Writer's Aid discussion
Writing
>
Character Names
message 101:
by
TessaMarie
(new)
Feb 11, 2016 08:50AM
Black Rose or Blood Rose
reply
|
flag
Those are my favourites! I don't know which to choose....
TessaMarie wrote: "I also agree with Thomas"Thanks, think I'm gonna try to switch it for the next round of editing and see if it suits him better..
Hallie wrote: "Which do you think is better and more intimidating?Red Rose
Black Rose
Blood Rose
White Queen"
Red Rose is the name of a paranormal thriller movie...
Bri wrote: "Hallie wrote: "Which do you think is better and more intimidating?Red Rose
Black Rose
Blood Rose
White Queen"
Red Rose is the name of a paranormal thriller movie..."
I tried searching all the names on Google, and Blood Rose is a film, too.
Hallie wrote: I think Thomas suits him better.
I disagree with you. I think Jacob is better for him.
I disagree with you. I think Jacob is better for him.
Blood Rose or black rose? Blood Rose or Black Rose?
Hallie!! *tackles* I think the two names have different styles and exhibit different auras; if this is some kind of name for a secret organization (just an example :D imagine PLL and A) Blood Rose sounds more cruel and violent, whereas Black Rose is more classy and elegant, like a rather quiet menace and death, know what I'm saying?
Exactly why I can't make up my mind about which to choose! Blood Rose sounds cruel, but Black Rose gives that dark feeling.
*tears hair* Someone else told me to choose Blood Rose...
Heyo! So I'm curious. Recently I wrote a character sketch as part of an assignment and I wondered what you guys would name him? Have a look if you like C:Maybe it’s creepy that I watch him sometimes. Catch myself staring. He’s… different. Not to the uninitiated eye, I don’t suppose; his plain fleeces in various shades of grey and blue are fairly nondescript, and there’s nothing in his dark ponytail to attract attention from his colleagues. His three computer screens and sellotaped glasses don’t stand out among the other programmers, and the one-sleeve-up one-sleeve-down look is not only rocked by him. It’s little things; the way he never takes his ID off, even after work, maybe because he forgets or maybe because he’s scared he’ll lose it; the way he doesn’t cut his hair because – again a theory – he’s more scared of the attention he’ll get for having trimmed it than the judgmental looks he gets now. The way he’ll blatantly insult me and grin about it expecting me to laugh, or tell me off for something very gravely, then go away and let me watch him doing it himself.
Or maybe it’s the Disney songs on the stereo in his car, the Alice-band which preceded the ponytail, the terror which comes into his eyes at the approach of even the most venerable of cats.
Who knows? This I know; that he’s different, and I esteem him for it. Difficult to stay different and remain uncaring, difficult not to slowly blend and fade away. He’s tougher than I am, and the fact that his voice is softer and his eyes are kinder doesn’t make a difference. His wonky glasses and mismatched sleeves command respect, in a way that my old ties and blazers never will.
Andrew "Andy" Michaels
Andy.... hmmm... I'll give it a think!
That's very interesting actually... xD
Hi, I am not sure if I can post this here but I am going to try and see how it goes. I am writing a book and I need help coming up with a negative racist name for humans that the people with gifts call them. For example in Harry Potter they used the term 'Mudblood'. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!Thanks!
How about using google translate? A lot of modern language is based on greek and latin, so if you try translating words from english into those then you often end up with words that you can edit a little and make perfect for names. Just an idea :)
Maeros wrote: "How about using google translate? A lot of modern language is based on greek and latin, so if you try translating words from english into those then you often end up with words that you can edit a ..."That's a great idea. Thanks!
I often thumb through The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon for names. Sometimes using them 'as is,' but more often than not..."playing" with them. Example - I needed a name for a healer. I found the English name Cadabyr (meaning from the warrior's settlement) which looked good, but in typing it I kept making the same typo spelling it Cadbyr. Obviously the character didn't like that one. Time to "play." I dropped the 'd' and arrived at Cabyr...which he likes. I do this a lot. Play around with the sounds, the spellings until I find something we (both me and the character) can agree upon.
I love unique names, but since I usually write historical fiction in Ireland, I try to choose names there. The balance is trying to find one vaguely pronouncable and still unique. For instance, Siobhan or Caoimhe are great, but most readers will balk at trying to pronounce them. I chose Valentia as one MC, since there is a Valentia Island in Ireland, and everyone can pronounce it - and it's not a normal Irish name :)
Does anyone have time to just make a giant lay of boys and girls names? I have to chose a bunch, cause I'm trying to create a school. Ya know?
Sssara wrote: "Does anyone have time to just make a giant lay of boys and girls names? I have to chose a bunch, cause I'm trying to create a school. Ya know?"See if you can find a copy of The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The entire book is nothing but names from different places, languages, etc. Well worth the cost to keep a copy in arm's reach (where mine is). Pick up some (more than one) Baby Name books or find Baby Name websites. One thing I used to do when I was (much) younger, was keep lists of character names from book I read. I didn't use those name exactly, but they were inspiration for my own character names. A place to start and then play. Dictionaries are another place. Pick a word that has the sound you want and then play with it - add letters, subtract letters, rearrange letters and syllables. I especially like foreign language dictionaries for this. Let your characters tell you their names (yes, they really do).
When I'm in the middle of writing something and don't have a name for a character, I put a "name marker" where that character's name would be - < n >. More than one character, use a different letter for each name. A way to keep them separate individuals until their name is chosen.
There's a book that is always Kind of in the back of my mind, though I am not activly writing it right now. I didn't have names for the 4 main characters, so I just called them Colors, they were blue, Grey, Brown, and red. I thought it was a good idea, but now the Colors have become the characters, and I can;t Picture the character being called anything else, and when I eventually have to pick names, I'm gonna have a hard time finding names I think fit them. So, while putting a Name marker is an excellent idea, just don't make the marker an actual word or Thing, otherwise you might have the same Problem as I do. Oh and if anyone has any ideas on how to deal with my Problem I am open to suggestions
Maybe hit the thesaurus for different words for the colors? Different shades of the colors? Foreign language dictionaries - again different words for the same colors. Personal example - Two years ago I got a new kitten, a blue torbie. Bacause a blue torbie is shades of grey plus some orange, I call her Liath, which is a Scots Gaelic word for a shade of blue/grey.
I happen to love thesauruses (thesauri?) and dictionaries. They're fun places to "play."
Examples -From Everyday Lakota: An English-Sioux Dictionary for Beginners edited by Joseph S. Karol
blue - to; blue hair - hiŋtó; bluish - toyéla
gray - hóta; gray owl -hiŋháŋ hóta
brown - gi; brown hair - pehíŋgi
red - lúta; sa; red paint - sayá; paint things red - wasayá
reddish - sayéla
An English-Dakota dictionaty by John P. Williamson has even more words.
I'm always sticking to English mostly. I sometimes lean towards French or Welsh, though.
Sssara wrote: "Does anyone have time to just make a giant lay of boys and girls names? I have to chose a bunch, cause I'm trying to create a school. Ya know?"Would love too, what language or Country of origin and time period please and Age range, oh and how many names do you Need. Also do you want just names are short descrbitions as well.
Christy wrote: "I love unique names, but since I usually write historical fiction in Ireland, I try to choose names there. The balance is trying to find one vaguely pronouncable and still unique. For instance, Sio..."I find myself hunting for names often. For girl Irish names, how about Ena, Aideen, Aina, Claire, Gael. I find sticking to four letter names helps. Also, just a thought, your readers will love/connect to your character in their own way so if they mispronounce the name in their heads...it doesn't matter. Reading your book is their own experience.
I need names for 5 mermaids. I want like Hawaiian-type names, or flowery names, or like color-inspired? Sorry it's not that specific. I'm thinking maybe-Imbali
Okean
Zelena
Piroda
Magys
Alanah
Do you guys like those? Please give comment on those and suggestions
Okean"Looks too much like a city near me - Olean (pronounced Oh-lee-an not Oh-leen)
Oh- It was actually just Ocean in a different language
I need a name for my boy mainish character
He's my main characters brother. He is strong, protective, and smart. I'm still figuring out the rest. His sister's name is Aubrey
I like the names-Jett <-- fave
Damian
Derek <-- third fave
Josh <-- second fave
Will
Kyle
Riley wrote: "I need names for 5 mermaids. I want like Hawaiian-type names, or flowery names, or like color-inspired? Sorry it's not that specific. I'm thinking maybe-Imbali
Okean
Zelena
Piroda
Magys
Alanah
..."
I like Zelena, Magys, and Alanah. How about Alula, Enid, Minna,Nettie, and Zara?
purplebookworm wrote: "He's my main characters brother. He is strong, protective, and smart. I'm still figuring out the rest. His sister's name is Aubrey"How about Asher?
Any other ideas? I'd like there to b meaning 2 the name. Like his sister's name means Ruler of the Little People. Which she is. And her friends name is Mackenzie which means Born of Fire. She's the rebellious 1.
Well my 3 faces, Jett means Black Gemstone, Derek means The Gifted Ruler and Josh means Lord of Salvation
