tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post1831726666677407884..comments2024-03-03T11:50:36.671-06:00Comments on <center>Laura Josephsen</center>: N is for NamesLaura Josephsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-37060516048290236722024-01-05T09:12:09.196-06:002024-01-05T09:12:09.196-06:00Very thouughtful blogVery thouughtful blogWhats John Been Smokinghttps://whatsjohnbeensmoking.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-9420389399615255422011-04-20T10:23:11.288-05:002011-04-20T10:23:11.288-05:00Tonja-Haha! I knew "Luke" as a Biblical ...Tonja-Haha! I knew "Luke" as a Biblical name before Star Wars, so that doesn't immediately make me think of Darth Vader. :D But that is awesome.<br /><br />septembermom-I don't think it's obsessive--the name defines SO MUCH of a character (at least for me) and it can take me hours of pouring through names to find the right one, too.Laura Josephsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-66913169298832199972011-04-18T21:26:16.537-05:002011-04-18T21:26:16.537-05:00I can spend hours trying out different names for c...I can spend hours trying out different names for characters. It has a lot of weight in my thinking. I'm probably too obsessive on this point, but what are you going to do?septembermomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01570525910483384484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-59622600039579933522011-04-17T10:07:00.288-05:002011-04-17T10:07:00.288-05:00We wanted to name our last child Luke, but we both...We wanted to name our last child Luke, but we both knew we would only be able to say his name in a Darth Vader tone. So we went with a popular name that he wouldn't hate us for later.<br /><br />As for characters, I don't name them until I know who they are. Usually the name comes to me. If I'm stuck, my daughter is always happy to brainstorm with me. Any characters that are sort of like her get earthy, hippy names.Tonjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08652479946102909276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-26953319709432938392011-04-17T08:38:29.753-05:002011-04-17T08:38:29.753-05:00damyantiwrites-There was one time I chose a name a...damyantiwrites-There was one time I chose a name as a place-filler, and it ended up sticking permanently. ;) Typically, I just can't write until I have a character name established.<br /><br />K.C. Woolf-That's awesome that you research that! In my current fantasy books, I chose to use names primarily from one part of the earth, to have a consistency with the countries of this fictional world.<br /><br />Angeline-You're so right. Meaning and connotation are really important--a name is part of a character's definition.<br /><br />Elouise-I LOVE Welsh names. The fantasy world I built for my current projects (I'm writing two books--one is about finished, the other one I'm about to start), and it has four different countries. Pretty much all of the characters have names from Wales, Scotland, and England. My main girl character, Mairwyn, was the first Welsh name I picked. (Of course, since the Welsh 'ai' is pronounced 'eye,' her name is said differently than it looks in English.) And you're writing a fantasy version of Renaissance Europe! That's so cool! (World-building makes me excited, too. It's always so neat to hear about what other people are doing.)Laura Josephsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04239501665574945313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-92014968304557573482011-04-17T07:03:09.554-05:002011-04-17T07:03:09.554-05:00I love, love, love names and naming things. Even t...I love, love, love names and naming things. Even though we are done having kids, my poor husband still has to endure me suddenly firing off "What do you think of THIS name?" at him. (Which is when he gets a slightly panicked look in his eye, wondering if this is my way of telling him surprise! we're having another. No, I always tell him. I was just curious.)<br /><br />I tend to write fantasy based in a particular type of region or era, so I find my character names from that region/era. My most recently completed novel was set in a Wales-type land, so all my characters have Welsh names. So much fun! The one I'm writing now is set in a fantasy version of Renaissance Europe, so I'm scouring histories for names from England, France, Italy, etc. And sometimes a name just comes out and grabs me, and the character, and sometimes even the story itself, builds around that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-54784275357496944942011-04-17T04:42:26.632-05:002011-04-17T04:42:26.632-05:00I've been told that I tend to go for androgyno...I've been told that I tend to go for androgynous names, and when I think about it, it's true. But the meaning or connotations of a name is always really important.<br />Like you, sometimes a name just pops into my head, other times it takes a lot of hard work to find just the right one. I use a lot of online name generators going through pages and pages of results.Spanjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13893837904669368614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-58384948419084242332011-04-17T04:05:19.547-05:002011-04-17T04:05:19.547-05:00Interesting post! I obsess about character names a...Interesting post! I obsess about character names as well, not just because they have to 'feel right', but I even check details like geographical spread, etc. to see how likely that particular name is to occur in the area where my WIP is set.<br /><br />(I know ...)K.C. Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04047055661710059161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2028925612974754200.post-36616361593694927212011-04-17T02:04:49.936-05:002011-04-17T02:04:49.936-05:00Naming characters is definitely a challenge. I usu...Naming characters is definitely a challenge. I usually put in a place-filler first and then go ahead and change it once the character is fully developed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com