# My character doesn't like her name. Help



## Nomadica (May 12, 2017)

My MC I have named Zara just keeps fighting with me over her name. I'ts a perfectly good name that I worked hard to choose. It has all the qualities that I was looking for in a name for her. To me it sounds feminine yet a hint of bad-ass. But every time I imagine her or someone addressing her, I have to force the name into my head. It just doesn't naturally come with my impression of her. So I'm going to give her a new name, one that feels right, that clicks.

These are the ones I like. Mostly different variations of the same sounding name.
Antari
Ontari
Antara
Ataria
Akari
Atara

These are pronounced like On-tar-ee not On-tair-ee. Do I need to add 2 Rs to make this apparent? And which one do you like? Any particular reason?


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## evolution_rex (May 12, 2017)

I don't think two Rs are neccecary. I read them that way automatically.

My favorites of the batch are Antari, Akari, and Atara.  All of them are fine though, in my opinion.


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## Saigonnus (May 12, 2017)

Perhaps you might consider an interesting back story on why she has the name Zara. She might hate it, but there was a reason she has it. Perhaps she goes by a nickname?


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## pmmg (May 12, 2017)

How about Zakari and they call her Zara for short.


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## Nomadica (May 12, 2017)

Well I had a friend named Zakari actually, only one I've met so I didn't want to use that. I've only written a page or two so it wont be painful changing her name. Mostly I'm still trying to flesh out the last bit of the plot.


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## DragonOfTheAerie (May 12, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> My MC I have named Zara just keeps fighting with me over her name. I'ts a perfectly good name that I worked hard to choose. It has all the qualities that I was looking for in a name for her. To me it sounds feminine yet a hint of bad-ass. But every time I imagine her or someone addressing her, I have to force the name into my head. It just doesn't naturally come with my impression of her. So I'm going to give her a new name, one that feels right, that clicks.
> 
> These are the ones I like. Mostly different variations of the same sounding name.
> Antari
> ...



I like Akari and Atara best. Maybe you can write a paragraph or so with each name and see how your MC takes to those.


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## Reaver (May 12, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> My MC I have named Zara just keeps fighting with me over her name. I'ts a perfectly good name that I worked hard to choose. It has all the qualities that I was looking for in a name for her. To me it sounds feminine yet a hint of bad-ass. But every time I imagine her or someone addressing her, I have to force the name into my head. It just doesn't naturally come with my impression of her. So I'm going to give her a new name, one that feels right, that clicks.
> 
> These are the ones I like. Mostly different variations of the same sounding name.
> Antari
> ...



These are all cool sounding names. Too bad this one's taken:


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## Nomadica (May 12, 2017)

Lol I actually thought of using that but I didn't want the association to an ancient gaming system.


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## DragonOfTheAerie (May 12, 2017)

Reaver said:


> These are all cool sounding names. Too bad this one's taken:



Lol that's what I thought of...The Atari is from my parents' time rather than my own though!


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## pmmg (May 12, 2017)

Ancient?!? Parents time!!?  Atari is from my time   And all these new-fangled things like Wii and Playstation, they aint all that. Slaying dragons like Yorgle, Grundle, and Rhindle were no less fun than slaying whatever they have in Skyrim today.

Wow, young ones. I'd shake my cane at you and tell you to get off of my lawn, but I'm not quite that old.


Here there be dragons!


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## Nomadica (May 12, 2017)

pmmg said:


> Here there be dragons!


That's a seahorse!


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## pmmg (May 12, 2017)

That's one of the most fearsome dragons ever. It ate every player that ever fired up the game at least once!


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## DragonOfTheAerie (May 12, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> That's a seahorse!



that...that is definitely a seahorse


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## pmmg (May 12, 2017)

It only looks like a seahorse cause its fat from eating so many adventurers. Trust me, the first time you fire up the game, you will run when you see him


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## Rkcapps (May 13, 2017)

Atari was my time too albeit just new! Maybe that's why I liked Antari best?!


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## DragonOfTheAerie (May 13, 2017)

pmmg said:


> It only looks like a seahorse cause its fat from eating so many adventurers. Trust me, the first time you fire up the game, you will run when you see him



A fat seahorse!


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## Annoyingkid (May 13, 2017)

Those names all sound basically the same so it doesn't matter which you pick.


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## goldhawk (May 13, 2017)

DragonOfTheAerie said:


> A fat seahorse!



Or pregnant. BTW, male seahorses get pregnant.


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## goldhawk (May 13, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> My MC I have named Zara just keeps fighting with me over her name. I'ts a perfectly good name that I worked hard to choose. It has all the qualities that I was looking for in a name for her. To me it sounds feminine yet a hint of bad-ass. But every time I imagine her or someone addressing her, I have to force the name into my head. It just doesn't naturally come with my impression of her. So I'm going to give her a new name, one that feels right, that clicks.
> 
> These are the ones I like. Mostly different variations of the same sounding name.
> Antari
> ...



What's her shorten name? What did her parents call her? What did her siblings and friends call her? Did she have a nickname? Did she like it?

Names are complicated by society. What people are call has as much to do with people around them as their formal name.


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## Nomadica (May 13, 2017)

goldhawk said:


> What's her shorten name? What did her parents call her? What did her siblings and friends call her? Did she have a nickname? Did she like it?
> 
> Names are complicated by society. What people are call has as much to do with people around them as their formal name.



She had kinda a lonely childhood. Her and her mom were drifters and outcast. No siblings


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## goldhawk (May 13, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> She had kinda a lonely childhood. Her and her mom were drifters and outcast. No siblings



I'm sorry to say this but that's a cop out. Who decided they were outcasts? How did they find out? Were they called derogatory names every where they went? What were those names?

Humans are social animals and seek each other out, especially children. Saying they were loners does not mean they didn't have any relationships at all. How did they interact with the people they met? Were there some who didn't care they were outcasts? Did they met other outcasts?

I'm not saying you should develop a comprehensive biography of your characters. But you should have at least a rough idea of what their past was like.


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## Nomadica (May 13, 2017)

@ goldhawk
You assume that because my MC had a lonely childhood that I don't have an idea what her past was like? It's good to get constructive criticism. If you simply thought my idea was boring or had some holes, thats fine but calling it a cop out, implying that I chose that history out of laziness so I didn't have to think of a background is a wee bit insulting. My MCs background has a huge impact on who she grew up to be and is part of the story. You seem to assume I don't know why she and her mom were outcast? I didn't list the details here because that's not what tis thread was about, not because I don't know them. I didn't imply that she never had any childhood interactions but non of those interactions would be likely to result in a nickname she would want to use. And she wasn't famous so she didn't develop a derogatory nick name that stuck as she moved around. A character doesn't need a big social life throughout the whole story to be interesting, if they did, Castaway, Never cry wolf and The room would never be movies. Yes people and children seek out each other in normal circumstances but stories aren't always about normal circumstances.  

I think you made a lot of assumptions before asking enough questions.


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## goldhawk (May 13, 2017)

Nomadica said:


> You assume that because my MC had a lonely childhood that I don't have an idea what her past was like? ...
> 
> I think you made a lot of assumptions before asking enough questions.



Yup, too often it is laziness. And children often give other children derogatory nicknames. It's not until they learn some manners do they stop.

Choosing a character's name does involve knowing some of her background. Unless you just want a name that sounds right to you.


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## Nomadica (May 13, 2017)

I'm not sure if you read my whole post

Are you trying to debate this point?


goldhawk said:


> Choosing a character's name does involve knowing some of her background. Unless you just want a name that sounds right to you.


Cause I thought I made it clear that I have a good understanding of her past (though I'm still working out how her parents got together) I'd say assuming that someone doesn't know Their MC's history when you didn't ask and you don't know anything about the story is laziness.


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## pmmg (May 13, 2017)

Ya know, it really does not matter who's arguing for what. You know why you chose the name, so you know this comment does not fit.  Goldhawk can just be incorrect about that, but he's probably still right in that some people do things for lazy reasons. Heck, many people do things for lazy reasons.

Let's just say the comment does not apply and let it be that.

And honestly, none of you seems to know what a yellow dragon is, so I am having trouble thinking you are all not lazy. Yorgle would likely eat the lot of you.

Are you still looking for help with this name?  If it were me, I would stick with Zara. I don’t see anything wrong with it.


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## Nomadica (May 13, 2017)

My beef was with him assuming I didn't know anything about my MC's history When I didn't say anything to imply that. It seemed rude


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## Nomadica (May 13, 2017)

Anyways, Thanks all. I think I'll go with Atara. And pmmg I am so sorry about your fear of sea horses


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## pmmg (May 13, 2017)

Oh no, I pity you, cause one day you will see that dragon and you may think it a seahorse and it may eat you. I would not want such a fate to befall.


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## gia (Nov 19, 2017)

Saigonnus said:


> Perhaps you might consider an interesting back story on why she has the name Zara. She might hate it, but there was a reason she has it. Perhaps she goes by a nickname?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Exactly what I was thinking....She could end up renaming herself and then everyone from her past still calls her Zara....(took that right out of my own life)


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## ApaCisare (Nov 20, 2017)

Atara sounds the best to me. It has the same ring to it the Zara has but is still feminine and potentially bad ass.


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## Dark Squiggle (Nov 21, 2017)

I have given other people nicknames and had to bear many nicknames myself, some of which have followed me hundreds of miles. I even inherited one from my father once. People give them to you if you stick out, and if everyone else likes them , they stick. They can come from an in joke you didn't understand the first time, from a fight you got into, from a word you said too much, someone's sense of humor, canned ones like 'Einstein' - anything at all. A scene where your MC gains her name could be very interesting.


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