How To Name Your Characters

How To Name Your Characters

I am so sorry for the impromptu break! I just wanted to distance myself from social media for a bit but I realized that I don't want to ignore you! Again, my apologies :`3

From @melda0m3 we have: "how to name and why is it so hard? Especially for fantasy"

For our formatting: I am going to be explaining why names are so hard to come up with and then I am going to be giving my methodology combined with some other basic advice!

Why Is Naming So Hard?

Naming is complicated when it comes to characters since names are extremely important. Afterall, a character's title is one of the most repeated words within a story (ignoring obvious ones like "you" and "the")

A character's name has to be simulataneously ordinary enough that it doesn't just look like a random keyboard smash aka "crg xmnj" but also unique to the point where you haven't just written the name "james smith" for the billionth time.

This is especially hard for Fantasy since it lacks the history that tends to inspire most names. Most last names are often associated with occupation or physical characteristics since not everyone arriving into a different country had the same naming system.

It's also just hard to write a fantasy name that doesn't sound like it belongs in Tolkein's novels.

My Methods!

Most of my worlds don't exist in an entirely seperate fantasy land. It's often a lot of Urban Fantasy and, in general, more realism.

Because of this, I can often just steal a name from the real world. Then it comes down to deciding on nationality and heritage.

A character sometimes comes pre-packaged with a certain ethnicity in mind such as with Nariman Nahornyj whose ukrainian and kazakh heritage was due to his past being inspired by the Holodomor. Somtimes, I have an interest in a specific naming convention or I just felt like filling in some diversity that was desperately needed in my stories. For example: Nonkosi Tyali, my first Xhosa character!

When it comes to highly fantastical worlds, I tend to go onto fantasy name generators. Although, if I have a specific image in mind I sometimes just make my own "off the cuff" name. For example: Pronoia which is based off the word "Paranoia"

Then I make a decision based off of how the name sounds.

Is it religious sounding?

Is it playful or more serious?

What is the type of person that comes to mind when this name is said!?! There are cases where a manipulative character has a name that is the complete opposite of their vibe and cases where a name is more reflective of the person naming this character in-world.

If it's a chosen name, then this name will definitely give off a certain impression if the character wants to be perceived in a specific light!

An 8-Bit Horror Game About Ghosts And Lesbians

I once had a dream where there was this older couple who lived in a victorian house. The older woman decided that enough was enough! It was time to fulfill her dream of inviting butch lesbians to her house!

When the people had arrived, the woman was upset that all the women were femmes and that some men were here but her husband allowed the travellers to stay. The party was underway. 

The camera had changed as now I went into the perspective of one of the men unfortunately at this party. 

The man wanted to try and "date" one of these women. And just when he nearly succeeded at this scandelous in-house meeting, everyone died! The scene of this guy smash-cut to a new man showing of pictures of the event where the only photo left alive of this random guy was minutes before "rolling in the hay". It was horrifying as this man was completely obscured in shadow as his arms seemed to be towering over the viewer.

I then jumped back into the body of the woman he was just about to "date". Before everything. She made her way to the movie theatre. She crossed her legs on a bean bag chair, laid down, and was surprised when she had laid on someone. I didn't get a close look at her except for her afro puffs and beautiful smile. That didn't matter. She needed to fulfill fate. 

She was walking with this man, the man who I used to be. We were looking for a bedroom. She gingerly sat down as I waited for the "passionate" events to start. Well, that never happened as the man gave me his phone!? He wanted a picture of what was going to happen. Ironic. 

However, the phone was dying so I plugged it in. But there was something strange about what appeared on screen. It was a pixel game of the entire house. But what was this icon in the corner?

It was a ghost. A ghost that the game specifically labelled as "invisible lesbian". I was visibly confused. I wondered if it was real. Then I noticed the icon was slowly approaching the room I was in. I heard it breaking the door down. Everyone ran. I kept the mysterious phone close to my besom.

I eventually ran into the kitchen. I knew I was dead as the icon crept closer and closer to my own. 

Writing Traumatic Backstories

Hello,it's me again! Sorry for dissappearing, I wanted a short little break from Tumblr. Obviously, I should have clearly communicated that fact instead of just going cold turkey!

From @differentnighttale : "How do I write characters who deal with severe trauma and pain with sensitivity and understanding"

Obviously with our topic today, there is going to be mentions of traumatic events and such. I won't go into any graphic or specific details but I just wanted to make it clear with a trigger warning

Since this lovely asker is specifically asking about sensitivity, I won't be addressing other related concerns about writing trauma but just focusing on this clear sensitivity! GET READY CAUSE THIS IS LONG!

Step One: Specificity Is Everything

You need to understand that various different traumatic instances will have their own different reactions based around various different incidents depending on what exactly happened and how many times it happened.

In general, the more times something happened, the more likely it would be leave an imprint. Obviously this is an oversimplification for the sake of an explanation :)

For abuse situations and other person vs person situations:

Consider the relationship your character has with this abuser! Is it obsessive? Neglectful? Don't just say it was a bad relationship! Describe to yourself what behavior and attitude specifically made this an unhealthy situation.

Did the abuser use any repetitive imagery? Did they use a specific tool most often? Did the abuse center on something specific? This can help guide you towards what can "trigger" this character!

What are the long-term affects this abusive situation have on this character? Did it make them question and distrust their self-worth, their safety, their identity, their body, their stability? Anything?

Was this abuser always bad? I don't mean in the "good person gone bad" route! I mean "is this character always abusive"? Most abusers aren't horrible 24/7 and can have their better sweeter moments. This often leaves their victims confused since the victims know more then anyone that this person wasn't just plain evil.

For natural disasters and accidents:

Where is the blame? Is it nature herself? Themself for not being careful enough? A real legitimate person who genuinely caused this accident? An imaginary individual that had no relationship?

What is the specific fear that this situation ignites? Is it this crushing feeling of isolation as they were suffering with no expectation of help? Is it the realization that life is out of their control which keeps them awake at night? Is it the chaos of that day? The fear of regret? The fear of death?

Answering these questions can often illuminate different ways to approach a character's traumatic backstory in unique and interesting ways. It also highlights potential coping mechanisms for your character.

Step Two: What Exactly Is Trauma's Effect On The Brain?

Remember: The following analogy is an oversimplified explanation of trauma. Afterward, the science explain-y part will come in :)

Imagine that the brain is an archive system. It gathers memories and puts away those memories under certain files. Then, the traumatic event(s) happen. Suddenly, the brain is unable to properly understand this. This causes the boss prefrontal cortex turns off. Now, the assistant is forced to take over. This assistant doesn't know what to do so they just do what they always do! Unfortunately, this fails to pacify the threat. And now the brain is mixing up all of the trauma's documents in an effort to just shove it into a filing cabinet. It doesn't work. Now everything new that arrives in needs to try and work through the trauma documents which are taking up the place!

SCIENCE PART!

During traumatic events, the "fear circuity" is activated. This causes the prefrontal cortex or the "decision-maker" to function less effectively. This causes a person goes into auto-pilot mode where they follow social habits.

This is why a person in a traumatic situation will sometimes engage in polite behavior with their abuser in an effort to "save face" as they typically do in social situations!

These events often physically mpact the brain! Specifically, in relation to learning and survival!

Advice In Order To Avoid Common Tropes:

Trauma is a highly complicated subject that is highly individualized and messy. But here are some "no fly" lists which often lead to traumatized characters appearing inauthentic and real traumatized people insulted.

Don't solve trauma in one conversation or one event. Working through trauma is ultimately about "moving on" in the sense of constantly moving forward but not leaving the trauma behind.

Don't romanticize certain coping mechanism. Oftentimes, media will have a hypersexual girl who learned to be hypersexual for trauma reasons. But this character doesn't exist so we can understand them. They exist for sexual appeal and tragedy brownie points.

Only include traumatic events if you can handle exploring them. If you aren't willing to deal with the implications of a certain backstory or serious mid-story event, don't write it in there.

Don't make it entirely resolved by the end. Recovery isn't about learning to "get rid" of the affect trauma has on someone. It's about working with those issues so you can learn to not drown in your issues.

Don't make the journey linear. Have your character relapse into bad unhealthy behavior. Make them have to struggle to relearn the same lessons again and again. It'll make the journey far more interesting and realistic.

Don't make bad coping mechanism black and white. Bad coping mechanisms were necessary once upon a time. They are good tools that have lived past their usefulness but they aren't illogical or evil.

Don't excuse bad behavior. Traumatic backstories offer an explanation of a character's behaviors but it doesn't make a character's actions okay.

They aren't just traumatic backstory. Oftentimes, they only thing we ever learn about a character is their deep issues and facade. But real traumatized people aren't just defined by the bad things that happen to them. They had dreams, goals, and friends that aren't pure tragedy.

They are people. While people are definitely defined by their trauma, don't make them think only of their trauma. People with sad backstories aren't more special then people who don't. They have stupidly weird behaviors, they have hobbies that aren't related to their issues. Don't make them think of just the bad stuff.

I finished the post it's called "How To Write Non-Human Characters"

Weird hybrid ask between writing advice and a personal question. Have you ever written from the perspectives of characters who aren't human and think/perceive the world differently than humans? If so, do you enjoy it? Any recommendations to make it feel more accurate or interesting?

I'll finish this post today! Ok?

OMG! I'm so glad i'm your mutual too! You are one of my favorites :3

Here is a list of some of my most memorable mutuals:

@12-cluh, @differentnighttale, @drivingmebonkas, @loverboyxbutch, @blargh-500, @melda0m3, @lavenillarose, and @procrazedfan

(sorry if you aren't included in this list)

You are welcome. I genuinely appreciate being able to express my thoughts about writing and writing advice.

Anytime you need advice on a certain subject, i'll be write here ;)

Obviously, not literally since I have a life outside of Tumblr but you get the gist @differentnighttale

Writing Traumatic Backstories

Hello,it's me again! Sorry for dissappearing, I wanted a short little break from Tumblr. Obviously, I should have clearly communicated that fact instead of just going cold turkey!

From @differentnighttale : "How do I write characters who deal with severe trauma and pain with sensitivity and understanding"

Obviously with our topic today, there is going to be mentions of traumatic events and such. I won't go into any graphic or specific details but I just wanted to make it clear with a trigger warning

Since this lovely asker is specifically asking about sensitivity, I won't be addressing other related concerns about writing trauma but just focusing on this clear sensitivity! GET READY CAUSE THIS IS LONG!

Step One: Specificity Is Everything

You need to understand that various different traumatic instances will have their own different reactions based around various different incidents depending on what exactly happened and how many times it happened.

In general, the more times something happened, the more likely it would be leave an imprint. Obviously this is an oversimplification for the sake of an explanation :)

For abuse situations and other person vs person situations:

Consider the relationship your character has with this abuser! Is it obsessive? Neglectful? Don't just say it was a bad relationship! Describe to yourself what behavior and attitude specifically made this an unhealthy situation.

Did the abuser use any repetitive imagery? Did they use a specific tool most often? Did the abuse center on something specific? This can help guide you towards what can "trigger" this character!

What are the long-term affects this abusive situation have on this character? Did it make them question and distrust their self-worth, their safety, their identity, their body, their stability? Anything?

Was this abuser always bad? I don't mean in the "good person gone bad" route! I mean "is this character always abusive"? Most abusers aren't horrible 24/7 and can have their better sweeter moments. This often leaves their victims confused since the victims know more then anyone that this person wasn't just plain evil.

For natural disasters and accidents:

Where is the blame? Is it nature herself? Themself for not being careful enough? A real legitimate person who genuinely caused this accident? An imaginary individual that had no relationship?

What is the specific fear that this situation ignites? Is it this crushing feeling of isolation as they were suffering with no expectation of help? Is it the realization that life is out of their control which keeps them awake at night? Is it the chaos of that day? The fear of regret? The fear of death?

Answering these questions can often illuminate different ways to approach a character's traumatic backstory in unique and interesting ways. It also highlights potential coping mechanisms for your character.

Step Two: What Exactly Is Trauma's Effect On The Brain?

Remember: The following analogy is an oversimplified explanation of trauma. Afterward, the science explain-y part will come in :)

Imagine that the brain is an archive system. It gathers memories and puts away those memories under certain files. Then, the traumatic event(s) happen. Suddenly, the brain is unable to properly understand this. This causes the boss prefrontal cortex turns off. Now, the assistant is forced to take over. This assistant doesn't know what to do so they just do what they always do! Unfortunately, this fails to pacify the threat. And now the brain is mixing up all of the trauma's documents in an effort to just shove it into a filing cabinet. It doesn't work. Now everything new that arrives in needs to try and work through the trauma documents which are taking up the place!

SCIENCE PART!

During traumatic events, the "fear circuity" is activated. This causes the prefrontal cortex or the "decision-maker" to function less effectively. This causes a person goes into auto-pilot mode where they follow social habits.

This is why a person in a traumatic situation will sometimes engage in polite behavior with their abuser in an effort to "save face" as they typically do in social situations!

These events often physically mpact the brain! Specifically, in relation to learning and survival!

Advice In Order To Avoid Common Tropes:

Trauma is a highly complicated subject that is highly individualized and messy. But here are some "no fly" lists which often lead to traumatized characters appearing inauthentic and real traumatized people insulted.

Don't solve trauma in one conversation or one event. Working through trauma is ultimately about "moving on" in the sense of constantly moving forward but not leaving the trauma behind.

Don't romanticize certain coping mechanism. Oftentimes, media will have a hypersexual girl who learned to be hypersexual for trauma reasons. But this character doesn't exist so we can understand them. They exist for sexual appeal and tragedy brownie points.

Only include traumatic events if you can handle exploring them. If you aren't willing to deal with the implications of a certain backstory or serious mid-story event, don't write it in there.

Don't make it entirely resolved by the end. Recovery isn't about learning to "get rid" of the affect trauma has on someone. It's about working with those issues so you can learn to not drown in your issues.

Don't make the journey linear. Have your character relapse into bad unhealthy behavior. Make them have to struggle to relearn the same lessons again and again. It'll make the journey far more interesting and realistic.

Don't make bad coping mechanism black and white. Bad coping mechanisms were necessary once upon a time. They are good tools that have lived past their usefulness but they aren't illogical or evil.

Don't excuse bad behavior. Traumatic backstories offer an explanation of a character's behaviors but it doesn't make a character's actions okay.

They aren't just traumatic backstory. Oftentimes, they only thing we ever learn about a character is their deep issues and facade. But real traumatized people aren't just defined by the bad things that happen to them. They had dreams, goals, and friends that aren't pure tragedy.

They are people. While people are definitely defined by their trauma, don't make them think only of their trauma. People with sad backstories aren't more special then people who don't. They have stupidly weird behaviors, they have hobbies that aren't related to their issues. Don't make them think of just the bad stuff.