National Novel Writing Month inspirations: Nov. 7

I am really getting into "NaNoWriMo" so far and loving it! As of the end of the day yesterday I should be at the 10,000 word mark. I am a little short of that mark, but making huge strides to make up for lost time! I am at just over 7,000 words.

Here is a funny antic-dote for your enjoyment from my writing time yesterday:

I went to Starbucks to sit and write yesterday. I love the atmosphere of coffee shops, and they always seem to give me some great inspiration and writing enthusiasm that I don't get as much at home alone. I was there for almost 3 hours. So I was chugging along through some seriously good inspiration, writing some good dialogue, ignoring the people around me when I realized I was making facial expressions that my characters would make while saying the things I was writing! I'm sure my fellow patrons were highly entertained by my looks of confusion, excitement, discomfort and shock as I wrote some intense dialogue between two of my characters!

Am I the only person who visualizes what their characters would look like as they interact with each other or is this something most writers do? Sometimes I feel like a freak for the way I get into what I'm writing. My heart starts to race for them, my stomach drops, and my brain and fingers struggle to keep up with the rapid movement of the characters who come alive in my imagination.

I would love some input from anyone on something. There is a character that I am struggling to name and visualize. She is a harsh, abrupt girl, with a sharp, sarcastic tongue and little regard for the feelings of others. She is calloused and very rough around the edges. She will likely end up either ostracized from a group or she will come to her senses and change. I haven't decided her end yet. What does a girl like that look like to you, and what do you think her name should be? I have her noted as Caroline, but not planning on sticking with that name.