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Names...



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Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:53 pm
eyeofthestorm says...



I love writing, and when it comes to names, I usually don't have a problem. Well, as long as they're female names, that is.
For some reason I can't come up with very creative names for guys. I've gone through sites and books of names, searched by meaning and all that, but I can't come up with good male names.
So, my question is, does anyone have any good advice?
Bilbo: What have I got in my pocket?
Gollum: Handsies!
Bilbo: Nope, guess again.
Gollum: A knife! No, no...
Bilbo: Wrong again.
Gollum: String! Or... Nothing!
  





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Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:35 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Suggestion 1- Keep hunting. http://www.behindthename.com/ is a fantastic resource. I would also try to avoid meaning searches, as those tend not to get you what you want. Just look for nice sounds and what appeals to you.

Suggestion 2- This only applies to settings where there aren't baby name books and/or geographical segmentation is pretty extreme (ie- hard to get between places a few miles away). In those cases, build a naming structure. People from certain areas have names that sound one way, and people from other areas have a different naming structures. So, in the North you have names like Jalil and in the central area you have names like Deven. They don't sound the same, and they're not supposed to sound the same because of the geographic segmentation.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:07 pm
Tenyo says...



Ah, the perplexity of deciding names.

You think you have to pick really good ones, because they have to stick with these names forever, right? You want your reader to like them.

The trouble is that what is 'good' is different in the eyes of every person. I love the names Alvin, Simon and Theodore, but my sons are going to hate me when they realise I chose to write those names on their birth certificates.

There is also the issue of past aquaintances. I hate the name [not gonna say it] because that was the name of my landlord = . = Other people may love it, but whenever I read [name] on my phone while it was ringing I would scowl bitterly, and ever since I still have the same response when I read it on a page.

Whatever name you choose, it's never going to convey the perfect impression or meaning. What some people think is good others will hate.

Then there is the other issue. Being fussy. Sometimes you've got to go with a name just for the sake of going with it. You may hate it, but you'll get used to it after a few chapters. Sometimes we meet people whose noses are funny shaped or eyes are an odd colour, and we think we won't get along with them, but we soon learn how little these things matter to personality. Focus on the character and the name is just a label.

And in the end if you can't get used to the name you've chosen, you can switch at any time. There is a classically comedic moment for a lot of writers when they go back through their first draft and realise that one of their characters has switched names four times in a single novel.
We were born to be amazing.
  





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Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:50 pm
WritingWolf says...



Try looking in a phone book, even if your looking for other worldly sounding names. You'll be surprised at all the weird names you can find in there. And its always a good idea to keep a list of name that you think are cool but don't have a current use for, just in case you want to use it later.
~You can only grasp what you reach for~
  





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Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:10 pm
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Chronofdarkness says...



I actually got some of my names from trashy daytime tv. You'd be suprised where a really interesting name will just pop up - reality shows are littered with eccentric human beings with mad, crazy names.

Of course if you want fantasy type names (i.e not your average human) then it can be a bit trickier. I quite like choosing names that sound like the character if that makes sense? Like I have a demon character in my books who is very vicious, sharp nails, jagged teeth - does lots of clawing and growling and snarling. I called him "Skarl" because it just sounds like all of those things, it almost sounds like a verb itself - "to skarl someone." I don't know if that makes sense but it worked for me!
  





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Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:11 pm
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makennaC3 says...



I feel the same way when naming guys! Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I can never imagine good names for men. Even if I go to a baby name website, all of the names seem too... unrealistic. I usually just stick with he basics- Nick, Henry, James. I advise you not to though, because those are pretty cheesy too. I just wanted to say that I know how you feel.
“Fang: 'Man, You weigh a freaking ton! What have you been eating, rocks?'
Max: 'Why, is your head missing some?”
― James Patterson, The Angel Experiment
  





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Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:59 pm
Pencil2paper says...



If you are looking for fantasy names, then go to [url]rinkworks.com/namegen - Cached[/url] If you are looking for regular names, go to your local library or grab a phone book. Authors of books sometimes have very interesting names that you can use. You can even use some authors' last names as first names.
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Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:36 pm
Panikos says...



I don't think there's an ideal, foolproof way of finding names - you've just got to keep looking. Try and think of the character's appearance and personality and attribute a first letter to it, so you can whittle your search down. If I'm having trouble, I pick a letter that I can imagine their name beginning with and search the web for a list of names beginning with it.
The backs of my eyes hum with things I've never done.


~Radical Face
  





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Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:08 pm
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Stori says...



And if you're looking for medieval names, read historical fantasy and fiction. (That's backwards, but you get the picture.)
  








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