Being a Better Writer: Worldbuilding Names · 9:00pm Jan 26th, 2015
And so, with the death of the king, the land fell into darkness. Bereft of the powers of light carried by his crown, evil filled the kingdom, spreading suffering and death in its wake. The people despaired as their once peaceful, idyllic lives were beset by crime, villainy, and evil. The once-chancellor Valkeriank—
"Wait, what?"
The chancellor. Valkeriank. You know, the one who murdered the king?
"Well, yeah, but what kind of name is Vala— ... Valker— ... Valla-something?
What's wrong with it? It's a perfectly ordinary name
"It doesn't look like it."
Well it is. Now, to continue with the story. As I was saying, the once-chancellor Valkeriank, assisted by his henchman Grotkkv—
"Okay, now that's just ridiculous."
What?
"Gro—Grot-kk— ... Yeah, I have no idea how to pronounce that. Grot-kiv? Gro-tik-vee? And who spells a name like that? It's got two Ks in it!
It's a perfectly acceptable name in this kingdom.
"The king's name was Jack."
So?
"So what kind of kingdom has a range of names from 'Jack' to 'Valkerwink' and whatever that last one is?"
A multi-cultural one.
"Right. You sure you're not just making stuff up? And what other cultures? The map at the front of the book doesn't talk about any other lands! There's just "The Known Kingdom."
Oh, they're out there. Look, can we just move on? You're making this very difficult.
"Fine."
Ahem. As I was saying, assisted by his henchman Grotkkv, the chancellor ruled with an iron fist. The only hope of the people was a name.
"Is it a real name?"
Shut up. Anyway, the only hope of the people during this time was the missing prince, Prince Shadow—
"What. The. Abomination."
Oh, now what are you on about?
"Prince Shadow? Could you get any more cliche?"
What? It's a perfectly fitting name! He's like shadow of justice, moving through the night. Brooding and mysterious! It's edgy!
"So his dad—who's name was Jack, just to reiterate to make sure I'm not pronouncing it? It's not Ja'ack? No, anyway, so his dad, the king, looks at his baby son and says 'I'm going to name him Shadow?'"
Yes.
"I ... You know what? Fine. Move on."
I'd like to. Now, the only hope of the people during this time was the missing prince, Prince Shadow, a noble warrior who fought against evil ...
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Nothing, nothing. Anyway ... And so, all across the kingdom of Lt'Namur'ik''''t'sephat—
"That's it! I'm done!"
What? What did I do? Was it too few apostrophes? I knew it! It was too few, wasn't it! It doesn't feel authentic enou—hey, where are you going? We've only just started! We're not even off of the first page? There's still two-hundred and seventy-four more to go! Don't you want to hear what happens when Prince Shadow faces the dark beast of the Undershadows? In the dead land of Y'rrr'itquart? You'll love it! Come on! You're missing out!
Names. They're kind of a big deal, which is why we're talking about them today (in case you hadn't guessed). Because despite how entertaining that little clip above you might have been, a good chunk of the humor in it comes from having been that poor reader. You know, the one who suffers through names of places that have way too many apostrophes. Or the place name that's completely unpronounceable. Or the character name that just entirely shatters the mold of the world simply because the author wanted them to have a cool name.
This happens all the time. And I'm not just talking about among internet fiction either, though it's definitely a really common occurence there (Raven Darkshadow, anyone?). No, this happens in plenty of published works as well. It seems that almost any time an author tries their hand at writing a science fiction or fantasy novel, one of the first things they do is just start coming up with crazy names just for the sake of having crazy names. Names that don't mesh up with anything else.
It's a turn off. Not just for the reasons that most of us would think either. Most of the time when you hear someone talking about bad names and a book, it's usually because they couldn't pronounce them, which is a problem in and of itself. But there's a deeper problem at root there, one that likely will ripple through the entire work: If an author isn't spending time developing his character and place names, there's a pretty high chance that the rest of the work will have been given the same lack of thought. If an author has spent their time worldbuilding, one of the easiest ways to see that will be in how the characters are named.
For instance, have you ever picked up a work that's supposed to be a fantasy epic set in it's own, self-contained world, and found that the main characters are named things like "John, Mary, Elizabeth, Dave, etc?" It's a little jarring, because it breaks the immersive quality of the world. We're supposed to believe that this world, entirely self-contained and different from ours, has everyone sharing the same names as ours? With no similar historical background?
I could go on and point out all the other ways that poor use of names can be jarring, but we've already seen a couple of them in our intro above there, so rather I'm going to shift gears now. We know what makes a bad name, but how do we go about making good names?
Now, just a bit of clarification, this is one area where all I can really offer is a bit of my own experience mixed with some things I've heard from other authors. Funnily enough, I can't ever recall this coming up on a panel, in a class, or even in a conversation. Despite bad names coming up, I've never really heard advice on "good" names, so what I have to offer here is mostly what I've discovered on my own.
Think of Consistency
First things first, whatever name you do end up using for a character or place, it needs to fit into the universe. I cannot stress how jarring it is to a story when the reader is reading through all these either A) ordinary names for things only to find that the characters have crazy names or B) unique names for things only to find that the character's names are ordinary. Ordinary or creative, your names need to fit into the world you've created. Consistency matters. If a character has an unusual name, let us know that it's unusual and have other characters comment on it. If the reader questions it, than odds are a character might. If your character is the only one in their world with an apostrophe in his name, why? Why doesn't everyone else have a name like that? Is there a special rule of naming that exists within that character's culture?
Basically, what I'm saying here is that people choose names based on societal and cultural reasons, so make sure when you're writing your work that you have a basic idea of what those are/might be like if you're going to have interesting or complex names. You don't have to invent a whole set of grammar rules (though some authors have done that), but you should at least have a general idea of how the naming conventions work. For example, if you're basing a lot of your world's language and syntax on ancient nordic, don't start hot-dropping Spanish into place without darn good reason.
Keep it Simple
Look, we all know that there are people out there with really crazy names. These happen, and are totally realistic. For example, my last name is Florschutz. So what does that mean for me?
It means that most people call me by my middle name rather than my last name. And those in the past who have attempted to stumble their way over my last name (due to a job or trying to be polite) usually either resort to using my first name or settling on a nickname (like Alaska).
My point is this: you can have complex names, but make your characters treat them like a real person would, both for your reader's benefit and the benefit of the characters in the story. In the real world, we shorten Matthew to Matt, Elizabeth to Beth, etc. If your character has a long, complex to say and pronounce name, they're probably going to go by a much more shortened version of it.
And even if they do have a long complex name, don't make it too complex. A good rule of thumb to go by is that the average reader should feel fairly comfortable with their own guess of the pronunciation. If they're second-guessing themselves every time they see a name, they're getting distracted. Even if they mispronounce it, as long as they're consistent in their own reading and not second-guessing it each time, they'll be fine.
Make it Cool, but not Cool
All right, this one's a bit odd, but I think it'll make sense pretty quick. Basically, you want characters to have memorable, neat names. Names that will stick with people but still fit in-universe. Something that rolls off the tongue and sticks in a reader's mind.
At the same time, you don't want to create a "Poochy." Like the "Prince Shadow" above, there's a definite line between "okay, this character has a cool but believable and real name" and "this author is trying too hard." Usually it's pretty easy to spot, but if you're having trouble seeing it with your own creation, my advice is to err on the side of caution. People will still remember a character with a less-than-glamorous name for what they do, but most of what they'll remember about a character with a name that's too over the top will be the name (which, in a fun turnabout, you can totally use to your advantage if you're the type who wants to subvert something).
Look at How We Name Things
This is a fun one. A lot of the time, a great way to get a name for that city or for that character is just to look at how we (humans) name things. New York? Phoenix? What about people? How have common names changed just in the last forty years? Hundred years? Can we play with that? What would happen if once again a name got switched from one sex to the other? Could we end up with someone like Jayne from Firefly?
And don't be afraid to attach meaning. With people, this can be a mixed bag, but especially for place names, things can be a bit more lenient. I mean, Death Valley? Los Angeles? Salt Lake City? Again, if you think you're going too far, you might be. Keep an eye on things. But don't be afraid to call the capital of the kingdom of King Don 'Arriciano VII the city of Arrician.
This has all been a little less ... streamlined, so to speak, than my other blogs, but I think you get the idea. Ultimately, you can't just make up words and drop them into a story. You have to have some sort of background, some sort of logic and reason behind it. And while it seems like such a small thing, it really isn't. Names are a place were you can win or lose a lot of readers, as the names you use will generally indicate what kind of work and effort you put into the rest of your story.
So, take your time and work on your names. Don't just pick the first thing that comes to mind. Create names that are consistent with the universe you've made. Pick names that are both memorable but quick to recollect, names that are distinguishable. Make them readable, something your audience can latch onto and identify with.
It might seem small, but in the big scheme of things, it's a small step towards starting out on the right foot.
Drizzt Do'Urden immediately comes to mind,
2749051
I think the only reason I roll with that one is simply because the author made if very clear that a large number of characters in that society have equally pretentious and complex names. So he at least made sure that all the other characters in Drizzt's world were just as nutty with their names.
2749061
I met him at a book signing once and he told the story of how he came up with it sitting in his editor's office.
Salvatore: Well, the main character has a side-kick. He's a... Drow ranger, yeah.
Editor: What's his name?
Salvatore: Drizzt Do'Urden
Editor: Can you spell that?
Salvatore: Not a chance.
And yeah, Drow names =
Your opening reminds me a lot of this article from 1990s British games magazine Amiga Power (bemoaning the use of cliché fantasy elements in role playing games).
avians.net/~hawthorn/amigapower/kangaroocourt.jpg
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Sometime's it's just best in the interest of space to do everything cliche all at once.
And games really haven't changed much, have they?
Names! My eternal nemesis. At least I try to be somewhat consistent, but I probably should work more on the other stuff. I'm guilting of the "I dunno, throw in an apostrophe or two". I did get lucky with the one story I wrote that was Arthurian in nature, so the research for that was simple.
When I write for Nanowrimo, I will pick a name I like and look at the origin of the name. Then I will start a list of names, making note of gender, that have the same origin. Last time, all my characters had names of Greek origin. :) My first novel's characters names were all based off me cracking open my Latin dictionary and looking up words and making names based on the Latin.
But it did lend consistency to my characters.
Don't know if my technique will help anyone.
I often try make my names remember-able. It needs to be connected to the character and ingrained in the readers mind. Simple names often work fine, such as Glokta , who is an interrogator from the First Law series. The sound his name makes is excellent for a man of his profession.
Interestingly, I think this makes more difference to original fiction than to MLP fanfic, just because the MLP naming scheme is so obviously "nobody gives a hoot, as long as there's a horse pun involved". It breaks literally every one of your rules at some point in another, then throws in a gratuitous sprinkling of "destiny is clearly slapping every parent in the land until their brains drip from their ears" because Cutie Marks.
Then there's Filthy Rich.
I think there's a whole separate article someone can write here about how the heck MLP gets away with its complete disregard of the rules.
Unrelatedly, I love your sample text.
i would pronounce that "flor-shoots". how wrong am i?
i appreciated this especially since i had wanted to see this addressed for quite a while. thank you.
Thank you for this round of warnings and advice. I'll gleefully list "names" as one of the things that get harder with original fiction, and it's hard enough with fanfiction.
The biggest concern I have, now that you mention it, is the whole "Fantasy World" plus "Names from Reality" thing. Stuff like Suzette and Annette in a world where the Hebrew language never existed, much less French. It's not as jarring as, say, "the legendary hero of Ma'jeeklahndia, Frank," so that's something.
A world without the name Frederic is a cold, cruel one.
I suppose that's what preliminary readers and the magic of editing is for. This post has given me much to ponder. Thanks again.
2749278
Eh, I've done it myself. It can work, but I quickly realized it wasn't the best immediate resort, at least not as a magic bullet. There are languages, after all, where apostrophes do appear, and following a similar mechanic works. Wheel of Time uses them in names, as do other successful fantasy and sci-fi series. As long as you aren't throwing them around like candy, and putting some work into them, they can be used quite effectively for nailing specific pronunciations or inflections of names.
2749422
Total a legit method. Internet baby name sites get a lot of hits from me. It's confused Google to no end, because it knows I'm not married and have no children.
2749598
When you find a name that fits, it's a good feeling.
2749623
MLP totally gives itself some free passes from this (though the "too cool" rule still gets strained pretty heavily). But at the same time, MLP writes those exemptions into the core of its worlds DNA. The concept that characters have names like that, that cutie-marks can show what you'll be good at, etc, that's all part of the world's lore, which makes it a case of intelligent subversion (even it if was originally intended as a quick and easy escape). You could do similar by having a fantasy or sci-fi world werein characters names were given apostrophes based on their station—the more apostrophes a character has, the higher up the totem pole they are. You could even combine a danger to it—mispronunciation of a name is an offense worthy of death, a detail which makes enunciation, especially of important noble's names, super important.
While most of these blogs are written with regards to creating writing regardless of whether or not it's fanfic, MLP is a bit of a case of "know the rule so you know how to break the rule."
2750002
Floor-shuts, actually. It's an Americanization of a German last name. Whee, history!
2750230
Well, you don't have to eschew names that are more common, especially if wanted to inject a bit of familiarity into things. It all depends on how different your world is, and if you can't think of a reason for those names (or similar) to have existed in that world. In the end, it's up to you. Consistency is pretty important, and considering how things fit in.
And there's nothing wrong with modifying common names to find the name that feels right. For example, I wanted an attention grabbing name for one of my characters in Shadow of an Empire, and the name I came up with for him was Sali, short for Salitore. It looks and sounds a lot like "Sally," which is still somewhat common name for most people, just not for a man, which should get people to pay closer attention to his character.
2750993 aw man. i got the german bit, (have some german ancestry way back somewhere) but i totally flubbed the name anyway.
unrelatedly, what kinds of music do you like? just curious.
2751144
Don't worry about it. Believe me, I know people screw it up. If it bothered me, I wouldn't be a very happy person.
I listen to a lot of soundtracks, actually. At the moment, I'm writing to Torchlight II, but I have everything from Tomb Raider to Halo to Sonic. And Star Trek, Star Wars, and How to Train Your Dragon (1 & 2) ... plus most of OC Remix's amazing game remix archives. And a lot of their albums. Um ... Daft Punk, Mystery Skulls, a bunch of random singles. Stuff from the 80s ...
Just not country. And no modern rap.
2751386 thanks! im always on the lookout for new music, and that has a couple soundtracks i never heard of before. and for randomness, i found this and i wanted to share it for some reason. i dont even know why.
2752002
Heh, that's only the tip of the iceberg. I've got ... let me check ... 71.8 Gigs of music. All legal. A full list would take a lot of time to transcribe.
That's a pretty rad find. Pretty catchy, and the mood reminds me a bit of this.
2752100
holy shit! thats a metric f
kton of music! i only have 3 gb, and i thought i had a fair amount.
it does have sort of the same vibe. i like it, but i dont find it download worthy.
I like the Game of Thrones approach where a lot of the names are variations on normal names that sound just alien enough (Eddard, Joffrey, Stannis etc.). I myself came up with the surname Sam'Sayond, with the Sam' being a cultural prefix like O'. Then again, I haven't determined the basis for the cultures of the land that I want to use, so I'd be hard-pressed to come up with names on the spot. I'm glad that an article like this exists, because I am terrible at coming up with fantasy names.
2751386
Because it's "not real music", or because of the subject matter?