WRITING 6/25/12

[sidhe_faerie]

CHOOSING CHARACTER NAMES

This is one of the most mysterious parts of the writing process for me. I never seem to choose names the same way twice. Most of the time there is a message or reason behind the name.

 

I started writing a book several years ago about a mythical land near Atlantis called Ogham-Duir. (I have yet to finish that book) Most of those character names I still use or I have changed over time to fit the character traits I want to emphasize.

 

I started with a genealogy. I picked names that seemed to fit my view of that universe or aspects related to it.

 

My Faerie Queen, Taralen, was named after Tara that was built by the Tuathe de Danaan. Princess Cara needed to sound similar but not too similar.

 

The three sisters were Aura the Dark, Dionne the Bright, and Gaylen le Fae. All are daughters of Cara.

 

When I had major writers block a friend suggested role playing in the universe. So we did. Maybe we shouldn’t have. Some of the characters have changed and names have been shifted around. The biggest change was Dionne from a priestess to a maid. Her original role is now with Victra, (named after my sister)

 

I chose a name recently for a series of stories about Vandalia (little known name for a real place) I used the name of one leaders of that place to give Byrdie, my old woman, a name.

 

Some names are easy and some are not. Some come from thin air and others are meant to mean something. Naming characters is a truly mysterious thing.