I need to decide on a name for a Rogue warrior girl. She does not trust easily, having seen her father become betrayed by his most trusted friend when she was little. Because of this, she can seem rather cold. But really, once you really get to know her, she does possess a kind nature deep inside. She does not involve herself with organisations, believing them all corrupt. In this sense, she is a mercenary, only fighting for necessities and her own needs. Most things she does has a personal gain in the end. She doesn't believe in much, but the things she does believe in, she will protect with her life. So with this in mind and with the limited options for names, I've narrowed it down to: Zarla (means legend) Scye (made up XD) Era (time, new period of history, or wind, air) Alala (means War-cry or War-like) Which do you think is the best? If you have other really good name ideas please post them too Thanks!
Why are you taking it to a discussion? This is your character, and your story. Writers make decisions all the time. If you can't make an easy one like this one on your own, how will you deal with the more difficult decisions you will encounter in the course of writing your story. This isn;t even a decision that affects the course of your story. If you change your mind later, you can do a global replace in your manuscript with little difficulty. I'm not trying to be mean. I just want you to think like a writer.
I like Zarla. It sounds strong, medieval, yet feminine. I can understand why OP wants to ask questions like this. In my circle, I don't know a lot of people I can discuss literature with, hence that's why I'm here and so eager to connect. I don't know if OP is in the same boat, I can understand her impulse to ask questions that she probably knows the answer to. Writing is a solo activity, but it sure is a hell lot more fun if you discuss it with other people.
IN MY OPINION, which I believe is all that is being asked by Scye. Instead of asking us flat out to name his characters for him. I really like the name Scye. Era comes in a very close second place. Era to me fits into more of a scifi futuristic piece, but I still like it a lot. Zarla would be my third choice Alala my fourth. Not bad as far as names go though. I could read about all of them in a story without annoyance. Edit: I agree with Lovelina about why the OP posted this. No reason for the drama.
Ah, the problems of written (mis)communication. I think that regarding online forums, in many cases the rudeness is in the eye of the beholder Where exactly is the rude part or word that made you feel uncomfortable? I certainly can't point where it is! Granted, Cogito's post wasn't warm. It was quite dry and formal. But still, how can you say it's rude without any inflexion, tone, and all the nuances that a real life voice has? It's written; you can't know! Back to the topic, I think that if you can't make up your mind and choose one out of that list, your character's name is not among those. In fact, I'm a firm believer that when you find the right name, you instantly know it without a shadow of doubt
Unless she's changed it herself, her name would say more about her parents/whoever named her than about her own personality. Who named her, what were they like, what name would they have chosen? A peace-loving hippy wouldn't name their little baby anything that meant war-like for example, and simple humble folk wouldn't call their child 'Legend'- unlike a proud, warrior family.
How can you say that and still be a writer? Of course there's tone in writing and of course you can tell! Granted it easily lends itself to misunderstanding, but you certainly can tell within a defined spectrum of interpretation. Or else you're saying writing is pointless beyond writing technical and purely factual things. Words stir up emotions and the right words should stir up the right emotions - you cannot say then it was not deliberate when some written material stirs up something inside you. As for Cog's post - on this thread I didn't see much wrong with what he said or the way he said it. He's always a little cold in most of his posts. But he sure knows a hell of a lot and I think it'd be wise to look past his tone of voice and see the actual content of what he says, which is often valuable. Besides, I've taken to skipping posts of users whose posts I generally find irritating. Perhaps do that? Now by on topic (let's not make this a flame thread) - I'd go for Zarla, because it actually sounds like a name. Era is a word, not a name, and a word in common usage - I for one wouldn't be able to look past this. I remember once an author named his MC Pug, and I was forever imagining pug, a breed of dog (and one I don't find attractive either) and I couldn't take it seriously and had to abandon the book in the end. Scye - I can barely pronounce it and it doesn't look like a word or a name (and if it's pronounced "Skye" as I imagined it, why not just spell it "Skye"? Funny spellings are unnecessary if the actual name is already in existence. It's better to make it easier for the reader to read and relate to your names, esp when it's your MC) Alala sounds ridiculous, sorry. A-la-la - I mean, am I singing to myself? Lalalalalalala! I would not be able to take such a character seriously, and it'd be worse if she was actually a serious character, which she seems to be. Perhaps Alara is better. (pronounced A-lar-ra or A-la-ra, both sounds good to me) It sounds like a name, it's only a slight mutation from what inspired it, so you could retain its general meaning, and it avoids the ridiculous nature of the first name. I might even end up using Alara for myself.... lol And inspired by "Era" - how about Zera? Strong sounding name and without being a common word.
no the aeneid. had to google who the duchess of cornwall is honestly anywase i dont think camilla the duchess of cornwall is considered mythology
it's not her name that matters, it's the fact that she's a rogue girl warrior. what if tom riddle was harry potter and harry potter was tom riddle. it's who they are that matters, that makes the name seem good or bad or a girl rogue warrior name!
Camilla - or Camel in Bulgarian What about names like Aella - Whirlwind in Ancient Greek Ananta - Indian for infinite or endless Branwen - Beautiful raven in old Welsh Reva - Sanskrit for one that moves Theia - Goddess in ancient Greece
I agree that since her parents named her, we need to know about her parents' personality and background, not hers.
Well, if we're choosing from your list, then I would go with Scye. It's simple and easy to pronounce and to remember. And I would assume it means basically 'sky' just with a different spelling. I could picture a mother naming her daughter as such. Now, however, if she were to choose her own name, something in line with her desire to exact a level of revenge against her father's betrayers, then she should choose something marshal. She could be named after a weapon. Sai is most similar to Scye and is pretty much just an enlarged dagger. Another choice would be Katana, as in the single-edged Japanese sword. Beautiful, but deadly to its enemies, and its wielder if handled wrong. Perhaps she is this way also? I've renamed characters more than once, trying to find that perfect name that fits both their temperament and their intent. It's not easy, unless you go from the parent aspect, where its already chosen for the character. Keep in mind, as was stated before, it's easy enough to change it along the way, so don't let it impede the progress of your story. Good luck.
It's true that writing has a tone in that some quality of it can express a meaning or feeling. But we don't get tone of voice. That part, we have to infer. I agree that as writers we're going to have to face hard decisions, and naming characters doesn't really top the charts. It may seem like a big, huge deal to us, but it's not something the reader dwells on. And it's not something that impacts the story, generally. I find when I get bogged down by trivialities such as this I'm subconsciously making myself procrastinate because of some bigger problem with the actual story. That said, I do like names that don't take themselves too seriously. Common names are easier on the eyes. Silly names like Doctor Todd, Jed, or Billy Bob make me smile. ..also, hi everyone. I'm not here very often anymore, but I like to check in on occasion.
