Tag: names

on a normal project, I take incredible care and time in choosing my names. I like to research meanings and historical uses of names before I bestow them on a character.

and I’m doing that, to some extent, with A God Grown Old, but I’m also wrestling with a bit of a legacy these characters already have. both Tikva and Jaren are the original names of characters my sister and I pretended to be when I was 10 and she was 4. they’re so intimately associated with the characters that I’m afraid to change them. but are they the best names for the characters? Tikva means “hope,” and that’s ironic in light of his (vastly changed from his origins) character. Jaren means “cry of rejoicing” – again, not particularly relevant. and Karru, whose name is about six years younger than theirs, means “ploughshare.” no idea why I chose these at first, but…they’re starting to seem a little weird.

can I change them, though? it’s not a legitimate question, it’s a rhetorical one for myself. it’s an interesting thought exercise. would I get more out of the characters if I broke them out of that box? it’s a little bit tempting.

names for characters I’m creating just for A God Grown Old are certainly being chosen with care and pickiness. the ostrich, Luta, is named after my boyfriend’s parents’ two obnoxious animals, Lucy and Pita. it’s very intentional – the ostrich is a pain in the ass, and it’s a fun way to pay tribute to the time of my life during which I’m writing the novel. I’ve also had to use a few names from the myth, which actually works out well because they really do fit.

I’m thinking about changing up the names on the outline and seeing how it reads, and maybe having a few brainstorming sessions where I use placeholders just to see if there are possibilities I’m missing because I’m trying to revert to their original characteristics.