Out with Mina Greyfalcon and in with Arden Falconer

Admittedly, I’m only a little less than halfway finished my fantasy-esque novel. Keeping in mind this is since late February, I’m still generally pleased with my progress.

Now, a bite that’s a bit tough to chew: the name of my main character was beginning to annoy me. Don’t get me wrong! I love the name Mina. It’s so sweet and soft and delicate.

But my protagonist is none of the above described. She’s opinionated, fiery, stubborn, and hard as a rock. She doesn’t let anyone into her heart easily and is practical rather than emotional. She is destined for something large, important, political, and grand (though I’m not exactly sure what yet).

Originally she didn’t even have a name. I only knew that her surname was Greyfalcon and that her family bred and raised falcons atop a mountain. And, because I wanted to start putting her story to paper (or Word document), I needed a name. I settled on Mina not 100% satisfied, but I knew it could be changed later.

After the first 13 chapters it was harder to write about her. HER NAME DIDN’T SUIT HER. I was becoming annoyed because her hard actions were reversed by such a soft name. It became more and more difficult to write her story.

I was actually looking up the meanings for some other characters’ names (a post for another time) when I found it.

Arden. Meaning: great forest, ardent, passionate.

Well, she lives in a great forest and is passionate about her work, her little brother, and her mountain. And, it sounds more of a fantasy name than the more common ‘Mina.’

Then came her last name. I could hardly have both end in *in* sounds, but I still wanted it to reflect her profession. So I swapped Greyfalcon for the simple, more effective Falconer.

Arden Falconer.

Voila.

I search and replaced the first 13 chapters with the name Arden. And, as I read back, I like her more as a character because her names suits her more.

Let’s call it victory.

Happy writing.

~

Read my post on naming characters here.

The Name of the Game

It’s hard, finding the perfect name. For a kid, for a pet, for a toy, for a character — choosing names is difficult. And when it comes to naming your characters, it has to be perfect because it has to match his/her personality. It’s likely the first thing the reader will encounter. A golden — or not — first impression.

I have several ways to beat this, some mundane and others plain fun. It doesn’t always work, and a character’s name can always change if you find a better suited one, but it’s usually productive and at least enjoyable.

Start a dictionary. Begin with names that are commonplace but not too boring, like Madeleine or Spencer, and add any favourites that pop into your head as you stare at the word processor. You should end up with a fairly long list. Now comes the fun part.

After watching a movie on the weekend, take the time to watch the credits. About halfway through the names and nicknames start to get interesting; ”Bear” or “Thunder” might scroll by. And don’t miss the opportunity for last names! Write ‘em down, remember ‘em, save ‘em for later.

Sporting events. I personally don’t watch many of these, but during the Olympics I’ll sit in front of the TV and watch downhill skiing or something and scribble down my favourite names. Maelle was a stand-out for me at Vancouver 2010. Other favourites often were athletes from China, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland: Arisa, Naleryia, Yulia.

French-English dictionary. If you’re looking for a name that fits a character’s personality, look up some adjectives. Sad? Mal. Read? Lire. Pretty? Jolie. And on and on. Sometimes I get caught up in it, imagining characters to go with these names.

Phone book. These are good for last names especially, for obvious reasons.

Maps! I LOVE reading maps. They are simply stuffed with spectacular names! Caspian and Tasman (seas) are personal favourites, but I won’t ruin your map-reading fun.

Get a baby naming book. Your mom might have one, or a friend might. They come complete with meaning, origins, variations, nicknames, and celebrity namesakes. It’s also cute to see the owner have notes scrawled in the margins and names circled or underlined. And don’t think these names are all ordinary: how about Avice, Iolanthe, or Semele? Very elvish feeling, no?

And perhaps the most fun of all is making up something completely original. Mixing two or three names to make one, or experimenting with random sounds and letters to get something you like. I’ve combined Amelia with Jenny to get Jenilia, and Talia with Anna to get Talianna. I’ve concocted Arrasae (pronounced Air-uh-say) through random lettering. See how fun this is?

I once created an entire character based on the last half of the word penicillin. Cillin was a bookbinder who worked in King Ilex’s castle as a bookbinder: two children, not married, dry humour. Unfortunately I haven’t put him to good use yet, but he is a cool guy to have hanging around in my head.

Personally, I find it’s easier to build a character around a name rather than find a name for a character who already exists. Currently I have a nameless girl — who belongs to the same world as Cillin — wandering around with no purpose. She has a background and a cast of marvelous supporting characters, but until I find her a name she’ll continue to sit around and get dusty because I can’t do anything with her.

Time to dig out a map.