I find the one of the hardest (yet most enjoyable) parts of building a fantasy world is coming up with names. Characters, settings, fictional monsters, etc. It's so challenging to find that perfect word to encapsulate your idea.
In poorly written fantasy, for instance, you could have an MC named T'gathdïshdiõ'l who hails from the land of Generica—simply ridiculous names that make you roll your eyes and wonder how you can possibly take the book seriously.
Sometimes, though, the distinction between good and bad names is a little more subtle. It can be difficult for authors to view their own work from an outsider's perspective. I hope this forum can help solve this problem. People could submit names from their story, tell a little about the character or setting, and receive feedback as to how well the names fit.
Just an idea, anyway. I struggle with fantasy names all the time, and advice from readers is incredibly helpful in identifying which names sound stupid or cliché.
After all, the goal of a writer is to make their story the best it can possibly be!
Fantasy Nomenclature
9 posts in this topic.
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Yep! That's our goal.
First of all,I am not really into Fantasy. But I love to see the ever incredible imagination power of human mind. That's why I'm here.
Names and characters are always a challenge in every writing. I face it too. I would like to share some ideas. Hope it helps.
Look around, try to discover. Look at the things around. Like anything. May it be a clock or a table. Rethink and retell them in your mind. You will definitely come up with something. This may sound weird. But I always do this and it really helps.
Then you can write down the names of the people whom u know. U may even try the usernames here! Try to combine them. This should work.
Characters are actually in yourself. Try to base them on your own characteristics. This way you will get to know your character first. Then it will be much easier to write them.
Try to put yourself in the story. Or the situation. Think what is most likely to happen or what incident will amuse YOU the most. Go on with it.
Keep it in mind that if u think too much it will turn into worry. And if u worry, u won't be able to get the best of your potential. So give it time. Think with a calm mind. And if u still get stuck,don't worry , we are always here to help you.
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Yes to everything you guys just said xD
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If I want to come up with an original name, I'll often just say nonsense out loud until one or two syllables stick with me. I try to keep them simple to avoid the whole "T'gathdïshdiõ'l" travesty. However, in a fictional world filled with names like Buruh and Ivar, a good Bindlewinks or even Todd is great to add humor by contrast.
In any case, I try to make sure the names fit the character's appearance and personality, by looking them over in my head and saying "yep, he looks like an Ojai Barlan ". I tend to keep the names more regular when dealing with non-fantasy worlds, since names show a lot about a place's history and culture. For instance, in the steampunk-ish city of Canburg, names like Max and James are commonplace, while some of the more well-off people have names like Violet and Emmet.
As for characteristics, most of my characters share a similar desire or trait with me, making them easier to relate to and write. -
I seem to have a knack for creating names. I have quite a few characters I use to roleplay, most of which have original names - Adel, Jezara, Yi and Aurus to name a few. I never seemed to have trouble with creating names that are too long, but that could be down to my technique. It's similar to haredrier's in a way. I start with a syllable or familiar name and modify it - Jezara began as Jeza (which has become an affectionate nickname ^^), and Yi's name was the first thing that came to mind when I looked down at the first sketch I drew of her.
Aurus was a little different - it might have originated from some word I'd heard somewhere before. The whole name came to me at once, suddenly. Aurus seemed very fitting for a sunny-furred space bunny, so I stuck with it. But when I looked up his name, I found no information on it - who knows where it came from?
If anyone needs any help creating names for their world, I'd be glad to offer my services! -
I need a few more names for a fantasy world I'm working on, but since it's currently on hold until I finish writing my current project I don't feel the need to find them right now. Surprisingly, the main characters seem to be the ones I'm finding names for last, although it might just be that the the side characters have very distinct traits, making it easier to find names that fit that angle.
As for the name Aurum, maybe it subconsciously stemmed from Aurum, the latin word for gold? The chemical symbol for gold is also Au, so it might have come from there, linking the color gold to sunny fur. -
I use a few techniques for names. First, I will google 'names meaning [fill in the blank].' I usually use an important quality or an animal symbolistic to the character. Second, I go to fantasynamegenerators.com and look at elf names. When I find a few I like I change them a bit to make them my own and ta-da! On occasion I will name them after an object or something; for instance, Tourmaline is a scarlet dragon of fire. Lastly, I just use a normal name, like for Tasha (formerly known as Agrona, meaning 'harbinger of death').
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I keep a folder on my laptop just for made-up names so I can quickly add one when I come up with it.
I mostly base my names on real names and words and simply switch a few letters around until I get one I like. I like to choose easy one-syllable names or nicknames for my main characters, because I feel that it makes them seem more ordinary- and therefore more relatable. If anyone here has read Name of the Wind, it's a good book, but the MC's name "Kvothe" always bothered me.. How the hey do you pronounce that?! xD
I prefer to avoid names like that unless if I'm making a point about that person's parents or their religion/culture. -
For me, (As with several others above), it's about mashing syllables together until I find something attractive. Sometimes, I'll take the route of adapting existing words-- Ideas, Gods, things like that. Sometimes it's fun to sneak in references here and there.
But back to smashing syllables, it goes a little further than that. I like to find a fitting name, and a lot of the time that can simply mean some assonance-- Harsh sounds vs soft sounds. For example, Skorag gives a very different impression than Illthillian.
I also agree with Aly on the point of snappy main character names-- I usually try to keep them simple and short.
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