I'm working on a book right now, and I wanted to know if you all thought these character names sound good, as far as their phonetic flow and the image they conjure of the character.
The book is a fantasy parody, so the names aren't "normal"; if some of them sound absurd, ridiculous, and idiotic, it's because they're supposed to. The names are below:
Septimus Octavian Nines (Tim for short) Salem Yorik Garm Snookeroo Elias Garm (Snook for short) Heather Hather Beulah Phott Nancy Krimlin Crummies Smithe Sommers Silas Algernon Longue Dr. Rigel Jones Col. Sinclair Richards (nicknamed Leggy) Altor Calchas Sgt. Iago Insurgo King Magna Carta King (Maggie for short) Nathan Faust Moore (Nate for short) Linnea Hadgebak Junius Kraken Virgil Grimshaw
(Note: the characters with the long names are the ones that have middle names; the second name is rarely mentioned.) All input is welcome. Thanks, everyone!
2010-02-06T16:06:03Z
Thanks to everyone who answered! I’m glad you all like the names. To the Jersey Shore worriers, thank you for pointing that out, and I hear ya. The character needs to keep that name, but I’ll work on making him an un-Snookie. To tracilee and luckystar, thank you for the excellent suggestions. To Lena, thanks for the encouragement and the constructive criticism. To the 1000-Faced Hero, “yes” to both of your questions. To LG, thank you for the input; I’ll work on it. To “Let It Go”, thanks for the honesty. To gabrie, thank you for the in-depth descriptions; some were right on target, some were completely different, but I loved hearing them all. To Dr. Jimmy, slkfj, and Muse, thank you for being specific. And now that I have thanked everyone from here to Oshkosh, I guess I’ll have to choose a best answer. *cringe*
♫ jojo ♫2010-01-30T19:45:24Z
Favorite Answer
Thanks for answering my question! Just returning the favor here. :)
My favorite name is by far Dr. Rigel Jones! It really stood out to me. I can just picture some crazy Australian/British doctor. That might be way off base here, but the mental picture is amazing. The perfect name for a doctor.
I think all the names are awesome! They are all pretty pronouncable, which is really good! Not too out there but unique to say the least!
Great names for a fantasy spoof, these are the images i get when i hear the names
Septimus Octavian Nines (Tim for short)- A roman dude probably a general, that is over confidant and unmovine, or prehaps a snotty nosed senator Salem Yorik Garm- A wizard from the dessert, or maybe a cat Snookeroo Elias Garm (Snook for short)- sidekick for the wizard or the person that the cat keeps around as a pet Heather Hather- a beautiful lady that is all looks and no brains Beulah Phott- A sly and ugly maiden, prehaps takes care of ^ Nancy Krimlin Crummies- A street urchin, smart mischievious that achieves greatness Smithe Sommers- wizard/scientist/good friend of protaganist Silas Algernon Longue- the evil villian, smart but always plagued by stupid assistance Dr. Rigel Jones- A smart prim, well dressed doctor Col. Sinclair Richards (nicknamed Leggy)- a one legged pirate Altor Calchas- Silas' stupid/ only competant assistant Sgt. Iago Insurgo King- first mate for the col. is a exiled prince from a small land locked kingdom Magna Carta King (Maggie for short)- his sister, smart, athletic, a pirate to the core Nathan Faust Moore (Nate for short)- Protaganist Linnea Hadgebak- Nates love Junius Kraken- dunno... could be anyone Virgil Grimshaw- a great writer/ wiseman/ or nates friend who works at the market or something
Thats what i see when i hear those names, Great begining would love to read when you finish. Hope this helped. When ur done email it to me Gabrie1_baron@yahoo.com
Some of them are incredibly creative (I personally love Septimus Octavian Nines, "Tim" for short), but some seem too silly, despite the fact that you're writing a parody. Heather Hather is a little obvious in it's silliness. I'm a big fan of intelligent parodies, the kind that requires a sense of elevated humor., rather than, say, Napolean Dynamite humor. Also some of them are kind of hard to pronounce. Even the best writers can create characters that don't appeal to readers because they're consumed with pronunciation. Plus, its much funnier if you're trying to make a joke through a name if the reader can pronounce it.
Septimus Octavian Nines (Tim for short)=OCTAVIAN IS PERFECT Salem Yorik Garm=YORIK? Snookeroo Elias Garm (Snook for short)=ELIAS KARIM? Heather Hather=TO VIRTIUAL AND UNREAL Beulah Phott=?? Nancy Krimlin Crummies-KERMLIN CASTLE IN RUSSA? Smithe Sommers=OK Silas Algernon Longue=ONLY SILAS OK Dr. Rigel Jones=OK Col. Sinclair Richards (nicknamed Leggy) Altor Calchas=ALTOR ?ARTOR? Sgt. Iago Insurgo King=SGT? Magna Carta King (Maggie for short)=NO KING Nathan Faust Moore (Nate for short)=OK Linnea Hadgebak=WHAT ABOUT LENIA? Junius Kraken=JUNIOUS?????? Virgil Grimshaw=VIRGIN? I HOPE IT HELPS
hahaha omg i love them! you know i actually had a teacher once whose first name was junius? awesome. i also like how you put a lot of literary references in there, like calchas from the iliad, the faust story (isn't that the guy who sold his soul to the devil? O.o) and iago from othello.
two questions:
is snook garm named after the song snookeroo by ringo starr? if so, i am definitely reading this book.
i think i get the joke with tim nines. isn't his name supposed to be sort of like saying 7 8 9 10, b/c sept and oct are latin for 7 and 8 and tim sounds kind of like 10? if so, thats like the best name i've ever heard of!