Madison Scott....
I've always been a nickname kind of girl. I remember back when I was in high school I had my special nicknames for all my friends that no one else called them but me. It wasn't something I tried to do, but it always worked that way. As I've gotten older I've noticed I don't have as many nicknames for people in my real life. In my books...that's another story. I always try and think of something different for the hero to call the heroine. I try to stay away from the typical baby, sweetie, etc. It doesn't always work out that way of course, but I try. I have one hero that calls the heroine "slugger" because something that happened in a previous book. I also have a twinkle toes, feisty, and a bella.
Anyway, as I've said, I don't have as many different kind of nicknames for people I know anymore. My husband's name is Dominic, but I call him Dom. Not much of a stretch there. Its weird because we're a very affectionate couple and we've been together for over ten years, but we don't really use a lot of terms of endearments for each other like honey or babe. The other day we were on the phone while he was at work and when I got off the phone I said, "Okay, honey, I'll talk to you later". It was a little strange because the second I got off the phone I thought, hmm, that was a little weird. Not that it felt weird, because it didn't. It just wasn't something we really did.
Last night we were driving home from the gym and I was talking about my writing. I mentioned that I'm struggling to come up with a name for the hero to call the heroine. Then, out of the blue I said, "hey, you never use any kind of nickname or term of endearment for me". We have the kind of relationship where we can tease around with each other. We do it a lot. His response to me shocked me. He said, "Well you called me honey the other day for the first time in ten years".
It's funny because my heart did a little pitter-patter that easily. I was surprised that he'd noticed. He's so busy and works so hard that he almost never pays attention to little details like that and it made me all gushy inside that he notice enough to remember. I told him that it surprised me that he caught on and it's so funny because he said he thought the same thing I did. He got off the phone and thought, hmm, that was a little different. Then he turns to me and says, "but I liked it. Funny how something so small sticks out to someone and means so much". It was a special moment for us. The fact that he noticed and the fact that me using a little word like honey could mean so much to my manly, not so romantic husband.
Do you use nicknames or terms of endearments with your spouse? If you're a reader, do you like that touch in a book and writers out there, do you use a lot of nicknames or terms of endearment?
10 comments:
Hi :)
Thanks for the great post.
Endearments are a sign of affection.
When I was married I used them.
A good endearment can carry a lot of weight in dialogue.
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
Thanks for stopping by, RK. You're right, an endearment can carry a lot of weight in dialogue.
I think it depends on the nickname. I love a play on a person's name or description more than the usual "honey, baby, sweetie." Like "red" if they have red hair or "Kid" or "Kat." My mother and step dad only called each other "honey" and never their names so I just can't say "honey." :)
Aww, what a sweet post. My hubby and I have a special endearment we both use with each other but I'm not going to post it b/c it's just ours :) In my writing, my heroes usually have an endearment they use only for the heroine and as a reader, I love nicknames, etc. in my romance.
For me it depends what's going on. There's the bedroom nickname and then there's the "In public" nickname and also the sarcastic nickname. Mostly we call each other Hey You;-)
Kathy, I like the unusual too.
Katie, how sweet that you have your special names for each other :)
Wynter, Hey you. I love it.
That scene from When a Man Loves a Woman - where the Guy is saying goodbye to the little girl on the playground, and she calls him Babe, it totally hit me. SO much backstory about why a 6 year old would call her dad Babe... yarg sniffle.
anyone remember that scene?
Even though I'm separated from my hubby, I love the little nicknames that create the necessary intimacy between two people in love. Without it, who would squander through the messiness of marriage on its bad days? Mary Kennedy Eastham, Author, The Shadow of a Dog I Can;t Forget and the upcoming novel Night Surfing
A nickname, uttered with all the power of your partner's love and affection for you behind it, is worth a thousand words.
I'm rather partial to "hon" short for "honey", myself.
Having said that, my uncle used to call his daughter "maggot" -- in the most affectionate way, of course. And now I come to think of it, my dad had some pretty dodgy nicknames for my mom, my brother and me, too. It's a wonder we're not all in therapy, LOL!
I love this post! Pet names can be sweet as long as they aren't too silly. I keep thinking of Kate Hudson in "How to Lose a Guy ihn 10 Days," Calling the hero, Ben "Benny-wenny-boop-boop" or something equally silly.
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