a Benj or a Benji as well as her friend Erica morphing into a Ricki/Rick. And in HATE CRIME, my on-again/off-again WiP, everyone but my MC calls Alex by his nickname, Frodo.
Yep, I think it's fair to say I have a thing for nicknames. Sometimes, I go overboard, but hey, I like it:) What about all you, fun friends? What is your stance on nicknames? Do you label your friends/family/enemies/strange-stalker-guys-down-the-street with endearments? Do you have one of your own, mayhaps an unfortunate one you wish you didn't own? Do share ;)
wait, am i "computer friend abby?" if you mean me, i don't mind being called abs at all. if you don't mean me, i don't mind being called abs at all. loads of my friends do because, you know, the second syllable of my name can be quite exhausting.
ReplyDeletei've been called anything from a-bee, a-boom, ab, abs, abby, abalicious, abster, abigail (wait, that's not a nickname.)
obviously, i love me some nicknames. the more the merrier!
i think the other interesting part you left out is how many nicknames people use to reference YOU. don't you often sign your emails/blog posts with karla/karlie/girl from seventh circle of hell? :)
Abs: if by "computer friend" i mean the friend who lives in my computer...then, yes, that'd be you:) and somehow i knew it'd be you that picked up on my conspicuously leaving my Karla/Karlie/LastWord0524 bit out of this post. thanks for reminding me
ReplyDeleteI love nicknames. My characters have nicknames for each other--different ones, at that. My mc, Ciel, is "cuz," "sis," "Howdy," and "twit," depending on who's talking to her. (In Book 2, she picks up "Shortcake.")
ReplyDeleteMe? Well, my mom still calls me "Little Lin," in spite of the fact that I'm 5'9" and she's 5'3" when she stretches.
I love nicknames! In one of my unpublished stories, I gave a trio of siblings their first names by having their parents give them the last name of an important influence in their lives.
ReplyDeleteSheridan, Donavan, and Sullivan.
Sheridan was either Sheri or Cherie. Donavan got shortened to Don or Butthead. And Sullivan was Sully and often, "HOudini" to his siblings, since he was so good at escapes.
When I was carrying my first child, I called him Thumper (obvious reasons, no?) Today, he's often called Bam Bam (still obvious reasons. )
Love nicknames.
My name, Patricia, has died a slow death. I have not met a Patricia since high school, when there were often 6 of us in every class. I have been called Pat, Patty, Patty Ann (my middle name), Trish and even PAM (my initials before marriage). I tried to give my boys similarly adjustable names.