Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Harvey’

What’s In A Name?

Mrs. Publicist: Fifteenth of the month, when we discuss – if we remember – a character name from Spence’s work. Pete (which is what I call Spence), you’ve mentioned that you can’t write a character until you have the name. But what about the dog in THE RIGHT SIDE?

Pete: Very astute! When the dog first appears in the story, she has no name.

Mrs. P: But did you know the name from the get-go?

Pete: I did not. In fact, not until the scene where the dog gets named – by Harvey, Marci’s first husband, who knows how to make the piercing two-fingers-in-the-mouth whistle that gets the dog to come running. LeAnne hasn’t felt the need to give the dog a name, but there’s something proper about Harvey – and he thinks one up. I was thinking it up at the same time!

Mrs. P: And you and Harvey chose Goody.

Pete: We did. It doesn’t suit her at all, but by the end of the book it couldn’t be anything else.

Mrs. P: As readers will discover. Thanks, Pete, in your Spence role. See you next month for more of What’s In A Name!