I've restarted Empire 2...twice. I've made a list of possible titles. I've gone looking for cover art. And my hero still doesn't have a frigging name. He's going to turn up in a couple of pages, and I can't call him {insert name here}...can I? Actually, I do know some people who do this--or at least give their characters temporary names until better ones come along. But personally speaking, I find it really had to write about someone until they have the right name.
It doesn't help much that I gave my last hero about ten names. Well, he had one in the narrative, but plenty of aliases.
I need a name for an ex-soldier (on the losing side) captain of a gay pirate ship. Oh, and he's a Merman. And yes, I have solved the Mermaid Problem.
(It doesn't help that, courtesy of an ill-thought-out Christmas present, Mamma Mia is playing downstairs. Again. I am NOT calling my hero Bjorn)
Well, calling Aragorn Strider worked fine for Tolkein. Apparently he didn't know for AGES AND AGES that he really was Aragorn and the heir to the Kings of Gondor.
ReplyDelete(Word verification slatela. I really don't advise calling him that.)
But Strider is a name that really suits him. and it is kind of sexy. At least it is when it's attached to Viggo.
ReplyDeleteHeh, I could call my Merman Swimmer. Not.
I actually once named a character Striker as a nickname, and it suited him so well I never used his real name. A name like that would actually suit this guy--more a nickname or a title than a real name--I just can't find the right one!
And no, I don't suppose Slatela would work!
I ran into the problem of a nameless hero more than once. I used HERO as his name for 3/4 of the book. Finally it came to me, but I had to visit a baby name website for inspiration. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteEep, Nancy, I don't think I could do that! I have a working name for him now, and I'll see if it continues to fit him while I finish the book.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, but I rarely have these problems naming heroines.
I never have that problem with names, but fiddly magic or technical details in my books spend long periods of time as INSERT SCIENCE/MAGIC HERE. Which is fine until I have to go back and fill them in.
ReplyDeleteI recommend trawling Behind The Name for ideas. Great website.
Yes, I've used Behind The Name quite a lot. It's really helpful if you're looking for a particular type of name, a meaning, or a nationality.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some of the things people choose to call their kids are just *weird*.