WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 9 -- Monday

[linaewen]

Greetings, fellow writers!  How goes it today?  Is it an awesome day for you, or are you thinking of going back to bed (or going to bed early, depending on your time zone)?

What writing-related pursuit did you engage in today?

• Writing
• Editing
• Sending to beta
• Posting
• Procrastinating
• Planning/Researching
• Something else I will describe in comments

For discussion, let me introduce you to the Writer Leopard:

Discussion for the day:  When writing original fic or creating original characters for canon-based fic, how do you go about choosing names for your characters?  Is it a big deal for you to have just the right name or does it not matter all that much?

Comments

[roane]

After I responded last night, I posted the first chapter of my Sherlock AU, Pull the Stars from the Sky. Hooray! It felt good to post something again, it's been a bit. I did a bit of planning this morning before work, and hope to get some words done tonight. Ideally, I'll finish up chapter 2 and send it off to my betas.

I HATE choosing names. HATE IT. Sometimes one will come to me quickly, but not always. I use baby name sites, usually. The right name is important. When I was writing original stuff, that was the thing that would often get solidified last. :P

[barbayat]

I am still working on my fic but I won't get more than 500 words done today I think. But I am not unhappy with my progress.

As for the discussion, I am the exact opposite. I come up with names pretty fast and spent hours on planing their personalities, backgrounds etc. Often I forgot the name I had initially chosen and just get a new one via the Random Name Generator from behindthename.com

I just don't get the fuss about names. Yes, for a Harry Potter fanfic or some other fanndom where names are important - but otherwise. I try to chose something that is easy to remember and not to uncommon or at least fitting for the characters background and that is it.

[insignia]

I've been really lousy about writing lately. Not a word accomplished. I'm starting to feel like I'll never get anything done ever ._.

Names will be the death of me! When I finally have a name I like, I start angsting about whether the character is cool enough to deserve it. -_-;

[babs_bee]

I have an awesome idea for an orginal fic but I can not seem to get it started until I come up with a name for the heroine. I keep thinking "Willow" but it doesn't quite go with the idea. Although maybe I can just keep writing Willow until the right name comes to me!

[barbayat]

That sounds like a good plan - I always need to have a working title for the stories before I can write anything - even though it is a working title it has to be somewhat fitting or else it bugs me.

[roane]

Heh. Working titles have a terrible way of becoming actual titles for me.

[barbayat]

That happened to mine more than once, as well :D

[snowynight]

I did 4K and end my wip.

I come up with names by looking up the most common surname in wikipedia, and then choose their given name when necessary.

[bay_alexison]

Did a bit of research and gathering some wiki articles for pokemon_bigbang. Also my beta for god_tier finished looking through the rest of the fic and I did some edits. He mentions a couple parts that needs expanding so I'll be doing that tomorrow and hopefully have him look over them.

I usually just use a random name unless the setting is several decades from today and/or the character(s) is/are of a specific ethnicity.

[psyco_chick32]

>.<;; I have done 100% of nothing. Health woes yesterday, and we're moving. I'm trying to convince myself to at least finish this chapter of my Big Bang at work, so hopefully I will be able to swing by here in a couple hours and go "HEY I WROTE SOMETHING YAAAY" (*crosses fingers*)