Rob Yam
January 31, 2020
Names; where do you get them?
Hi Mr. Pinkwater,
Every time I read one your books, I marvel at the masterful use of peculiar names. Where do you get them? Charles Dickens was adept at choosing names for his characters, and I’d done some reading on how he found them or created them. I mean, Osgood Sigerson, Hamish MacTavish. How do you do it?
Sincerely,
Rob Yam
Daniel replies:
Think about it. What is my name? It's my real name. And it's ridiculous. Every time I see it in print, to this day, and every time I have heard it spoken, it tends to make me snort and giggle. "And first prize in the school short story contest goes to....Cadet Daniel Manus Pinkwater." That was the first time I broke out laughing when I should have been gravely accepting praise for my first literary accomplishment. Does this answer your question?
