Writing - The Importance Of Names

It's funny - well, strange - that I can't start writing a screenplay, story, novel, ANYTHING unless I have the title there. I have an idea of the plot but it doesn't crystallise until the title is there. I can't even operate with a working title. It has to be THE title. That's what makes the whole thing come into existence for me -  a reality, rather than an amorphous blob of random thoughts swimming around in the pond of my brain.

Then there's the naming of characters. I don't KNOW the name of a character until I see it somewhere. It might be on a website of baby names or practically anywhere, including a telephone directory. All I know is that when I see the name, THAT'S IT, and the character takes on a life of its own.

I was thinking of this today because of how some names just sing out to me as being so perfect.

Today, that name was Curiosity - NASA's rover that just landed on Mars!

Yesterday, was the title of a novel: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (now, SHE could do with a different name!)

I wasn't forgetting the screenplay update. I have visitors. No chance at all to write.

Day 5 Update
Half a page and incipient panic