What's in a name?

For a significant amount of time now, my novels have had a specific set of names... and I've been relatively happy with them.

Well, until I was helping CBU with naming HIS novels.

NOW MINE SUCK. Time to fix them. But of course, that means that I need to start all over in my 'finding patterns and meaning' sessions. argh. This would be so much easier if I were a quasi-chick-lit writer *cough*LKH,Justina Robson*cough* instead of wanting to write something... I don't know.... more.

That's exactly what I want to read, 'more' - but I can't find it. I can't find a book (or set of books) that give me, not only a world - that's the easy part - but real characters, language, sociology, psychology, and just something else that's new. I mean, the stories will never be new now, but the rest of the book can be. (Ok, I'm being a BIT pessimistic here... after all, neil gaiman's work does give me quite a bit 'more' of what I'm looking for - his stories stay with me and evolve and shift and inspire... and that's what I want - that kind of 'more' ... some of the older works do it too, so let me be a touch more realistic with my defeatism.)

I don't want to read Yet-Another-Mary-Sue in space/fantasy/science fiction. I'm done with space operas. I'm completely through with cyberpunk (as it's currently written... or not written as the case may be...) I think I'm just completely sick of genre fiction.

I've been trying to figure out why scifi novels aren't 'sticking' with me ... I've read a lot of scifi, from classics to new stuff... and... I'm just not moved. I don't care/remember the stories an hour after I finish the books... and all of fantasy (except tolkien) seems to just disgust me... like... runny peas. ARGH. Maybe I'm too picky or too elitist. Well, either that, or I'm just sick of the genre fiction coming out. I'm not seeing things to get excited over.

Why am I talking about this? Well... as I was going over 'new' name ideas and brainstorming... I was looking over the scifi section of my local bookstore and my eyes glazed over. None of the names jump out at me, they all seem... the same. Bleh. That got me to thinking things like, "why can't I find stories I love in scifi/genre?"

Maybe I should just name my books after Chocolate (Theobromine), Coffee (Caffeine), and Chilis (Capsaicin) ... oooh now I want a chili-mocha. Ok, time to ponder and think and think of things that make more sense than the names I have now... which suck.

Writing is just another word for 'obsessive compulsive behaviour.'