Good evening all, I would like to get others opinion on the name of one of my characters. Nwahs McKelvey (Pronounce: Nosh) It's been kind of a debate between me and those I've trusted to read my books. Some people think the name is horrible and stay with it. Others love the name and others still said that they hated it at first but it grew on them that they now can't think of the character having any other name. So I was curious about what others might think of such a "unique" name. Yay or Nah and why?
It's obviously an absurd name - is it an absurd character? Does his absurd name play a role in the book? Like, do other characters consistently point out that it's absurd, have trouble spelling/pronouncing/remembering it, etc.? And does it add to your story or diminish your story when the other characters have to struggle with this?
There are instances where the uniqueness of her name does become a point of conversation but it is not a driving point. However the story does hint as to why she got such a name; though just not directly.
If there's not a strong reason for having a really weird name, I'd leave it out. I mean, it doesn't even make phonetic sense. How does N-w-a-h-s turn into Nosh? And "nosh" means to snack, right? So it's a weird meaning, a weird pronunciation, a weird spelling... seems like a lot of trouble unless there's a good reason for it.
TBH I'm getting a headache from reading it once, let alone a hundred plus times in a book. Non-starter for me probably, but I'm quirky with names. I nearly put the Hunger Games down because the names made me giggle, but that would have denied me a great read, so I should probably get over that.
I'd revise the spelling and have the s and h swap places, but maybe the name would grow on me so it'd seem natural. What purpose does the name serve?
Well the purpose of the name is that is it "Shawn" spelled backwards with the same pronunciation said backwards as well.
Another—more accurate—spelling of Shawn is actually 'Sean.' (As in Sean Connery, Sean Bean, etc.) 'Naes' might be a slightly more palatable way to get the idea across, with a spelling that readers could get their heads and tongues around. I'm not sure whether this swapping is significant to your story, but if it is, that's another way to tackle it. However, they are likely to pronounce your character's name "Naize" so I don't know that you're much further forward. Nobody—and I do mean nobody—is going to look at Nwahs and think 'Nosh.' They are going to think Nwazz. Unless this idea is crucial to your story, I'd dump it. Or, if the swapping is crucial to your story, think of another name that swaps better? Or just call the guy 'Nosh,' and if somebody asks him why he's got such a weird name, he can say: 'It's actually Shawn, said backwards.' Not spelled backwards, but SAID backwards.
McKelvey is a Gaelic name (there's debate as to whether it is Scottish or Irish, but 'Mc' or 'Mac' is a Gaelic prefix meaning 'son of') but spelling a name backwards doesn't strike me as a common thing for a name (a nickname maybe, but not a birth name). I can't say I like the forename myself, but if you want a name that is pronounced oddly, why not look into some Gaelic names? They are notorious for sounding completely different to their spelling if that's the kind of effect you want: Saoirse - shur-shuh (the actress Saoirse Ronan prefers 'sheer-shuh' though) Siobhán - Shuh-vonne (this is the female variant of Sean in Ireland) Sinead- Shin-aid Aislin- Ash-ling Brighid- Bride Eabha- Ay-va Just to name a few
Nwahs looks very foreign, vaguely African, while McKelvey is a generic western surname. It lacks plausibility that these names would coexist. If I were reading it I would immediately forget about the "Nosh" and pronounce it "Nah-was" The reader doesn't have any reason to stick to the Nosh directive beyond satisfying the writer's quirkiness.
Names in the world ARE absurd a lot of the time, we're just used to them. You named your character what you thought they should be called. Make the reader come around. My main character's name is Wedonkind, (pronounced like "Wed'n'kind"). Most people think it's 'Wee-don-kind'. I ain't changin' it. They're gonna have to come around. Thomas: do we say "Tahm-us" or do we say "THoh-mahs"?
That's fine, because you recognise people are going to struggle with this, and you're staying firm. Any author can do this. You're taking a risk, but at least you're aware of it, and seem okay with the fact that not everybody is going to like it—or 'do' it the way you want them to. As for Thomas ...it's a recognised name that English-speaking people know how to pronounce. Tommuss might make more phonetic sense, but we've grown accustomed to Thomas. It's when you're introducing a made up name, or a foreign name, that you can run into problems. For the first chapter of my own book, two of my characters have Hungarian first names (they change them later on) which are difficult to pronounce. However, they are real names. I've included a pronunciation guide at the start of my story. It might be an idea to do the same for yours.
As illustrated by the critiques from this writer's friends, the name grew on them and they couldn't imagine any other name. Even though it is a "real" name. I say, if you feel strongly about your name, sell the name. There's a reason you feel strongly about the name. Share that reason with the reader.
Yeah, at some point all writers need to decide on things they're willing to fight for. If there's something so important about this name that it's worth fighting for, fight for it. But... there apparently isn't. It doesn't serve the story, based on post 3. So it sounds like a darling that should be killed, to me. And, of course, different writers have different goals. If finding and pleasing readers isn't a goal, then... have at it, and do absolutely whatever you want. But if building a readership IS a goal, then... keep your readers in mind.
I'm the only one here to have played Morrowind, it seems. In said game, N'wah is used as an insult by haughty city guards against the player. That's the only thing I can bring myself to see when I read that name.
I say no. I just don't see the point to having a name that needs a pronunciation guide, especially when it's going to crop up over and over and over. It just makes it hard to read fluidly. It's the same reason why I wouldn't suggesting using Celtic names without some really strong reason to do so. It's just something that every time my eye runs over it on the page makes me frown and it doesn't lead to a nice experience. It's not really even a question of the name itself, as such. How frequently would you use a word that most people won't know how to pronounce? Not a lot, and only with purpose. If loquacious or mellifluous is the only word that works then you might use it just there. But you probably wouldn't keep saying it. It just makes it harder than it needs to be. It's worse with names because there is no specific 'official' pronunciation for them really. I don't mind a weird name or at least hard to say name sometimes if you hang a lantern on it and it's only seen a couple of times. I've done that and it's nice to have these moments sometimes; so my average school girl can trump her Romani boyfriend by having a harder to pronounce surname than his. But that's one page with one mention and it's not important elsewhere, just a little fun thing to play with that won't matter if the reader doesn't scan it. But a principle cast members first name? No sir.
I want to thank everyone for their opinions and I will give it some serious thought about changing it. (Though I'm not too keen on scanning 2 whole books and changing every reference to the name. Ugh!) I was just looking for a name that would be unique enough to stick in people's minds and give an impression of her character. But as far as the whole mixing of African first names with Gaelic last names; maybe it's just me, but I don't know many families who put that kinda thought into it like that. (Mine sure didn't.) A lot of them usually go with "Ooo, this sounds cute!"
As a creator of bullshit names that are alien (literally), they should at least be somewhat readable/pronounceable by the reader. I would never have gotten Nosh from Nwahs. I would giggle thinking it was a play on the South Park Movie bit about the sound a dying giraffe makes.
Names that grow on you, My first thoughts were puns. "Fungus." "Athletes Foot." "Achilles." In all honestly though, Arcadeus was a character I created for a story and I fell in love with the character. Gave him the nickname Arc, and adopted it for my online identity.
Well in the words of Arnold, "It's not a tumor." hehe That's the way it is for me. At first I don't think it was a good name, but it grew on me and now I love it and think it fits her perfectly. But I understand why many people are turned off by it.