Patricia Harrelson

In her book Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg has a chapter called “Be Specific” in which she tells writers about the importance of naming:

Give things the dignity of their names. . . It is much better to say “geranium in the window” than “flower in the window.” . . . When we know the name of something, it brings us closer to the ground. It takes the blur out of our mind; it connects us with the earth . . . Learn the name of everything.

As a teacher, I instruct my students to use concrete nouns in order to give their writing substance. But what if the job is to bestow a name upon something, like a child or a pet or a blog? Dignity originates in the giving of the name.

We went through 4 names before we settled on Tweety as the right and most dignified name for our cat– a tiny svelte creature who was at once feisty and comical. When naming something, the intent is to get the right fit. But a name should also provide useful information. Tweety is small, courageous, and more than a tad goofy, just like her namesake Tweety Bird.

In the world of business, naming is called branding, for it is a marketing method that sends a message to the consumer, a promise about what can be expected. Branding is important enough to writing enterprises that Kristen over at the Inkthinker blog is hosting a branding bootcamp in upcoming weeks.

Editeyes is a business blog, a place were I wish to sell my credibility as a writer and attract a readership who will not only find worthwhile information but who are interested in creating relationships around the issue of writing. Though I can’t honestly say I was thinking about branding when naming this blog Editeyes, I knew that I wanted the name to send several messages along with a clear promise to address these points:

• We write with our eyes and our ears (and nose, tongue and skin too). As a name, Editeyes plays with sight and sound to convey this message;
• The playful spelling and atypical use of the suffix in Editeyes is a purposeful way to communicate the intent of this blog to explore the edges of writing “right.”
• The editing and revising stages of writing are essential and can be satisfying as well as insightful. The message in the name Editeyes is that I value this stage of the writing process.

Tell me what you think of the name Editeyes. What was your first impression? Did it change after reading this post? Be honest. Writing has so much to do with audience, so I want to know what you are thinking.