Strange Names

Beyondian · Oct 23, 2005

I have a question about fantastical names...
My first novel is a fantasy which I suppose technically falls under the YA category. It is set in the land of Beyond which is all set around a concept which I can never ever seem to explain with any plausibility to anybody except in the book itself (so don't ask). Because it is set in this fantastical land, I have given my characters names which are less than ordinary. I couldn't very well call them Susan, Andrew, Tom, and Harry now could I?
The problem seems to be that the few people who have read my book (I'm still working on getting it published) have come back to me and said that they find the names confusing. I have considered cutting some of the characters, but I found only one which could really go. It's not like I give everything in the book a long polysyllabic name like: Tylkhanika Grewerdhin followed the Freskalinkaldde road out of the Rekharikhin hills to the Palace of Einswaldkind Ikpowwenne.
My main two characters are called Winea and Finn.
See? Nice and short. Someone suggested using a glossary like Ann McCafrey, but I'm not sure. Has anyone else run into this, and does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might be able to do about it?

Sage · Oct 23, 2005

I don't see any problem w/ Winea & Finn (& especially not Finn, since that is a somewhat common last name). The thing I'll suggest is that if you're going to have names that are unusual, to make sure to use as many different first letters as possible for major or recurring characters. If you have Winea, Waner, Willa, & Wistea, you'll end up confusing them. If you've been pretty good about that, I don't know what your readers are complaining about. If they don't usually read fantasy or sci-fi novels, that's a little more understandable, but for this genre, these names seem better than most.

Beyondian · Oct 23, 2005

Oh yes, I definitely don't repeat first letters of names, at least not often. I don't know, it seems that the readers have trouble remembering who characters are. They complain that the names are too confusing to remember because they aren't normal. I wouldn't worry too much, but it is the third person who has mentioned it. Seeing that three people are reading my books, I thought this might be an indication that I have a problem. Whether it is the names, or it is the amount of characters, or if it is that fact that maybe I'm not making my characters memorable enough, I don't know... :Shrug:

azbikergirl · Oct 23, 2005

Sometimes when I have trouble remembering names in a book, it's because either too many are thrown at me too soon, or the viewpoint character's name isn't used frequently enough in the opening pages.

My-Immortal · Oct 23, 2005

Most of my friends that don't read fantasy often complain it is usually the strange names that turn them away from reading the genre. I get around that by using less common (but not bizarre) names that are generally shorter, don't repeat the first letter, and are fairly simple to remember (especially in the first few chapters). Once they are further into the story, I might toss in the occasional strange name but by then they are usually (hopefully! LOL) so engrossed with the story that they don't notice or mind.

I'm also not a huge fan of being introduced to a large number of characters right from the start, so I try not to do that in my own work.

Check and see if your characters stand out - do they each have a distinctive personality? Does the name suit them? If you've named your villain Melvin Herbert Twinkletoes IV...well...unless you're working on a humorous fantasy story (which might be fun), you may want to rethink your names.

Good luck with your writing.

Beyondian · Oct 23, 2005

ROFL No, I think my names do tend to suit my characters ( I hope). I called my villain Sekhan, but I do have a character called Effelrout Semersies the Third (don't ask).
I think >checks nervously from side to side to make sure nobody is watching< that I've made the characters stand out mostly. Part of the problem could be that my main characters go on a heck of a long journey and meet up with a lot of different people. This could be what's overloading my readers. And, yes. The people in question do not read much fantasy. I hadn't thought of that. It might not be all my fault after all!
>Skips around happily<
Thank you
Oh, and my fantasy is partly humerous.

zornhau · Oct 24, 2005

Two possible cheats:

1. If the names have meanings in the native language, give the names in translation. For example, Gwalchmai (sp?) the Welsh Gawain, actually means (as I recall) "Hawk of May" which is how his compatriots would have heard his name.

2. Give everybody fantasy names, but let them use more familiar shortened versions, e.g. "Jonvarik" would be "Jon".

TheIT · Oct 24, 2005

The names you've listed sound reasonable to me and I've read a lot of fantasy. As for unusual, have your readers ever read Harry Potter? What did they think? The names you choose will help define your world, so if your world is unusual, so be it.

I second (and third) the comments about making sure as many names as possible begin with different letters, and also the comment about using nicknames. I do the same with one of my main characters.

One advantage to different initials is when I'm composing I just need to write the initials rather than spell out the names all the time. I hate having to stop to spell out something long and involved while I'm in the flow of writing. I've also added autocorrect options to my version of Word to type the names for me. For example, add "ME" = "Mount Everest", and every time you type ME it'll automatically replace the abbreviation with the correctly spelled name. Saves a lot of finger wear.

My pet peeve about fantasy names is the pronunciation. Whenever I encounter an unusual name, I'll give it one (1) shot to pronounce it. If I can't figure out how to say it, I'll then ignore trying to pronounce it in my head while reading and instead try to identify the name by sight (i.e. the really long name that begins with M and ends with L). It's an irritation, but not enough for me to put the book down unless too many names have similar spellings and I can't figure out who is who.

One of the methods I use to choose names for my fantasy novel is baby name books. Some baby name books contain many alternate spellings for common names, some of which could easily be adapted to sound like they belong in a fantasy world. You can also make up a spelling which makes it clear how to pronounce the name.

badducky · Oct 24, 2005

Middle English (and Middle French) literature is a wealth of excellent names that can be quickly adjusted to suit your text.

For instance, the Lais of Maris de France (middle French) have such gems as Laustic, Yonic, Lanval, and (okay, this last one's a bit.. much) Bisclavret (French for Wolf in a werewolf story).

As for whether your names are aliright... Well, for you they can be just fine. If you need to change them later because a publisher hates them, that's fine, too. It's easier to change a name than it is to change a scene.

clintl · Oct 24, 2005

TheIT said:
One of the methods I use to choose names for my fantasy novel is baby name books. Some baby name books contain many alternate spellings for common names, some of which could easily be adapted to sound like they belong in a fantasy world. You can also make up a spelling which makes it clear how to pronounce the name.

I'm using the same method. I like this site because it gives you names group by nationality/language:

http://babyzone.com/babynames/theworld.asp?scf=3001

Beyondian · Oct 24, 2005

Hey, thanks to everyone for their comments.

I feel a bit better about my names now. I also look for names in baby name sites, but mostly for fantasy I just play around with a group of letters until I get a name that looks good, is easy to say, and suits the character.
If I'm writing a story based in earth, I use the baby name sites to find new versions of old names etc. I have a Middle England names website that is very helpful (and have dabbled in Welsh etc...)
So thanks again!

Strange Names

Beyondian

musker vyusher

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

Beyondian

musker vyusher

azbikergirl

I really do look like this.

My-Immortal

Mr. Invisible

Beyondian

musker vyusher

zornhau

Swordsman

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

clintl

Represent.

Beyondian

musker vyusher