The Mighty Pen Writing Club discussion

Need a name? Have a name? What do you think about odd names? Just talk about names. Everything and anything about the topic goes here!

I. NEED. A. NAME!!! For the main character in the Heart Seeker. In case you have read my chapters on Goodreads. It's the Taker who hunts down Alice. Graaaaaaaaaaaaah, really having a problem here. I don't want it to be extravagant, but not too every day kind of one... do you get what I mean???
Help will be very much appreciated...
By the way, how DO you choose names??? With me, I hear a name, I'm like "Aaah, this one suits very much the character - in a hearing kind of way )

nathaniel

It's a good name and not everyone uses it.

I choose the names of my friend that suits that character.

Wow, thanks! It DOES sound right!

Before I can choose a name I need to know location, ethnicity, family background and the personality. If the character's not huge part of the story you can look up a trait (ex. wealthy) and google "names that mean wealthy" and you'll find Jessica.
Anyway, I just go through the names google gives me and find one that fits.

Sometimes when I’m reading a book I come across a name in Arabic that the author describes as meaning one thing but since Arabic is my first language I know that it means something else...
So it’s very important for me to know exactly what the name means before I use it!

i usually use websites for baby names to find names. or, it just popped out of my head.

I use behindthename.com

Though a lot of the time I don't really think it through that much, the names just fit.

Hope wrote: "I use behindthename.com

Though a lot of the time I don't really think it through that much, the names just fit."

Thanks for the link it is a good website I even found the meaning for my own name & it was very accurate ;p

Oh land, so Jess and I were going through her character sketches, trying to find names for minor characters and middle names and meanings for the characters that we already knew the first name for. PAIN IN THE BUTT! But yeah, we had to decide on the race of a character before choosing a name. A good website for names and meanings is http://www.babynology.com/. It's especially helpful when you have to search by country. Not all of her characters have middle names, but when they do, we tried to find one that "fit", like if it included part of their personality. Searching by meanings is a good way to start.

I like to name some of my minor characters after people i know/they are similar too.

I don't think that I could read one of my sister's stories if she put one of her friends in it (like, the character was like her friend). It would pull me out.

Hmmm, yes I know what you mean but I do that too with my closest friends. The name of the heroine in a story I just created is Joan after one of my closest friend because if I ever finish the story, the book will be for her. However their characters are not the same.

I dunno, I think that if you name your character the same name as your friend coincidentally, and then read back through it and go "Hey! That's so-and-so's name!" then that's fine, but using a name for the express purpose of writing a book for a friend, then I think that it will be a hard run not making the characters, the mannerisms, or the quirks the same.

Oh trust me it is not. Me and my friend are so different I could never think the way she thinks. I suppose mannersims might come up to be similar (because after all it's mannerisms that I can observe) but what you are saying is the same as if writtng "For Blah-blah" (instead of name) in the beginning of the book and making the main character (who has a different name the same as Blah-blah. I believe it is entirely up to the writer not to do so if they wish not to.

Some of my characters (Minor ones, in a movie they would be "extras") have certain traits, similar looks that slightly resemble my friends. THere is no really obvious traits, but ones that just I can tell.
For example, in my book-there is one chapter when the MC meets another scientist and has a small talk with. Its just 2-3 pages, but that extra has a funny voice or a sarcastic tone or something along those lines.

Extras don't bug me. For example, there's a girl in my sister's story with the same middle name as me. It's not like I see myself hugely in her, but it fit with her first name really well.

ahaha, liked the last part!

hahahaha.
Dont worry, some of my brothers friends creep me out. And some of teh stuff they say...at just the age of 11!?!?!?!
*sigh*

I agree. You shouldn't base main characters around people. Main characters are new. YOu know them best. They live entirely in your mind. IF they are based on a real person, and you have t pkeep relating back to that person whilst writing...what is the point?

GaaaaH! All this started by me saying that I used a friend's name! Just the name people, just the name!!! No other relation!!!

omg i HATE when ppl think i use real life ppl in my stories!! i made the mistake of telling one of my guy friends about violet sky (did u read that alkyoni? i feel like u did) but hes convinced the mc was this guy and im like NO!! UGH so annoying

Oh, sweet jeasus, I totally understand you!
Violet sky?
Be right back. Am going to eat. Catherine, will you be here in about 20 min??

...possibly. haha ill do my best.
oh violet sky was my first story i had that i wrote last yr but it was pretty bad and then my friend started making fun of me so i took it down. dont worry u arent missing out on much haha

Want me to teach him a lesson for you?

Joking. Most i could do is five him an electronic beating :p

haha no he admitted he actually liked reading it, the problem was a lot of it was super cheesy and corny and cutesie unrealistic so he would quote it a lot to piss me off but otherwise its ok
but thanks ;)

you sure? I'm good at electronic beating. :p

lol i have no doubt haha i will keep that in mind in the case that ur services are eventually needed hehehe..

i am at a post's length.
:p

good to know...hehehe...

Alkyoni ~ Kingfisher of books wrote: "GaaaaH! All this started by me saying that I used a friend's name! Just the name people, just the name!!! No other relation!!!"

yeah but whats wrong with us having a proper discussion?

there's nothing wrong, it's just that i felt like I was against a wall and someone shoot me without knowing everything. Ok, not *that* bad but suddenly everyone was jumping to conclusions. Just wanted to make myself clear...
:)

But we werent talking about you. You just started the conversation, and we expanded on it..

Uh, sorry. Still felt weird. My bad.

It's ok. My bad. I guess I'm kinda picky...