In need of a character name.

[lilfozzy]

I was unsure on if I was allowed to post questions about writing into the this forum but it didn't have any forum specific rules for the writing forum in the rules. So with that in mind I will be asking this question and hope I don't get a temp-ban from the writing forum.

As the title might suggest I am at a loss on which name I should use for my character, so I decided to come to newgrounds with the problem.

The character is going to go through a war-based arena with at least another 10-200 humans (depends on where I go with the story) so I was trying to think of a name that would reflect that atmosphere, or something that has war in it's definition.

[Amaranthus]

How about Hellhole?

[lilfozzy]

At 7/24/12 07:52 AM, Amaranthus wrote: How about Hellhole?

Sarcasm? You know I was serious about this.

[Amaranthus]

At 7/24/12 07:54 AM, lilfozzy wrote:

At 7/24/12 07:52 AM, Amaranthus wrote: How about Hellhole?

Sarcasm? You know I was serious about this.

Not sarcastic, you should google it.

[Deathcon7]

Character naming is perhaps the easiest part of writing a story, I'm surprised so many people seem to have problems with it. Character names serve only one purpose: identification. So have fun with it. This is where you can either get really creative, or very ordinary. Here's a few methods you can use:

Straight naming: whereby you use common names as a simple means of naming your character. There is no purpose to these names other than to provide names.

Ironic naming: whereby you use a name to evoke a sense of irony. For example, naming a character Jezebelle who is actually a prude and a spinster.

Title naming: whereby you refer to a character only by title. "Professor," "Colonel," "Chicken Chaser."

Contextual naming: whereby you use a name that is pregnant with meaning. For example, you name a messianic character "Jesus" or some variant, or you name him after someone within the lore of the story, which has significance within that microcosm.

Meaningful naming: whereby you name a character with a certain purpose in mind. Similar to contextual naming, but this is less about significance in context, and more about inferred significance. For example, naming a character Melvin to evoke the image of a nerdy, insecure character; or naming him Vin Petrol to evoke comparisons to Vin Diesel. The meaning is pulled from the interpretation of the name by the reader, instead of through the lense of our culture, or the culture within the story.

In your case, here are five options you could use, utilyzing these five methods, to name your character:

Straight naming: Clarence Biggsby

Ironic naming: Innocent Henson

Title naming: Gladiator, Warrior, whatever rank he has within this arena

Contextual naming: Arcturus, which in-world implies someone who sets people free, portending his own mission to free the warrior-slaves.

Meaningful naming: Dante Swift, a combination of badass first name, and an adjective meaning to be quick.

Ultimately, the tone of the story is going to dictate which method you want to use. Circumstantial details will also affect the name. For example, in the story Arcturus may be a god, and naming children after gods is considered blasphemy, so it's a forbidden name. Or maybe children are given second names, and those second names affect how the child turns out, so to return to the Arcturus example, receiving that as his second name makes it so that he is driven to liberate people.

Naming characters just take a touch of imagination, a spark of inspiration, or, quite simply, a release of perfectionism. Just name the character, and if, along the way, you decide to change the name, do it. But don't get hung up on these details, and definitely don't outsource it. That's a recipe for pidgeonholing your creativity.

[Tha-Slaya]

How about Exos, Thermes, Stratus, Stryfe?

[KzPr]

what about the name of someone/something you like, I suggest Dante, Gideon. Or go for someone common, a character like any other, John, Selene, Richard.
Or think on mixtures
Maybe foreign names Vlad, Jean
Vector, Minus, Umbra
There is a world of names but, you gotta choose the one that resonates with the character

[lilfozzy]

I thank you all for the replies, I found a name from the comments just now Gideon Stryfe actually sounds pretty nice. Also, so you know. The way I write is that I make the character, then build the story around them, so having that in mind it becomes vary important to get satisfactory details on the character or else I will probebly end up losing my motivation for writing the story in the first place.

Thanks for the replies tho.

[KzPr]

At 7/26/12 04:54 AM, lilfozzy wrote: I thank you all for the replies, I found a name from the comments just now Gideon Stryfe actually sounds pretty nice. Also, so you know. The way I write is that I make the character, then build the story around them, so having that in mind it becomes vary important to get satisfactory details on the character or else I will probebly end up losing my motivation for writing the story in the first place.

Thanks for the replies tho.

always a pleasure bro!
hope that story is great, I feel awesome because you used a name I suggested and can you give me your oppinion abput this lil´ story of mine?
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1312846

[ATICE]

At 7/24/12 07:48 AM, lilfozzy wrote: As the title might suggest I am at a loss on which name I should use for my character, so I decided to come to newgrounds with the problem.

The character is going to go through a war-based arena with at least another 10-200 humans (depends on where I go with the story) so I was trying to think of a name that would reflect that atmosphere, or something that has war in it's definition.

You could look up name meanings on various sites. It's what quite a few authors have done in the past, as I've noticed. :)

Here's a good site. Name-Meanings