OK I have by accident intially not thinking named characters: Joseph Cream Timothy Black Daniel Green Bob Mustard Jane Plum Dr Cerise Parker. I am seeing a definite theme appearing lol I am going to try and stick to it - so would like to hear about various colours. But also I want to find a name for a town and a county. Paintonville and Hueshire - are the best I have come up with and are rubbish. Shadeton is the only other I have in mind. White Bay is a possibility or Blackham. I want something connected to colour but if possible obscure. Not sure what I want lol
I want to try and keep the town and county name general and it needs to fit into middle England/Scotland . So something like Shade, Hue, Chromatic - White and Black would be OK. Falls isn't very English sounding.
"Whit-" is a common English place name, as are things like "Blackwell" "Blackburn" etc. I wonder if there is a resource of English surnames as they're often taken from places. Generally, though: -ridge -ford -leigh (ley) -chester -wick (whyke)
When you say "obscure," can you make the words just similar-sounding to colors? Like use "whit" as a prefix for "white," etc? Whitshire/Whitmoore/etc Ebonworth (Ebon from Ebony?) Crimson Moores Lilywith Indigo Rivers (you could use this if there was a river nearby, etc) Brown Beach Shady Shires (Shire IS a British thing, right? it's not just from LOTR? haha) Gray/Grey County
I just feel that the word "Chartreuse" needs to be in this thread. Perhaps someone very regal: Lady Eleanor Chartreuse?
I am liking Shady Shires lol works well for a crime novel. For the town hmm maybe White Bay might work the endings I sort of know - ideally though I like the idea of using something like Rainbow/Techicolour/Hue/Chromacity/Panorama/Paint/Wash. hmm ... EDIT ooh I may change my mind and just call the place Chartreuse hmm Crimsonwick nah oh maybe its a completely naff idea lol But with the way my characters are stacking up I think i may as well run with it.
Sienna might be another good place name that is also a color. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_sienna
oh no so cannot do Sienna - to me burnt sienna is a poo brown colour crayola crayon lol It was funny name forums erupted with the name when my daughter was born most people my age went eww yucky crayon colour However Sienna Brown could be a fun person name actually that would be better than Cerise Parker for the pathologist hmm.
Ha, okay then. Though I didn't intend it as such, the wiki I linked to has several other brown-spectrum colors listed on the bottom. When I saw Burnt Umber, I thought, "Umberton might be a good place name."
ooh the winning prize goes to Dark Mercury Umber Bridge is great - allowing me to use Whitchurch for another town and I am still like Shadyshire. Maybe Hueswick for another ok now I have loads lol. Question is can I keep this up for more than one book At least one character my page three girl is Mercury Star so only the policemen and other law enforcement seem to have colour names
I found these name, which are actully towns in the uk:- Whitehaven Whitehill Dover Evanton Beauly Muchalls Crawley These names I made up:- Ashen Fallen Milles Silverten Wonderstar Hope that helps
I am trying to avoid using one that actually exists - otherwise Peignton would be perfick lol Umber Bridge is great Umber comes from the Middle English for Shadow/Shade although think it means more shade as in Umbrella Shade lol - plus we have a Humber Bridge so it is familiar enough. Like White Bay instead of Whitby (looks like this is set in Yorkshire/North East). So maybe Pinkerton can be used as well. So maybe Eastershire.
Elgaisma, if you're liking Chartreuse and Crimsonwick here's what I'd do (this would work for either as they both start with C): Put some caves nearby, like make it a mountainy setting or a city with cliffs on one side of it with caves. Then you could use "Chartreuse Caves" (or "Cove," now that I think of it, either works) and make it catchier.
I actually now know where I am going to base it - around the Malton area of Yorkshire near a place called Castle Howard but just make up all the town names. Call it Penshire. No idea why lol I want it obvious where it is supposed to be but not so I can add a coastline as well. I now have White Bay but maybe Crimson Cove as well. Think I am just using Umber Bridge as the main town though. Who would have thought it worldbuilding in a detective novel lol
your names seem to be copying the 'clue' game, or tarantino's 'reservoir dogs' characters... do you really want to do that?
Shadeton is good if and only if it's pronounced "Shatton". That's pretty English, amirite? All pronouncing the name of a town in a way that no one would ever guess just by seeing it in print? This is all I came here to say.
I did see the Cluedo similarity - I think the story is different enough. It should help give a fun cartoonish feel to the characters and setting which will allow me some artistic licence with the way I take the story. Cream and Black my main two detectives are actually both taken from serial killers. Green was just because he was a popular name and Mustard because he has BO lol Jane Plum, hmm may change her to Jane Grey though - that is a name to cartoon very easily. Also like Dark Mercury's idea Lady Emma Chartreuse - could be Mercury Star's real name like the idea of the daughter of the Duke being a topless model. It is a bit cliche but could be fun.
I know I was thinking of making use of that with the character - figured have her a devout Anglican, maybe a new recruit - don't know yet whether to make her the murder victim ... gives me a way of bringing in Reverend somebody - every good detective story needs a vicar lol
She has already been beheaded, to bump her off again just doesn't seam just. Why not have her running around with a chip on her shoulder. or for comic effect; Running around 'with her head tucked underneath her arm (she climbed the bloody tower)' Just a thought. I'm not in a very good mood this morning.
lol that is OK - it isn't the real Jane Grey just a character with the same name both Jane and Grey are common enough for it to happen. I did toy with her being something else as a first name but whilst I am happy to change the Plum to Grey somehow she has become very much Jane. My MCs have just come out of a cleaning cupboard after a weekly session together was thinking of killing their partners off in a similar situation not sure how to write it yet Oddly this thread has been really productive for story ideas more than names. I now have most of my story mapped out. Although have just this minute realised one of the MC's Aunts is Serenity Cream which is fine but the other is Sage Cream might be over the top lol need to find a new name for her
