http://stephaniedraven.com Modern Mythology with a Sexy Edge Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:51:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/09/how-to-name-your-character/ http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/09/how-to-name-your-character/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:22:44 +0000 Stephanie Draven http://stephaniedraven.com/?p=1121 Names have power, so I choose them carefully and over time, I’ve developed a system and I’m happy to share it. 1. Compile a long list of ethnically appropriate names The first thing I take into account when choosing a name is the ethnicity of the character. Cultural heritage comes with a lot of cues and expectations. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad, but either way, it’s something to exploit as a writer. If I can give the impression that my hero is a hot-tempered Hispanic man simply by naming him Antonio, an impression is formed in the reader’s mind before I write another word. If my Russian hero is named Antonio–my readers aren’t likely to take that at face value. They’re going to want to know what the story is behind that name. Was his mother a fan of Spanish bullfighting? Did he grow up in South America? That’s because a name either tells a story or begs for one. 2. Weed out names that are too hard to spell or pronounce unless you have a good nickname in mind My characters for my modern mythology series all share an ancient mediterranean heritage, so I’ve picked Greek, Latin or Egyptian names. But just snapping up a name from a certain culture isn’t as easy as it might sound. Because I write for a largely American audience, I try to pick ethnic names with cross-over appeal. For example, when choosing a name for the dryad in my novella, WILD TETHERED BOUND, Arethusa or Eiluned might have been more historically appropriate, but I went with Dessa because ...]]> http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/09/how-to-name-your-character/feed/ 0