character names

[Svenskaflicka]

Could you imagine...

Sarah Michelle Gellar acting as a psychotic, bitchy murderer?
Angelina Jolie acting as an intelligent librarian in strict clothing?
Jim Carrey acting the square, strict, down-to-earth principal?
Arnold Schwarzenegger acting as ANYTHING but a stone-faced, grumpy, hero-type with a really bad English?
Martin Lawrence acting as a human being?

 

[Star of Penumbra]

I usually pick names out of the myriad of crap that is constantly swirling about the insides of my mind, unless the character is based on someone I know. Then I alter the name so that it's similar to the original but not enough to be immediately recognizable.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Could you imagine...

Sarah Michelle Gellar acting as a psychotic, bitchy murderer?
Angelina Jolie acting as an intelligent librarian in strict clothing?
Jim Carrey acting the square, strict, down-to-earth principal?
Arnold Schwarzenegger acting as ANYTHING but a stone-faced, grumpy, hero-type with a really bad English?
Martin Lawrence acting as a human being?

yes
yes
yes, but in a funny way
yes
no

***
SMG was sort of phychotic and bitchy in 'Cruel Intentions' and she is a killer (of Vampires at least)

Angelina Jolie has probably become more 'serious' since you wrote this. I can picture it- she'd still look hot, probably hotter. Now I really wish she would play that part, lol. Someone go write the script NOW!!

I've seen Jim Carrey before he was totally obnoxious. Otherwise I'd probably say no. Anybody ever see "Peggy Sue Got Married" I love that movie. JC is such a cutie in it.

Arnold has played a few roles were he wasn't really the hero type- like twins maybe. IS Govenor still a hero role?

Martin Laurence, now there's my love hate man! Thanks SF!

 

[sweetnpetite]

I have a big fat book called "The Everything Baby Name Book" (and a few other baby name books too). This one has lists of top baby names from the 60's 70's 80's ect. in adition to other quirky little name categories (clebrety kids, new age, ect) and the usual alphabetical. Sometimes it helps to choose a name from the popular list to indicate a characters age.

Top Names from the 70's (my age group)

michael, robert, david, james, john, jeffrey, steven, christopher, brian, eric, kevin...

Michelle, Jennifer, Kimberly, Lisa, Tracey, Kelly Nicold, Angela, Pamella, Christina, Dawn, Amy...

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Martin Laurence, now there's my love hate man! Thanks SF!

I think he'd calm down if he'd only come out already..!

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Since I usually write F/F stories I actually choose names that have at least one and preferably 2 short forms. When both (or more) of the characters involved ina stroy are the same gender it makes using personal pronouns iffy. At the same time using the full given name over and over gets repetitive fast. Thus having a shorthand form for a character's name is helpful in breaking thing sup.

-Colly

 

[sweetnpetite]

I think he'd calm down if he'd only come out already..!

He used to bug the hell out of me and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized that I used to work with a guy who acted just like that. So obnoxious- so concieted.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

I usually picture the characters in my mind and they sort of name themselves. I like strong names also.

 

[Boxlicker101]

For my narrator in the stories written in first person, which constitute most of my output, I use my own first name, George, and my handle. For this series, most of the stories were written about one of my readers, always a woman, or a woman on Lit., and I use her first name. The other women and the other men in the stories have generic names like Frank, Linda, Judy, etc. If a minor character has a last name, I usually choose one to allow a pun or joke of some kind.

I also have some stories about a bi-sexual man named David. I chose that name to be alliterative with dildo because the first story involved masturbation with a dildo.

I have never seen this thread before although I recognize many of the handles here. Was it transferred from some other forum?

 

[sweetnpetite]

a good formula is what I will call the 'Dharma and Greg Formula'- use one exotic name and one common name. (for stories with two characters.)

others:

as you add characters- you should have someone who goes by a nickname (every group has at least 1, even if it's Bubba), and maybe a character who's called differently by different people (ie Katherine- mom calls her Katherine, hubbie calls her Kate, best friend calls her Kitty, lover calls her Kat.) or who has at leat 2 forms of there name commenly used by all. (like Perdita and 'Dita) IF there are a *lot* of male characters, at least one should be John, or Mike or Jack, or Dave. Even if everybody else has soapstar names like Roc, and Edge, and Thorn.

I prefer in straight sex stories to use clearely male or female names. so I have no Erins, Teri's Robins or even Chris's. No men named Carol or Shannon either. That's just me though. In a longer story with more time to develope the characters I might- but I like to give myself and my reader a very clear masculine or femine image so you know who's who and what's what as you read, and don't have to think about it too much.

 

[Guest]

I was trying to find a list on-line of Shakespeare's characters and found three baby-name sites with such. There are some fine names in the plays but one site actually included Goneril (one of King Lear's two evil daughters). Cannot imagine naming a child that or many other names from Sh're.

Perdita (now that's a good one from The Winter's Tale)

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I was trying to find a list on-line of Shakespeare's characters and found three baby-name sites with such. There are some fine names in the plays but one site actually included Goneril (one of King Lear's two evil daughters). Cannot imagine naming a child that or many other names from Sh're.

Perdita (now that's a good one from The Winter's Tale)

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the possessed girl in The Exorcist was named "Regan".

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Regan

You're right, I hadn't thought of that. P.