~ in which our author tries to explains how his characters got their names ~

Names in fiction can be hard. Coming up with something that’s believable yet distinctive can be a chore. It can’t be too grandiose but neither can it be mundane.

For example, James Smith is a perfectly ordinary name. Does it resonate? Somewhat, but only because it is a combination of two very common names. You might even know a James Smith.

However, change the Smith to a Bond and you get someone instantly memorable. It does help in this case that the combination of “James” and “Bond” conjures up sixty-something years of social consciousness. However, it’s not over the top, it’s not complicated and it’s instantly recognisable.

I have to admit, that some fantasy and science fiction characters lose their given names in my head. They become “Guy Who Killed With A Spoon” or “Woman Who Has A Missing Toe” because their names are too convoluted or nonsensical. There has to be an element of familiarity to them. Not Wyvelhyr or Prizzyzzk. They just don’t mean anything.

If we take a popular example, G R R Martin, and his characters, we can see how the familiar can be twisted into something unique yet recognisable. Eddard Stark is obviously a corruption of Edward yet is still shortened to Ned, thus producing that element of the recognisable.

So that’s the philosophy I try to put forward.

In the Hidden Cities trilogy, I have used that approached and applied it to common words. Anything that may have fallen out of use in hundreds of years time that might work as a name is fair game. That was certainly the approach to the residents of Bastion and Havenport.

Lanyard, Hershey, Memphis, Syria, Hermes, Krypton, Roman, Gossamer, Mizzen, Whisky. They’re all words we’re familiar with but we wouldn’t necessarily see them in the context of names day to day.

Until I come up with a better formula, I will stick to using the familiar in new contexts or corrupting the existing.

Or if all else fails, I will mash my forehead on a keyboard and write about the ADVENTURES OF WYVELHYR AND PRIZZYZZK!!!