Need your opinion on my MC...

I honestly don't get questions like these.

When you're born, you're given a name by your parents or guardians, that name doesn't make you as a person, your personality and upbringing does.

He would come from from wherever he was born and grew up.

His profession is the one he chose to do, or you, as the writer, gives to him.

But if it's that important to the story. He's quite an effeminate male, maybe in touch with his sensitive side. He comes from Spalding, s that's famous for flower growing/nurseries. And he should work in a garden centre. There, that was easy, wasn't it. Next! ...

Well, I think there's no real harm in it, although I agree that having your entire character hinge on such a detail might suggest there are worse problems hiding beneath the surface. Mar(k/cus) Rose is an okay name, but maybe it doesn't need to be more significant than that.

If you are going to do this the trick is to avoid clichés like, you know, cops called Jake Bullet or snipers nicknamed Ima "Snap" Shot (unless he's German, in which case it's probably "Schnapps" Schotte. I'll get my coat. Again.).

A Rose by any other name.......

Sorry, couldn't resist.

But I agree with Samantha's_Song, a name doesn't make you who or what you are, it's your life experiences. My MC's "personality" developes as I write, it's not decided on before hand, and that works for me.

Just my .02 cents

I only know one person named Mark. He's one of the most self-centered people I've met, and I've met quite a few. Does that help?

Ken Hoss said:

Just my .02 cents

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Just 0.02 cents, Ken? Feeling stingy today, are we???

I think I read somewhere that sharp consonant sounds and single syllables are well-suited to badass male characters. It depends on what you're going for, I guess.

If he is one of those types, then "Rose" makes kind of an interesting juxtaposition...

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Samantha is right. As people, we are given our name at birth, but our personality, life experience, etc. makes us who we are. Characters are completely different. Usually they are given characteristics, back story, life experience, etc. and then they get a name to match all that. Oh for the gall, stones, and courage to do it the way it works in the real world! Then I'd eliminate my second worst part of writing (titles are my lease favorite)!!!

That's right that we pick our characters' names, we're their surrogate parents, but surely we've already planned where they came from and what their profession is before we begin writing the novel/story? For me, personally, I have never had to ask these kinds of questions, it's a bit like asking what should I base my story plots around, so making it other peoples' story rather than my own.

ToddWBush said:

Samantha is right. As people, we are given our name at birth, but our personality, life experience, etc. makes us who we are. Characters are completely different. Usually they are given characteristics, back story, life experience, etc. and then they get a name to match all that. Oh for the gall, stones, and courage to do it the way it works in the real world! Then I'd eliminate my second worst part of writing (titles are my lease favorite)!!!

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Noumenon said:

(unless he's German, in which case it's probably "Schnapps" Schotte. I'll get my coat. Again.).

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"Schnaps" Schotte means "Liquor" Scot. I love this one.

Make it interesting - change the name to Rose Markus for him. Maybe his parents were smoking dope and put the names in the wrong box on the birth certificate.

JJ

This reminds me of another thread, where Gillhoughly has some good things to say about naming the MC. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126937

Also, I get a different vibe from the name Mark than I do from Marcus. Marcus sounds more serious and mysterious.

I like contrasts when it comes for names. Sometimes I use this trick to make my characters more interesting, I want to surprise my readers with names they wouldn´t have thought of for that kind of character, because honestly, this is what happens in real life, if you judge someone´s personality by his or her name, most of the time you will be wrong! So, sometimes I like to name serial killers after a flower or shy little boys after a strong wild animal.

However, if you want to make it obvious (and you´d better have a great reason for that, otherwise that will be too cliché), Mark Rose should be a sensitive, caring person, who always wants to help. I see him as an employee who has a terrible female boss who picks on him and tells him to do the kind of work that nobody else wants to do. She does that because she knows he is too nice to refuse anything. And of course, Mark Rose always gets in trouble for being such a lovely person!

Marcus Rose, however, gives me a different vibe. He is serious, polite, and maybe gay.

XX
Alice

Marcus Rose also sounds like a good vampire name!