Step #1 - Naming Characters

[palygirl]

Here is my process for naming my characters:

Comments

[anonymous]

Very nice. I like the names a lot. Waiting for ur story to begin. I love ur writing style and am sure, this would be a great read.
Wreeti

[palygirl]

Thank you! Step 2 will be the location of my story. I'll upload that this week.

Paly

[anonymous]

I really didnt knew that it was such a task. Finding an appropriate name is more difficult.
All the names were beautiful. Their names showed some of their character. Do you take such long proceeds to name your character??

[palygirl]

I took my time naming my characters because I want to live with these names for a long time. I hope they will be part of a series. Understanding their names gives me a shortcut to their thinking. I know it's a cheat but writing is hard!

Paly

[chipmunks95]

Such a hardwork just for your characters name. The names were beautiful. It showed us some of the insights of the character. Do you always follow this for your every work ??

[palygirl]

Usually I go with names I like and sound good - such as their original names. I took them out of the phone book and put them together because they flowed nicely. I took more time now because I want readers to get a sense of the characters - and they ultimate goals - without hitting them over the heads with details.

We'll see if it works!
Paly

What's In a Name?

[webuser7]

Shakespeare asked "What's in a name?" Everything I say! Wow, that's a lot of effort and thought process put in name selection. I like your dedication!!

Lovely names. Love the boys and girl's name. I am not too sure about the father's middle name. I grew up in India and don't recall hearing Jaan as a boy's name. Perhaps it's uncommon. Yes, I did know a Jean - but he was a Catholic boy with some French ancestry!! But you know the characters best and what suits them!

BTW, fix the spelling of the last name for the Mom and Dad. You have it as Mirsa. While elsewhere you have it as Mirza.

Re: What's In a Name?

[palygirl]

Ohh, thank you for the correction! That's what I like about this medium. I can communicate with you directly. I love getting feedback about my writing, especially when that feedback makes my work better.

I'm not attached to daddy's middle name. Do you have suggestions on what might work better? I do like Sayed for his first name so I need a middle name that will flow well. He's fully Muslim so it can be anything from that culture.

Thank you!!
Paly

Re: What's In a Name?

[webuser7]

Hmm, now you got me thinking. My first disclaimer is that I am a non-Muslim. I grew up in India but moved to US after marriage. The below is completely my opinion and not intended to offend anyone!

I feel Jaan is a bit effeminate for a strong "leader" person. Sayed is a nice strong name. Did he grow up in India or US. While common name may sound cliched, they have a nice sound to it. If Sayed grew up in India, chances are his name was a common one like Mohammed, Ahmed, Ayub, Abbas, Akhtar, Bashir, Younis, Hussain etc.

Sayed Mohammed Mirza sounds nice and strong. I do see that you are selecting names that match the personality, so I searched and found some other choices:

Makeen - means strong and firm.
Aziz - powerful (dear)
Ehsan - powerful
Faisal - decisive

I'll let u know if I come across more,

Re: What's In a Name?

[palygirl]

I'm leaning towards AZIZ because that was the original last name from the QH story. So I still get to have Sayed Aziz. Hmmm, now I'm thinking of ways to put the name 'Samir' back in the story.

This is the fun part - creating the world!