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Names



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Sun Sep 13, 2015 10:57 am
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Storygirl95 says...



What do you do when characters don't have names? I've tried finding these two characters names for well over a month, but they won't have it. It's like every time I think of a suggestion they disapprove and refuse to give me ideas when I write with that name. They just won't take to a name. It's so frustrating haha. Any ideas?
Johnny was a chemist's son but Johnny is no more, for what Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4. :wink:
  





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Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:19 am
steampowered says...



Sometimes I have the exact same problem. I remember putting a writing project on hold for a month because I couldn't find the "perfect" name for my protagonist. I did eventually find it, just a random name that came into my head and suited her perfectly.

I deal with my name problems in a number of ways. Often I'll just leave the project until I get my characters' names sorted out, but I find that frustrating. Sometimes I just put in any old name, as a placeholder, and sometimes the placeholder name actually grows to suit the character. And on other occasions, I go on random name generators and "let fate decide."

I seem to recall thinkbabynames.com has a really good random name generator I've used for many a story. :)
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Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:26 am
Storygirl95 says...



I once used a placeholder name and the character didn't seem too impressed, but he eventually molded and grew into it. Every time I try to use a name for either of them though they just refuse to interact with that name haha. If I don't push one on them though they create some good dialogue. So far I've just been using their relation to each other. I guess I'll just keep going that way until a name finally comes to me.
Don't you hate when they won't listen? In my experience though, the most difficult characters always come out the best. It's like if they have enough spunk to defy their creator, they make for an interesting read. Thanks for the website, I'll confer with them on possibilities. :)
Johnny was a chemist's son but Johnny is no more, for what Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4. :wink:
  





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Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:29 am
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Vervain says...



Hey there!

A lot of the time, when I can't think of a name, I do as Steam suggested and put in a placeholder name. Sometimes I end up replacing those names; sometimes I don't—sometimes I think the names are permanent and I end up changing them anyway because they don't quite fit. (I had a main character who'd been named Chloe for five years, then her name changed to Audrey because it fit better.)

Random name generators are also really helpful!

There's one on Behind the Name that lets you choose from any nationality, historical, or literary field in its database, which I find is ridiculously helpful for real-world or modern names.

There are a ton on Fantasy Name Generators—not just fantasy names, but real names as well! They have a variety from a number of time periods, nationalities, and of course elf, knight, royal, goblin, as many names as your heart desires.

Something else you could try is messing around with the sounds in the names you're trying. If you like one of your names, but it doesn't fit your character well, why not tinker with the vowel and consonant sounds until you find something you're both comfortable with? (For example, changing Lydia to Lidien, Ashlyn to Ashling, or something the like.)
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Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:05 pm
FeatherPen says...



Behind the name is great. Other than the tips already mentioned remembering that people don't always fit their name 100% can help. What your character thinks about the name they are called by can become part of their backstory. But mainly, like a place holder, it takes the pressure of the name being perfect. I have one character who is called by at least three names through my drafts and I still haven't decided which one suits best. But i find that I start writing one of them more often than the others so it starts to stick. Good luck with your negotiations
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Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:14 pm
Kale says...



You can also write without names. Using descriptions to refer to each character works, and there are plenty of stories out there where characters are never named, except in reference to their titles, positions, or relationships to another character.

Sometimes a character's role in a story/setting or their relationship to others is more important than their individuality, and that might be why you're running into such a block when trying to name them.
Secretly a Kyllorac, sometimes a Murtle.
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Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:08 pm
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Holysocks says...



I don't have really any suggestions for when that problem occurs, but what i do to prevent that from happening is simply name them right off the bat.

For me, if I don't name my characters right when I create them, I will struggle to find a name that suits them. So instead the name is one of the very first things I do- and I find a character doesn't fully take shape until they have their name, either. Naming them early quickens the getting-to-know process.

One tip I have for finding a name for your character when that's being tricky: if the character had had a name before, but you changed it for whatever reason- say a friend thought it was cliche or whatever. Go back to the name you gave them at the start; people have terrible names, it's a side-effect of letting anyone and everyone name their kids. Basically what I'm saying is, personally I think the very first name they get is more important then anything else.

But hey, this is coming from the person that named a dude "June" and a young lady "Parker" so take my advice with a few grains of salt.
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Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:19 pm
LadySpark says...



The advanced search on Baby Names is also really useful. You can chose the amount of syllables, gender, meaning, letter it starts with, and orgin. I've found many a character's name using the advanced search. There's also Name Central here on YWS, where you can describe your characters/setting/plot and get help from a multitude of sources.
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