Overheard a librarian say she writes character names from cemetery headstones and it blew my mind

I was at the downtown branch returning books and caught her telling a coworker she finds her best character names walking through old graveyards. Has anyone else tried pulling real names from historic places like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_miller311mo ago

Wait, she's just walking around reading actual dead people's names off stones? That's a whole different level of commitment. I mean, I get the idea in theory, but in practice that feels like you're borrowing someone's permanent record for a story. Do you think she apologizes to the headstones or just scribbles in a little notebook while standing there? I guess if my name ended up in a novel someday, I'd either be honored or creeped out depending on how the character died.

nathan28913d agoMost Upvoted

Think she's more of a silent nod type than a full apology. Like a quick little head bow before she starts writing. But here's the thing that gets me - does she pick names at random or does she have a system? Like is she going for the oldest stones, or the ones with the fanciest names, or what? Because I feel like if you're gonna borrow a dead person's name, you at least gotta find one with some weight to it. Not just grab the first "John Smith" you see.

hugo_cooper1mo ago

Wait, she's just standing there reading names off actual dead people's stones? That's morbid and I love it, but I don't know if I could do it without feeling weird about it.