View source for Interview notes 4 (January 2023)

'''[[Interview notes (January 2023)]]'''

== Name ==

"Where did the name Gnomon Chronicles come from?"

Around 2014, I decided that I needed a short snappy name for an original comic book series — specifically an imprint, the name you see in the upper-left corner of many comic books.  I was working with an comic book illustrator at the time, kicking around ideas for stories which I would write and he would illustrate.  

That collaboration ended, and the project lapsed half-finished.  But I kept the name Gnomon Chronicles, and expanded on it, rethinking it as a brand name for multiple activities.  If not comic books, then science fiction stories, or animated short films, or even life-sized flat panel figures of characters I developed during the comic book project.  (This last was suggested to me by a marketing professional.)

As to why I picked "Gnomon Chronicles":

'''Gnomon''' (/ˈnoʊˌmɒn, -mən/), from Ancient Greek γνώμων (gnṓmōn), "one that knows or examines", is the part of a sundial that casts a shadow.  The moment it came to mind I felt a spontaneous exaltation which sealed the deal.

But "Gnomon" alone felt insufficient, so I pondered a bit, and — hey presto! — up came "Chronicles". 

Both of these words have deep literal significance for me.  

"One that knows or examines" is who I am, what I care about.  

"Chronicles" too describes me.  In much of my writing, I think of myself as literally that, a man chronicling his time, leaving a records of events he has witnessed.

Finally, the rhyme of "Gnomon Chronicles" seals the deal:  it's catchy, easy to remember, almost a jingle.