The e-mail was the "Generate Your Star Wars Name" game.

FIRST NAME:
You take the first 3 letters of your last name and add the first 2 letters of your first name.

LAST NAME:
Take the first two letters of you mother's maiden name, and add the first three letters of the name of town in which you were born.

I came out as Scoro Posyr. Not a bad Star Wars name.

I have used the "spell it backwards" method sometimes.

I have also used names that "mean something" about the person's character (e.g., Penance Christianson).

As for finding names, I like to make them up. I don't use any formula, but I do say them aloud. Otherwise you could end up with something embarrasing or that says the WRONG thing to your readers.

Actually, one name I used was a common anglo-saxon name with a twist. That works pretty well if you don't do it too often.

example: Alan can become Avan, Olan, Aben, Alam, etc. Or even Haldan.

In other words, the Star Wars name deal works precisely because many of the characters seem to have names that seem like a random amalgam of syllables that are name like. In fact, the name generator should have a rule to permit one substitution of oo-u-o for any other vowel. That may be of little enough use for some of us, but it does permit a small degree of tailoring to fit.

Churi Hoowas

Not a big change, but I like it. As for a typographic system, I wouldn't use one. I do occasionally use meaningful names, but usually derive the name from words that I made up for one of my languages. However, I avoid names that type my character. Meaning names are given because of events in the past, not as a prefigure of a characters future. Even when you cast the name in a fictional language.

I do follow loose rules when I'm writing names that all derive from a fitional culture that I've made up. After all, naming conventions are a rich part of any cultural heritage. Also, it helps readers to follow cultural conflicts in a passage without having to be told what is going on. Like if two characters, Kitihagi and Yonan Aremi, are having a discussion about sexual mores, then the reader has a valuable clue as to why they might disagree strongly about what is acceptable behavior. Or if Kitihagi was talking to Haitakka about something, then the mode of speech might be different from a conversation between Yonan Aremi and Ammon Meiron.

Othertimes I begin writing and whatever name I type becomes the characters name.

There have been times when I have changed a characters name either in the middle of a story of after I have finished it.

I have come up with names from the Newspaper, from my Baby Name book, from my brain or from just staring at the keyboard trying to find cool combonations of letters, and a combination of all of the above.

It all depends on my story, my character and if it is significant that my character has a certain name.

In the story I just completed, the two main characters names were very important -- even if that doesn't come across to the reader -- they were important to me as a writer, while the supporting cast have the first names that came to my mind.

Some names, our characters bear because they have chosen to bear them. Others they cannot escape. I am called Richard because I do not care to name myself otherwise. I answer to any other name just as easily. I call myself Survivor to explain as shortly as may be my attitudes. In the other forum I am called Serpent, because I write Serpent Army's commander.

I have other names. Some of them are very interesting. Some I know the meanings of, others I don't. At least one of them is a name perhaps too apt for use. Another is just not for everyday. I've only used it once, but I'll never forget it. I have a dozen others, some prosaic, some senseless.

I could make quite a list, but of course, I wouldn't include them all.

My point? Well, I guess that what I'm saying is that of course you will most likely know why your main characters have the names that they have, but it may not be very important to the story.

This man is a PhD who is very intelligent.

I asked him how many names he had. He replied "One."

But that of course is not true. He is Doctor, Professor, Dad, Brother (both in the secular and religious sense), Teacher etc. All names he answers to.

I am Dad, Daddy, Dear, Jordan, Jordy, Jory, Jord, J, Hyde, PI Man, Mabeuf, Boss, Dude, Elder, Brother a few to personal or special to be revealed and probably some others I could list if I wouldn't be embarrassed .

The PI Man

Anyway, it makes me less apt to read Russian fiction, despite how good it is, even in translation.

By the way, anyone know the name of the Russian (brothers) sci fi writers who were really big into things like biologically alive space ships and such? I saw their work in an anthology and it was really great, but I haven't been able to re-find the same book. (and please, don't give me just their Star Wars name).

For important names (pro/antagonists, symbolic chars, etc.), I use my trusty "Name Your Baby" book for inspiration.

For secondary characters, I use the phonebook. They tend to be nice and grounded names, which is what I like for my Writing.

It depends on what you are writing and what you want to put across.

I think John Doe (or something equally vanilla)would be a great name for a protaganist where all of the other characters have exciting, stimulating names. Maybe the common man is the hero.

Question: What defines a name as feminine or masculine? How does that effect the naming of characters?

PS this is WP speaking: I did not say wimp i said to call you "weenie!" and I meant it with all the affection in my heart Hello everyone, sorry, I've been touring Europe over the holidays. If you believe that, London has a rather spectacular bridge I'll be happy to sell you.... Happy new Year!! (guess I could have said all this on my own post, huh?)

Where did I lose control of my own post? She's as bad as my characters at popping in when least expected.

[This message has been edited by ducky (edited January 03, 2000).]

Do you ever name a character, then decide it's the wrong name?

Come to think of it, Churi is plenty happy. Sort of makes me want to smile. I guess I'll have to change it more, too....

I kind of like the last name Hewas, and Chisu is pretty good too, although I think maybe Chiso is better -- maybe like an ethnic nickname.

No offense Survivor, but I started laughing a bit when I tried various transformations. The one that got me was:

Chisu H'wiz

(Cheese-u Whiz) Sorry, I couldn't help putting it in here once I saw it.

Of course, my Star Wars name can morph quite easily into:

I like cheese whiz but I don't think I'd like to wear it, esp. as a name.

You are talking about the brothers A. and B. Strugatski. They are very interesting writers. I had no idea that there was an english translation of their work. I'm sorry if I spelled their name wrong.

Boris and Akadi Strugatski

Some of their titles:

HARD TO BE A GOD

PRISONERS OF POWER

MONDAY BEGINS ON SATURDAY

ROADSIDE PICNIC

By the way, did Kathleen happen to mention the name of the anthology or anything? Just a question, not a request.

Also, where does the name Kathleen come from, as used among Mormons? I mean, was there some pioneer woman named Kathleen or something like that?

You might try a search at www.google.com or at www.dogpile.com on the name--if a Yahoo search doesnt turn up anything.

As for my name, my father gave me the name of Kathleen because it's Irish, and his father was Irish, and because it is the name of my mother's favorite aunt.

Space is a really great guy who married his high school sweatheart. They named their kids Rebecca, Gina and Andrew. Go figure.

By the way, you can have the second page. My browser is still showing this as one page. I think maybe there's a worm hole in here and we're in parallel universes.

I say "the oldest I could find" a lot because I know that many of my oldest posts have been deleted (mostly those that were in non-writing related threads, I think). I don't really remember if KDW was in the habit of warning us when we just had discussions that had nothing to do with writing at all, but I do recall someone periodically telling us stuff like that. Which is why I think that most of KDW's oldest posts have also been deleted, as I recall her (or someone, anyway) as posting mainly on threads that were later pruned as being unrelated to writing.

By the way, I've found what could be my actual first post (though I suspect it actually was not, since the active threads from when I first joined have all been deleted--and I would have responded to those prior to responding to a nearly dead topic).