Questions tagged [naming]
Questions about creating and using names.
203
questions
1
vote
1answer
45 views
Character name trademarks and copyrights [duplicate]
I've had some characters for a while for a comic I'm wanting to write, and until now I never thought about name copyright and trademarks. After looking it up, quite a few of my characters have the ...
2
votes
3answers
78 views
When is it better to use a real life versus a generic fast food company name when talking about a regional chain?
So, I know that questions regarding the usage of real-life company names has been brought up before, but this is a really weird example that I've run into that doesn't seem covered by the previous ...
1
vote
4answers
170 views
Should I use pre-existing names for mythical creatures, or make up my own names?
I'm researching about different mythical creatures for my book, and I want to use Nymphs in it, there are different types of them such as mountain nymphs and sea nymphs. In Greek mythology they have ...
29
votes
13answers
7k views
Is there a more modern version of “Acme”, as a common, generic company name?
Yes, Acme is an actual company name used by many real companies - bricks, bikes, food, real estate, etc.
But more relevant to this point, it has also been used for ages for fictional purposes - not ...
6
votes
5answers
989 views
Should I name my characters based off of their personality? [duplicate]
So I'm writing a book, and in my book, I have a habit to name every one of my characters based on their personality. My main characters, Luna and Cyrus mean sun and moon, but not only are they soul ...
1
vote
2answers
95 views
In a Novel, What is the Proper Way to Refer to a Group by Their Self-Styled Label?
In a novel, what is the proper way in US English to refer to a group by the character's self-styled label?
For example: In a novel, assume a group of software coders are working on an extremely ...
0
votes
2answers
132 views
My Middle Name Is Amara And I Want To Add It To My Book [duplicate]
I'm writing a series that has to do with vampires. My middle name is Amara, and I personally find that name really, really pretty. I wanted to add it to my book as the name of the main character but I ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
Can I use the name of a character if they have totally different traits? [duplicate]
I'm writing a 7 book series and I wanted to use the name Roth in my series. However, I've seen this name used before in The Dark Elements series by Jennifer Armentrout.
If my Roth is a totally ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
Dealing with annoying quirks: Long names
In the story I am currently writing, the culture has an obsession with unique names for each individual person. For some poor saps, this means ridiculously long, quintuple-hyphenated names.
Of course, ...
12
votes
10answers
2k views
Character with two names
I have a character with two names. Well not two distinct names, but rather two forms of the same name. My story is set in the later Roman Empire, but the characters are Romanized easterners living on ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
How late in the book editing process can you change a character’s name?
I am on the last edit before I send my book to beta readers for the first time, and I'm not sold on two of my characters names since they sound similar. One is Zeidric, with the "ei" ...
0
votes
5answers
261 views
Can I use they/them pronouns in a medieval style fantasy novel?
I'm writing a book and I'd really love to include a person with they/them pronouns. However, the novel takes place in a sort of medieval style fantasy world, and I don't think anyone would have used ...
2
votes
1answer
164 views
Should a fantasy book only have fictional names?
My book is totally fantasy, full of made up countries and places, all with fictional names I created, but most of my characters have real names. Some are English, others are Asian, and some are even ...
0
votes
1answer
175 views
Two of my characters have the same names as two characters in a comic book/show. Should I change one of them?
So I'm currently starting to write this idea that I've had in my head for a long time and a couple of months ago, I realised that my main female characters have the same names as the main female ...
0
votes
1answer
108 views
Can one of my POV characters have the last name Thibodaux and get published?
I live in Louisiana, and names with french origins are very common here. So we all know how they're pronounced.
I'm worried that a publisher will want me to change the name as it may not be so obvious ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
Introducing secondary characters
The dilemma I find myself in is introducing secondary characters. Say, this character - a family relative - only exists fleetingly in my story. The first time I introduce the character, I mention it's ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Naming Side characters
So, basically, how do you name side characters? I get that you should give the main characters meaningful names, but finding suitable names for all of my characters is distracting and time-consuming. ...
3
votes
5answers
151 views
How to show a character with multiple personalitites?
To preface this, I have seen the question multiple personalities characters speech in text and I feel that my question is different enough, to warrant a separate question.
In my book, a character has ...
1
vote
2answers
162 views
Characters with apostrophe names
I have created a world, and one of the cultures has mainly apostrophe names - Vax'Ildan, Vex'Ahlia, Soih'Ym...
How would this work grammatically - possessive and nicknames, in writing?
(To forestall ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
How can I learn about the aesthetic rules behind composing new names for things?
This is kind of difficult for me to describe, so let me lead with an example. Suppose I tell you there's a creature named Humbarum and another named Axratax. I'll ask you to start imagining what they'...
2
votes
2answers
178 views
Referring to groups and unnamed individuals from groups in a screenplay
The following extract is from a screenplay I'm writing. I could really use some advice on how to format it, particularly around referring to groups of people and an unnamed person from a group.
Bob ...
1
vote
3answers
155 views
Would it be bad taste or honoring to name a Starship after historical places, ex: Pompeii?
In my book, Earth is gone and are all the counties and a majority of the population and cultures. A small population is left and they make a home on another planet. Now, just under 200 years later, ...
3
votes
1answer
61 views
The seller or the trader [closed]
I'm having difficulty choosing the seller or the trader when describing a character.
He is selling things at a flea market and I personally prefer the seller, the sound of it.
As English is not my ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views
How do I refer to an unnamed protagonist in third-person narration? [duplicate]
I am writing a story about a man who doesn't know his past, or his name. I have to reveal his name later in the story. Until then, how do I refer to him or narrate his dialogues? My story is in third-...
2
votes
2answers
109 views
Character name change
In my story I am writing in third person, my character is kidnaped and finds out his real name towards the end. Do I start referring to him with his real name or the name I used previously?
1
vote
1answer
116 views
Hierarchies and Role Titles - How do come up with them
I'm looking to see what everyone has used in the past to come up with hierarchies and position titles for your novels.
For example, instead of using "President", "Prime Minister", "Pope", "Bishop", ...
20
votes
5answers
10k views
Current events may have ruined a name I was going to use
In the middle-grade series I'm working on, there are two organizations: one led by the antagonist, and one that opposes them, which the protagonists join. In the setting of the series, a very small ...
2
votes
3answers
126 views
I'm having a bit of trouble fleshing out a character
I am having a bit of trouble getting into the head of one of my characters. He isn't one of the main protagonists, but he is allied with them. He is the husband of the leader of the group the ...
1
vote
2answers
191 views
Will naming a character Sindri make it too obvious that he isn't trustworthy? [closed]
I am writing a middle-grade series where a character is introduced early on as a supporter of the protagonists. He is enthusiastic at first, but grows more and more pessimistic as he realizes that ...
1
vote
3answers
210 views
Thinking About Fantasy Names
One of my favorite parts of writing is naming my people/places/systems. I look up synonyms of common words and add prefixes, or base things off of Latin roots, or just pull some cool letter ...
0
votes
2answers
46 views
Proper use of first-last name in a obituary?
I have to write my fathers obituary. I am not sure when it is proper to use a full name. We have kids, grand kids, and great grand kids. Are there rules or guidelines for using full names and what ...
3
votes
3answers
261 views
How to name MC after revealing body change?
The plot of the novel is the following: The villain has body-swapped with the MC and I want to keep this hidden and reveal it as a plot twist in the middle of the story.
If MC real name is John and ...
-4
votes
2answers
120 views
Naming characters: Physical v. Personality [closed]
Suppose my fictional character is a plastic penguin which happens to be very pompous. What do you believe is a better way to name a character?
1.A name which describes them physically
Ex. Plastic ...
2
votes
2answers
117 views
Awkward language translation
So I’m currently writing a book that takes place in Finland, though I am American and speak English. My main character’s name can be used as a play on words, and people use it to mock him throughout ...
13
votes
11answers
6k views
How to differentiate between two people with the same name in a story?
I am writing a story in which at some point two characters with the same name interact each other. I can't use their last name to differentiate because it's necessary for them to have no last name. ...
22
votes
12answers
6k views
Character is called by their first initial. How do I write it?
A character's name starts with a hard G, as in Gary.
Another character (dismissively) calls him by his first initial "G", said with a soft G, as in gee whiz.
I've been using the letter G, but it's ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag?
Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag? I am wondering if we can use the names without saying it's a man or a woman, and then making the characters ...
21
votes
3answers
4k views
How should one refer to knights (& dames) in academic writing?
In ordinary English usage, one would refer to a knight called 'Forename Surname' as Sir Forename, not Surname, e.g. Sir Forename is distinguished in ... But in academic writing, one would typically ...
13
votes
3answers
5k views
I gave my characters names that are exactly like another book. Is it a problem?
Ok, so, I am currently writing a book and 3 of my characters have the same name as in another novel. I didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to me. The names I picked are fairly common and ...
23
votes
8answers
3k views
Referring to different instances of the same character in time travel
I am writing a story that involves time travel, and I have a chapter where a character from the future interacts with his present-day self. This chapter is written from the present-day self's POV.
...
8
votes
5answers
588 views
What are some standards in naming a software/hardware version?
I am wondering if how we name a version of a spacecraft differs from how we name a version of a software. For software, I usually see things like "2.0.32.32" or something like that and sometimes they ...
4
votes
5answers
257 views
What are the ramifications of a character sharing the same name as a famous and established character?
A character in my fantasy novel is called Beowulf. I named him such at a time I was unaware that this character existed in mythology, and was at least a little established. I didn't think much of it ...
16
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the art of designing names?
If you read names from popular novels you feel like the names define characters. They fit perfectly to the personality of character. For an e.g. Harry Potter, Robert Langdon, Jason Bourne, etc.
I ...
4
votes
3answers
502 views
Why do authors use variations on a character's name within a single story?
I am having trouble understanding why authors use multiple version of a character's name in the same story. I feel it can make it harder to follow the story.
Why do writers sometimes write the same ...
18
votes
4answers
4k views
Would it be a copyright violation if I made a character’s full name refer to a song?
I want to write a realistic fiction book similar to Thomas Hardy’s works, where he used techniques and Biblical references (they were also called allusions) to make his writing more meaningful, and to ...
4
votes
2answers
130 views
In a stage play, how should the script refer to minor characters whose names are irrelevant?
Problem
I'm writing a play that includes a number of minor characters who only exist for a scene or two. They are defined by their personality traits, not by their professions, and their names are ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
In fiction, can I write about Downing College, Cambridge? [duplicate]
I have included, in my fictional book, several mentions about Downing College, Cambridge. Now they have a fete on their lawns. Two Russians are killed there during the fete. No mention of staff ...
8
votes
2answers
751 views
Character had a different name in the past. Which name should I use in a flashback?
One of my characters has a flashback to when he was 5 years old. At the time, he didn't have a name (he goes by a physical description instead). What's the correct way to refer to him in this ...
7
votes
1answer
849 views
Referring to a character in 3rd person when they have amnesia
A section of a story I am writing is being told in third person from the perspective of a character who does not know anything about herself due to amnesia. The reader is also unaware of anything ...
6
votes
3answers
277 views
Is it ok if some of my city names are the same as the ones in other books/series/video games/ pieces of work?
My book has a few place names that are also present in other pieces of media, for example, one of my cities is called "Manalin" and I just found out that there is a planet in Star Wars also called ...
