Okay, so I really would like to finish the story I am currently working on right now, but in order to do that I need a name for one of my main characters. She is a 15 year old girl. Not very social, has one friend she goes to for everything, and yet once she finds out who she is, she starts to realize what she is capable of and has strong control. Throughout the story she is very tom-boy-ish and never really shows a girly side at all, so I was thinking a unisex name. I was working with a few, but haven't found a perfect match yet. Any suggestions are welcome!
Aiden (means fire and is unisex), Jamie, Alex, Ashley. They're all unisex, actually.
"A superman ... is, on account of certain superior qualities inherent in him, exempted from the ordinary laws which govern men. He is not liable for anything he may do." Nathan Leopold
I like Alex Because not only does it sound very tom-boyish when it's in short-form, but Alexandra sounds naive and innocent, in my opinion, and gives a whole different look on the name ... x
I have this story idea and I think it's really good. But I need a name. The main character is a somewhat shy girl. If you talk to her she'll snap back at you. She's mean and quiet and she wears all black. Of course there's a reason why she's like that. I was thinking of the name Melissa, but I don't know. If you could come up with something better then thanks!
“To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world”
“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.”
“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”
Most people on YWS will tell you that names are important. I'm of the belief that they're not unless they have certain significance with regard to meanings in fantasy or myth fiction. My tip would be to pick something simple. Melissa is fine. So is something like Anna, Jennifer, Cary, Mary, or Amber. It's really up to you. The real trick is to portray them well in your writing.
#TNT
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -- Robert Frost
Master_Yoda wrote:Most people on YWS will tell you that names are important.
This is generally an amateur misconception. As you've said, names are completely pointless to bother with for long. It's not the concept or the point of your writing, unless it somehow has meaning, but generally that's built into the genre. Even then, it's limited. So yeah, go with something off the top of your head.
I have trouble naming characters too. What helps me is behindthename.com because you can find out what the name means, where it came from, how popular it is, etc. There are names that mean specific colors or traits or obects and you can even type in something like "quiet" (or whatever word you want) when searching for meanings. I hope this helps!
"The only bad ideas are the ones never tried." - Puck, The Sisters Grimm
When parents name their children, they're babies, so they don't exactly know how their child is going to turn out, do they? There are instances in life where someone's name can match their personality, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just pick a name that you like and is appropriate for the time period.
All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them. -- Walt Disney
I LOVE naming characters! Its one of my favorite things to do when I'm creating a character. For a somewhat shy girl, I would use something interesting, say, Gabrielle. If you really want to get into it, go to a baby name website and look around. You'll find all sorts of interesting names!
...or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it? Fear makes the wolf seem bigger. I got attacked by a swan.
While it's generally concidered a boys name i've always seen the name Logan as a very good name for a tom-boyish girl. I also recommend something like Darby or Rory, always thought that those were awsome chick names.
I have this odd facination with the things people have feared. Death. Fire. Pain. Insanity. Darkness. Blood. I fail to see what is so scary about them. Except their power over you.
I don't really read much into the origin of a characters name. If say, your character had some, "Super Duper Chocolate Coated Mega Name." But you didn't develop the personality and unique characteristics of the character, then why bother with an "awesome name."
If a character was named John Smith and had a fleshed out persona, I'd love that more.
"There is no comfort without pain; thus we define salvation through suffering." Cato
Thomas Edison's last words were "It's very beautiful over there.” I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful. — John Green, Looking for Alaska
