Tuesday, June 29, 2010

What’s In A Name?


Recently when I started a new series called ‘Protectors of the Earth,” I understood all of the stories in the series are about people who have the ability to use elemental power. You know what I’m talking about: Earth, Wind, Air and Fire.

It’s the stuff of legends. Think about the movies you know which use this type of force. Well, all the Star Wars movies use some type of elemental power. In them, it’s called the force and one has to be attuned to it before they can use it. Another story, The Fifth Element is very science fiction in nature but when it actually came to saving the world, they went back to the four elements. Then there’s one of my all time favorites, The Lord of the Rings series. If they don’t use elemental power and magic, I don’t know who does.

If you are fans of manga and anime, then you’ve seen plenty of elemental magic. Some of my favorites were Avatar, Naruto, InuYasha, Pokemon, and Sailor Moon. I could watch all those cartoons for hours. Also, Final Fantasy was based upon elementals. When I was designing this whole series, I really took into account just how Avatar was put together as it’s such a great story of the elements.

The whole concept is rampant in books and has been for years. Fantasy is strewn with those who can use elemental powers, some for good, some for evil. Some of my favorite stories have been based upon a Dungeons and Dragons type worlds. DragonLance was one of my favorite readings of all time. All nine books. LOL!

So, now it’s my turn to create fantastic characters and the first thing I realized was I had to name them for their element. Rather it was the second thing as I had the whole first book done before I had even planned the rest. What was strange is the fact the characters in the first book told me their names. I had had the heroine down as a one-liner for almost a year and every day she yelled at me for not doing more.

Something told me I needed to get this series into high gear. So I finish the first story in record time and realized there is a whole lot more to the story. I decide then it’s time to take the plotting class which I’ve talked about in previous blogs. Once there I knew if I were ever to finish this series, it would have to be plotted meticulously and simultaneously.

So, I start with the second book and before I know it, I have the basics for each of the subsequent stories. Then come the names. After lots of thought, I decided to do something I’ve never done before and actually name the characters for what they were going to be. I looked up names and pondered if I would actually name someone that. Believe me when I say some of them were very strange looking and sounding at first.

Still, I have in my possession eight of the coolest sounding character names one would ever find. The second book is called ‘Playing with Fyre’ and the heroine is Endellion Fyre. She’s nicknamed Endy. The hero’s name is Haydn Keegan. Every word has something to do with fire which is their element. Endellion actually means fire soul. How cool is that?!?

I then took it one step further and went to a website called ‘How Many of Me’ which tells you just how many people in the world have any given name. Very cool tool for an author. I loved the fact there are only 18 Lynn Crains in the US. But I really loved the fact there is only one or less person who is named Endellion Fyre. Uniqueness is a great quality for a character. People tend to remember unique.

Your character’s name is one of your novel’s or story’s greatest assets. Sometimes the characters scream out their names loudly and they will drown out anything you might say or want to say. If they allow you to plan things out, try naming them for who they are, what they do, what they like or what ever floats your boat. Make sure they like it and you like it. You will know what a character’s name should be because it will feel right.

I went through at least three to five name choices for each of my elemental characters. I’d put the names together and let them roll, or not roll, off my tongue to see if my people were meant to have that name. Once everything clicked, my characters not only had a mission they became real to me in a way that still has me in its grip.

Now that each of them are firmly planted into my mind, I have to finish the stories. From time to time, I’ll give you all glimpses into this new and fantastic world I’m creating.

See you all tomorrow!

Lynn

12 comments:

  1. Names can be Inporten to a storie.Sounds like you did a good job with them.

    sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

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  2. I pick names very carefully, and a body type or characteristic for that name. I like names with power or unique names. Torquatus Darkblood is my Incubus. I chose his name because it meant enslaved by chains.

    Picking surnames if fun for me and my route is using the phonebook lol at times.

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  3. Definitely! Names are sooo important. And it's very hard to find any name that hasn't been used to death, unless you make up your own. Heck, I named my last female character "Lee" because I had never seen it in a book. Now I have five books that I have found online where the hero or heroine is named "Lee". Sheesh!

    I will repeat the character's name dozens of times to make certain it "sounds" right. Then I write the first couple of chapters, and read it back. If the names don't sync, I change the name. I have even done this with minor characters and secondaries.

    Love the names you chose!

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  4. Stacey,

    Names can be very important to a novel. And I did try to pick the best for my characters. It's almost like naming a baby! LOL!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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  5. Hales,

    What a great name! I really like it!

    Yeah, I've been known to use the phonebook as well. It is a good source of information when nothing sounds right. I also google surnames and the variety is amazing. Of course, I use a lot of Scottish ones but then I'm partial. LOL!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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  6. Fran,

    I hear you. It seems the moment you choose a name, everyone uses it!

    And you do have to love the names you pick because if you don't like them, your readers won't either. So it is very important to find something which flows for you.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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  7. To me a character's name is really important and lasting.I too love Scottish names.For that matter I love anything Scottish. :)
    Unique names are great because when you have one that nobody else does everyone will remember that book and character. Just my opinion.
    Carol L.
    Lucky4750@aol.com

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  8. I can well understand about the names.

    With my lot it's a mix of either knowing the name first before anything else about the character, developing the character (bio, background, etc.) and then letting the name come or starting at zero and letting the character develop from 'soup to nuts' as the story goes along.

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  9. I've found that if you sleep on it, characters frequently name themselves. At least, that's been my experience. I never would have used one of my character's name, Valerie, but she told me her name in a dream, so I had to run with it. Now I can't see her as anything except Valerie.

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  10. Carol,

    Yes, names are important and it seems Celtic or Scottish are my favorites right now. Though I've seen more Indian, as in India, pop into my lists.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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  11. Y.,

    I try to get the name first but sometimes that isn't the case. With a short I'm working on now, I actually wrote all about the character until one name called out to me.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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  12. Diane,

    I absolutely agree. Some names just aren't correct and I've been known to change a name because the first one wasn't what the character wanted.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Lynn

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