Designing Names for Fantasy and Extra-Terrestrial Characters

When an author is writing a story involving characters in a fantasy or extra-terrestrial culture, names like Bill and Linda just won’t do. Who would believe that Bill and Linda would be names in such a culture that had no influence from an English-speaking historical setting?

One thing I first consider is what known language is similar to that culture’s language. From that point, you could study linguistic models and various textbooks on the subject or just fire up Google Translate, enter a phrase representative of your character, and translate it into that known language.

Once you have that phrase, mash it together in some manner similar to how contractions are formed: I am becomes I’m.

For example, when I chose Polish, Google translated Mighty Warrior into potężny wojownik.

The next thing I did was turn it into English-styled phonetics, Potemzhnih voiohvneek.

I then dropped a syllable or two to get Temzhnih Ohvneek.

The problem with non-familiar-sounding names is they cause the reader to stop briefly when trying to pronounce them, but this can be solved by developing a familiar form of the name that is used more often, just as Bill might be used more often than William. If the language provided for familiar forms of both first and last names, two choices might be Tem or Ohv.

Some languages have gender endings; the Russian last name Ivanov is masculine while his daughter would refer to herself as Ivanova. For a familiar last name, Ohv could become Ohvda for a man, using a hard-sounding extension, and Ohvshe for a woman, using a soft-sounding extension.

What Do Men Enjoy Reading?

Recently on the ACFW e-mail list for member writers, the following question was posed:

Generalizations are always dangerous things and obviously don’t apply 100% across the board, so I would like your input (whether you are male or female).

I have the general impression, from observing and listening to comments by male readers (who happen to be writers, since it is writers I most often interact with) that, generally speaking, men lean towards reading science fiction or fantasy genres (maybe some spec too).

Is that your impression as well, and why do they lean toward those genres? Or maybe you’ve posted a blog about this subject or written an article. Please do point me to it.

I enjoy reading sci-fi the most rather than fantasy since there’s a part of me that wants to learn and discover what I don’t know, especially the science behind the technology written about, but I enjoy it all within an adventurous story.  Some stories have minor elements of sci-fi, though, and are more, generally-speaking, speculative.  Some CBA authors whose works in that realm I’ve enjoyed are Walley, Dekker, Higley, Moser, Marzulli, Tyers, Hirt, Olsen, Hunt, Hancock, Lee.  It’s also hard to pass up a good Star Trek novel.

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed reading a number of books that would be classified more as chick-lit than romance (within CBA, Billerbeck, Perry, Mitchell, Gutteridge) as well as a few books that would be classified as lad-lit (Blackston), the male-perspective form of chick-lit.  When I dated a Polish girl, I read a number of books that were low-adventure antiquing-type stories by T. Davis Bunn (I bought them on my own without prodding) involving eastern European settings shortly after the fall of Communism, and it was very interesting to learn about that part of the world I’d never given much thought before.

Generally speaking, I enjoy a book that is a good read but also gives me a chance to learn something new or better or to at least stretch my imagination.  Many books related to my field of paying work (software development) and extracurricular interests can be very dry, but if there’s something from them added to a story, my ears perk up, although I do sometimes have to suspend belief with some stories to just enjoy them (e.g., semi-current-technology-based computer viruses or super-hacking). When I see those, though, my imagination considers a more believable backdrop and I begin thinking about what story I would write based on similar assumptions.

If you want to consider where such interests may have developed, my father read westerns (e.g., Louis L’Amour), my oldest sister read sci-fi, mysteries, and comics (e.g., Hitchcock, and old-era Wonder Woman), and my mother read romance (e.g., Harlequin).

From all my talks with male friends, I would say, though, that I am very atypical.  Very few are readers at all.

The Ragged Edge with Ted Dekker and Friends

BEHOLD THE DREAMER COMETH from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

During the weekend of August 12-13, 2011, I attended New York Times Bestselling Author Ted Dekker’s Ragged Edge writer’s seminar in Franklin, TN. Along with Ted, authors Tosca Lee, Robert Liparulo, Eric Wilson, and Steven James shared their particular journeys in writing, what it’s taken to get to where they are now.  None of the stories were rosy (I can’t share actual details), which is why it was called The Ragged Edge.  The comment was made, “Boy, maybe the life of a writer is NOT all it’s cracked up to be, and if you can do something else, maybe you should!”

Anyone who’s been writing long enough might also have similar stories, but since I’d say over half the people in attendance were in their 20’s or early 30’s, a lot of eyes were probably opened.  The biggest thing I got personally from their stories is that I’m not alone in these struggles; we’ve all experienced them at one time or another to varying degrees.

There were also talks about craft and practical ways to push through difficult writing tasks, and we heard from Ted Dekker’s management firm, Creative Trust, located in Nashville, TN.  All who attended had an opportunity to submit finished manuscripts to the firm, and everyone received a free autographed copy of each author’s book…well, we got TWO books from Tosca Lee, since one was her recent collaborative work with Ted Dekker:

• Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
• Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee
• The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo (this was an AARC)
• One Step Away by Eric Wilson
• The Bishop by Steven James

One thing mentioned is that only a very small minority of writers ever finish their stories, so those who finish have a huge advantage over all authors.  This was summed up with words of wisdom from Yoda, as channeled by Creative Trust’s Kevin Kaiser, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

And because of the small number permitted for the conference (around 100), it was a lot easier to have time to talk with each author.  Me, I just tried to have a pre-morning-coffee talk with Ted Dekker in the elevator at our mutual hotel on Saturday morning; I actually didn’t realize it was him until he looked at my badge around my neck (LOL)…I was very tired!

Cowboys & Aliens: Steampunk?

Cowboys & Aliens is a good movie, but it’s not technically steampunk—and that’s the key word, technically. It is sci-fi based in the 19th century within Arizona territory, but the technology is alien and utilizes futuristic electronics, mechanics, and a very advanced knowledge of physics, such as the antigravity method used to transport gold. If humans developed advanced tools from those, such a story would be closer to steampunk, but the difference I see from historical sci-fi and steampunk is that the technology is naturally derived from that period’s capabilities.

A laser printer in 12th century Europe would be a demonstration of historical sci-fi. However, if a monk developed a glove that uses pulleys and gears that transfer his hand movements to other fake hands in close proximity to mirror his handwriting onto other sheets of paper, that would be steampunk—or maybe medieval punk?

What To Do With Misprinted Business Cards

1. Bookmarks.
2. Note cards.
3. Safe throwing stars at bad manuscripts.
4. Craft pieces for making bird feathers, reptile scales, a fan, or a book cover.
5. Depending on composition, one of those pictures made up of many pictures.

Interim Scenes During A Long Journey

When I read about a journey where there’s lots of boring time, I find a journal entry format with action following it can work well. These interludes can be great times to explore inner conflicts, dreams, fears, etc. With a first-person journal entry, we get direct access to that character’s thoughts and full emotional state if the story is from a different point of view.

In the Star Trek shows, during long trips from one planet to another, the writers use a short voice-over with the Captain’s Log that describes some of the interim points (the crew is anxious, we discovered this during research, the gravity failed in the toilets, etc.) and introduces the scene about to happen. When writing about a group of characters on a fantasy-style quest, they could talk about that river one of them fell into the day before, exploring each one’s sense of humor or fear of embarrassment, or the comet a few nights ago and how one may see it as an omen while the other sees it more scientifically, providing the opportunity for an argument or exploration of thought.

Prayer and Point of View

If many characters in a story pray often, a writer should keep in mind that not everyone prays with the same consistency or voice. One person may pray about what clothes to wear each day while another may not give that choice a second thought. The writer should consider the constancy and styles of prayer per character in the same way she would vary their styles of dialogue. In Christian fiction, an effective choice would be to include one character who is a “practical atheist,” only praying when things get really bad and never praising or thanking God.

Going Crazy With “She smiled wryly.”

I think Wryly and Surely should be dating!