So yeah... >.> when I create a character...( especially jerks ) I can never come up with good names. XD , my cousin told me to use Eithan once...but I couldn't do it...it's like.. 'big bad school bully EITHAN RAWR!' ...yeah dude...no. XD no it's not time for laughing....anyway if you have any suggestions on guy names ( antagonists ) then please help , it's much needed ! = D - Sorry I like to ramble -
I've always hated anyone named Andrew. Kidding. It might be tough to come up with a name that screams bully for everybody, if only because people could have different feelings towards names based on their own life experiences. Perhaps you can find some rare name that sounds kinda pretentious, something like Royal or Earl?
I don't understand the obsession with character names, no offence. If John is associated with good guy image, your aim should be to create such a bad ass John that everybody who reads your story starts associating John with the bad guy image. So, it is the way you write the character that will decide how the character is perceived by the readers and not how they are named. Dont give more time than deciding which pen to write when deciding your characters' names.
Unless your character has a code name, protocol or is generally name for some character trait that is not obvious. The majority of characters I use have natural things as names, Cliff/Rock/Glen/Red/Crow/Wolf for guys and for girls Rose/Lily/Rain/Snow/Honey/Pudding these names come from the their culture (fictional) naming system. If doing realistic names, pick them out from the 'big book of baby names' or something. People aren't bad because of their name, but if you want a 'jerk' name have it be a nickname. Sure 'John' may not sound tough, but I doubt anyone will want to mess with a guy who calls himself 'Stabby McGee' or something like that.
Agreed. Names do not matter so much! People need to stop over thinking them >___> Think about writing the character instead of what the reader will call them, y'know?
I agree about names. A lot of times I'll come up with a placeholder name meaning to change it later, but then the character grows on me and the name stays. I know that we all want The Perfect Name for all our characters, but there's trying to come up with that and then there's obsessing over it and wasting time on picking a name when you could be writing your story.
I usually use names I like. Often I'll go online and try to find a name with a particular meaning that demsonstrates something about a character, or I'll use a name that gives off a certian tone or ties in well with the themes of a story. Derek sounds like a jerk name, or Vince, or Dudley.
Names are labels, and we know how much this world likes to label stuff. Tough Guys like JOHN Rambo, JOHN McClane, bad guys HANNIBAL Lector. You hear John, or even Wyatt and you hit the Good Guy stereotype. Personally, you are not given a choice when you're born as to what your name is going to be; the same should be for your characters. If you've got a good image in your head, and they are mean and nasty and you want to call them Bob, and real life Bob's are known as florists, dressmakers and make-up artists, then break the stereotype and make him mean. Hell, if I liked the Hannibal name, but my character was a crossdresser who wanted to open up a sanctuary for kittens then, in my story, that's what he'd do. Personalities make the character, not the name.
When it comes to unpleasant characters I usually use names I don't like which helps in keeping them repugnant.
Oh thank you for responding ^.^ , both Earl & Royal seem to fit the personality for a character I had in mind for one of my one shots. Thank for both of the good suggestions ! -MaKii
Cassius, Clyde, Axel, Tyrone or Ty... You could even use slang names or single letters to really make the antagonist pop into peoples imagination.
I only get picky about character names if I am writing a period piece, because the name should be one that would have been used then. Otherwise, I don't get too torqued up about it.
I don't worry about whether the name seems like a 'good guy' or 'bad guy's name. Anyone can be named anything, and still do right or wrong. Analyzing names to the nth degree just gets you in the weeds.
What I always do when I'm stuck for a name is go through a baby name book. I bought one from WHsmiths for £4 and its really useful. It has really old names as well as up to date hip ones. Another thing that helps me - I write down a full detailed character description, going through everything from their height and if they wear a hat to their dreams and fears. It usually gives me a good idea of what name would suit them. I also ask others what they think I should call the character after they've read the description. Hope it helps
I needed two names for characters not so long ago. I picked the first two names that came into my head. Jack and Cael. Bingo. At first it seemed a little odd, but over time they came to fit. Pick whatever name you damn well please and it will come to suit your character as you write.
I feel your pain! I was however given this really cool tip. The tip is basically that you take a random English sentence, any sentence, and it doesn’t matter what it is. It could be “Come home before dinner”. It probably works really awesomely with foreign languages too. Now take your sentence: “Come home before dinner”. Remove spaces. “Comehomebeforedinner” Pick random segments of the sentence and start playing with them. Here are a few variations: redinne – n = Redine efored + G + l – e = Gelford mehome + throw some vowels around = Amehim Hope this helps!
Just think about the character you are trying to write and browse the internet for a name you can work with for that character. "GOOD/BAD GUY" names do not really matter so much. As you write the character, people while associate the name with the character. In my book, I pulled the name 'Zane' out of thin air, and it stuck. When I wrote his brother, I came up with 'Mace' [yes like the medieval weapon] and it ended up sticking and really suits his character. I also developed a villain who is Zane's alter ego. I first referred to him as 'Shadow Zane' because of his appearance, but soon the name 'Shane' became appropriate. For this reason, I choose names that are appropriate for the time and placement of the story, but beyond that I try not to worry too much because the character will grow into their name. I understand what you mean though. for a more recent work I did do a lot of research into the names of y characters because I wanted the names to match their characters in definition, origin, and whatnot. By the end of it. I named them whatever I felt like using. after writing for a while I changed a character's name because she felt more like an "Alicia" to me than a "Tina". The point is to write, so create the character and get a working name. If you're genuinely stuck, consider their life and the character's backstory-- which doesn't need to be in the story entirely, but every character should have a history that you as the author knows
It doesn't matter - your reader will feel towards your character how you write your character (and that must be the worst sentence I've ever written haha). Eg. however you have established your character, that is how your readers will feel towards them. When I first started reading Of Bees and Mist, on the first page it mentioned 2 women in a conflict - Eva and Meridia. I've never come across the name Meridia before, and judging from the tone of the first page I thought they were both women in their 40s bickering about something trivial. I did not like the name Meridia. Then the story started in earnest and it began with Meridia's birth. The story progressed until she finally met Eva, who turned out to be her mother-in-law. By this point in the story, I've come to know Meridia as a sweet, beautiful, quiet, thoughtful girl trying to find her way as she matures, and she grows to become a strong and determined woman despite her very introverted personality. And now, I love the name Meridia. Why? Because now I associate the name with all those complex and lovely things that the character was. In other words, it's all on how you write. And no, please don't use Eithan - I've never heard of that name but it sounds like a horrible hybrid of "Nathan" (a nice name) and "Either" (not a name at all). Just listen to how closely Eithan and Either resemble each other!
Choose what ever name you like really. One of my MC's name is Bryan. look at baby names and select a few you like. Then see if they feel right for your character, or if you like them enough to try and get them to work. slowly they would slip into place I think, but I personally like names that already feel right, otherwise it bugs the hell outta me!
Definitely! Using a name you don't like creates disaster, or at least that was my experience. I gave in to pressure and named my MC Josh, against my better judgement, because everyone loves Josh - I don't even know why, I've never found it a particularly attractive name - not a bad name sure, but not a good name either for me. Anyway people convinced me to use Josh, and I did - I wrote 80,000 words using the name Josh. And guess what? Josh ended up becoming the most wimpy, bitter, annoying, ungrateful character I've ever written. It just happened that way, I wasn't even trying. (I changed it to Will in the end, a name I adore, and it's been much better since!) Sorry if any of you out there is called Josh! One of my favourite singers is Josh Groban, so there lol - I don't mind real people being called Josh, why not, it's not a bad name. But what I learnt was - don't go against your instincts. If you don't feel right about a name, don't use it. Go for the nearest best name you can, write, and you can "Ctrl + F" and replace it later! But don't go all out and choose a name you have absolutely no liking for.
