Stumbling Blocks

[Ross]

Every writer in the world has these so called "Stumbling Blocks", even the best of them.

But everyone of them manage to get around them somehow and things just gradually start to flow a bit more.

Ater leaving school I promised myself I would take my time to try and create something as I loved to read and write, unfortunately that never happened.

Over the last 6month I've come to enjoy reading alot more once again, mainly the work of Raymond E. Feist who has inspired me to attempt to write.

Personally I struggle with naming my Characters and areas/places of interest, it took me over an hour to get a barely suitable name for 3 of the characters which are mentioned at the beginning. I havn't come up with the "name" for the Kingdom/area where the story starts because as i've said this is what I struggle with.

Does anybody have any advice on what sort of things I could do to help things flow and get around my "Stumbling Block". Is it a matter of perseverance to get around this or is there something that can trigger things to move along?

Thank you for any help in advance

Ross

(EDIT: Possibly in the wrong section?)

[Overread]

I find names impossible - in my head characters don't need any names
What I do is to just get on with writing the story down, using a random name for each character and place, as unless the name is key to understanding the story (which if you can't think of the name means it probably is not) then you can always go back and edit in the proper name once you discover it (search and replace in word is sooo useful)

Apart from that you could use a random name generator, but then you run the risk of having names that don't fit together in a country setting. I think a good start would be to think of the kind of societies that are present in the lands that you have made. Are they multinational, mononational -- that way you can start to use names with similar origines in the same nations.

Also remember that many names (especialy of places) are adaptations of descriptions of those places - either in current language or in older languages ( e..g. the town called Woodbridge - so call for its wooden bridge

[chopper]

the names of people can derive from places, or vice versa - the Firth family were big in steel production here, hence Firth Park.

methinks this belongs more in AspWri though, not in the Crit section.

[chrispenycate]

Only half an hour? I can spend days before a name crystallises out which fits; and this is important for me, because changing a name isn't just a 'search-replace' operation, it's modify a character, rewrite practically everything that character is involved with (very silly, I know, but my characters are like that. They may hate their names, but they can't just change them.)

All right, what I do is write the action of the scene from another point of view, generally third person omniscient. It will all need rewriting, of course, but often this gives me a clue of what the names are going to sound like, as well as pointing out technical problems I might have missed while putting the scene together in my head.

However, what works for me might not for anyone else; I don't have any contact with any other writers (except here) so tend to work out my personal solutions.

(EDIT: Possibly in the wrong section?)

I suspect you're right there, but someone will doubtless move it.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Originally Posted by Ross

(EDIT: Possibly in the wrong section?)

Critiques is where you post a specific item you want critiqued. Aspiring Writers is for general writing advice and discussion.

Thread moved to Aspiring Writers.

[Culhwch]

Firstly: forge on. Use a placeholder name and keep writing. Don't let it trip you up. Could be the right name will come to you fifty or a hundred pages in, or it could be that the character grows into the temporary name. Then secondly: keep a list of interesting names you hear or think up, and then in the future you'll have a little store you can dip in to when you need a name for a new character.

My stumbling block is what I like to call 'first time perfect' syndrome. I expect my first draft to be perfect, and when it isn't I get discouraged. Stupid, I know, but there it is. Takes a lot of effort to get past, and usually just ends in me obsessing over short sections until I think the prose is acceptable, which means I don't get a lot of forward momentum going...

[TheEndIsNigh]

I'm not sure this name business is so important. Ok fair enough it would be wrong to have a twenty five stone four armed gut busting spine stomping thug from Splogwand who'll -

'rip you' 'ed off if ya peeps me again'

called Pamela, but why not. There's nothing to say Pamela hasn't got a caring charitable outlook on life when he's washing up, or for that matter ripping off heads.

The problem I have is finding a name that hasn't been used already in some other book. I mean it's going to be a brave (for brave read damn right stupid) author who calls his hero H. Potter even if he does rip heads off.

No my problem is that for some reason whenever I'm thinking up a name I spend the first ten seconds thinking of a beef burger. Don't ask I don't know why either.

[Overread]

I think you have to remember that in a good world names are not just plucked out of the sky - you have to not only get the names on people in one country having similar sources and sounds, but also to have a difference where there are nations with considerable differences in society and language -

[Threddy]

To come up with names, I play around with spanish words utnil something sounds good. For example, put kingdom into a spanish translator and rearrange some letters to get your name.

(For the kingdom, you're not allowed Todos!)

[TheEndIsNigh]

Originally Posted by Overread

I think you have to remember that in a good world names are not just plucked out of the sky - you have to not only get the names on people in one country having similar sources and sounds, but also to have a difference where there are nations with considerable differences in society and language -

Now if we were all involved in historical drama or contempory fiction I would tend to agree. However, I thoght we were into SFF so Blodwoek of Scunthorp or Pippleferry Smythe seems fine to me.

Ok we have to keep it sensable to some extent so perhaps they are a bit extreme.

[Precise Calibre]

Creating and naming characters/regions/objects for my worlds is one of my favorite things to do. I have many different ways with which I come up with names for people, places and objects. The time it takes for me to do this varies, but I'm usually satisfied with the result. As a note of interest I will give almost all of my characters a first and last name and sometimes even a nickname, even if I never reveal certain details of their name in a story.

One method I use is word association and alteration. This method works well for fantasy setting as you will most likely wind up with something not based on a known language. Take a look around and see what random objects are nearby. As an example there is a display of reading glasses near me as I am typing this (yes, on the net at work... so lazy). So I take the words that describe the object I just observed. Display, tower, rack... yes rack will do nicely. Glasses, spectacles, lenses... lens will fit the bill methinks. So now I have two words to concoct a name from. Lens-rack, Lensrack; still kinda mundane in my opinion, so lets switch some letters around or swap them out with something similar. We'll use an "a" in this case, instead of the "e" and we'll swap out "ck" for "cht". Lansracht, a suitable last name. After this I can either pick something further to word associate for a first name, or I can use another method. At this point I'd probably be limited to what names I'd use for the first, based on the sound of my last name, which sounds a bit german or maybe scandinavian. I think I'll use another method for the first name.

Name mutation. There is an ungodly amount of names in this world, let alone making up new ones. Simply take a common name and switch it up a little bit. Where there's an "I" put a "y", if it has an "o", put aN "au" or a "ou", or anything like that. Chances are there's already a variant of what you'll come up with somewhere in the world anyway. For my example I'll take the name "Walter". Obvious one is to take the "w" and replace it with "v", may be kinda cliche but I like it. We'll also chop the end of the name off and stick "tzer". Valtzer... perfect! We now have our new name, "Valtzer Lansracht"; sounds kinda villainous to me. The creation of a backstory would be the next stage, along with a personality.

As an variation of my first method, you can use "foreign language word alteration". Think of a word which represents your character. If they're strong, think of stone, or steel, or iron. Thne take this word and translate it into another language, preferably on that is as close to their "culture" as possible. Example continued: "Stone" is "Pietro" in Italy.

Keep in mind that I do not always just rip names out of my head. Sometimes going with the conventional type is just as good, or even a combination of the two. I have other methods I use but I'll save them for later when I get home... lest I get myself killed.

[TheEndIsNigh]

Originally Posted by Precise Calibre

Creating and naming characters/regions/objects...

Excelent work through. Ta.

By the way how did you know my name was Valter. (joke - you know the one)

[luv4writing76]

Someone may have already said this, but I enjoy going through a book of baby names and seeing what stands out in my mind. Sometimes the meaning of a name drives me to pick a name, sometimes just the spelling does. There are online sources for baby names too, and if your trying to create fantasy names, take regular names and jumble them up or add something to them that makes them unique (George Lucas did that with certain big names in the Star Wars universe). Names for places is a bit harder, but if you look at maps of America or other countries, sometimes they help inspire a name (coming up with one of the top of your head would be the hardest thing to do). Good Luck!

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by TheEndIsNigh

Now if we were all involved in historical drama or contempory fiction I would tend to agree. However, I thoght we were into SFF so Blodwoek of Scunthorp or Pippleferry Smythe seems fine to me.

Ok we have to keep it sensable to some extent so perhaps they are a bit extreme.

I think Overread's point is that if you want your world to be realistic and believable, you should make an effort to have your names be as fitting and organic as possible. If you have a society where everyone is called Olafssun or Magnussun or Garutssun (for example) and then you throw in a Jones, it's going to stand out like a sore thumb. Consistency is the key. Go on your flights of fancy, just make sure all the dots join up...

[TheEndIsNigh]

Originally Posted by Culhwch

I think Overread's point is that if you want your world to be realistic and believable, you should make an effort to have your names be as fitting and organic as possible. If you have a society where everyone is called Olafssun or Magnussun or Garutssun (for example) and then you throw in a Jones, it's going to stand out like a sore thumb. Consistency is the key. Go on your flights of fancy, just make sure all the dots join up...

He let the door swing shut behind him, casually glancing towards the gloomy half lit corner where they always squatted. He'd been warned what to expect from them so new it was just a matter of time. Time he could use, time to plan, he could wait.
Olafssun, Magnussun and Garutssun eyed Jones over the rim of their foaming pots of strong ale.
"Ey, und do Jones, gars grub fusten crik vanson blarkwud pig washer, " Garutssun growled menacingly from the darkness. Olafssun and and Garutssun grunted what could only be taken as their agreement to Garutsson's rubuke.
Instantly the translater converted the meaningless garble into standard dialect.
"So your Jones, Ive heard a lot about you Jones, Ive heard your a no good yellow son of a 'pig washer',"echoed the matalic device.(for 'pig washer' here, insert your own prefered insult/act regarding animals etc)
'I'm just a stranger passing through, I don't want any trouble" he replied hoping that tonight they had drunk there fill of ale and that maybe, just mabe he wouldn't end the night with the usual haul of decapitated bodies and congealed grey matter dripping down his chin.