Kevin's Watch

I'm in the middle of the initial research and map creation for a fantasy I begin writting this Monday. I don't know if I can tell you much about him other than he lives in New Mexico, but is anglo, is, about 40 years old, fairly large, has lost his wife to a car accident and has just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

I've got tons of characters, locations and I know how it's going to start and (almost) end but I can't come up with a name that staisfies me. Thanks for your help!

If he is Anglo and it has a more contemporary setting, please go for a good, solid commonly used first name like Bob (Rob, Robert) or Tom (Thomas), or John (Jon, Jonathon), or Bill (Will, William), or Dave (David), Eric (Erik), Alan (Allen), Mike( Michael), Dan (Daniel), Steve (Steven, Stephen), Jim (James), etc.

More unusual first names like Hunter or Stone or Rock always make me think of poorly written women's fiction.

Actually Rob is pretty good, considering how the people in the fantasy land act--last name?

edit: You've done it duchy!!! He has a Scottish background-Robert Wallace! (but I'm still open to others)

I'm with Duchess - go for a classic name like James, which in my opinion makes him more immersible (people getting lost in the character). For color, you can have certain people call him by his last name or a nickname a nickname, like Jay, Jim, Jimmy, or Billy, or Mack or Buddy.

How about James MacClure?
James Lesson?
James Foley?
James Locke?

DW

Andrew James McAndrew, call him AJ.

Cail wrote:Andrew James McAndrew, call him AJ.

Andrew McAndrew?

Call him Dick Shafthauser

CovenantJr wrote:

Cail wrote:Andrew James McAndrew, call him AJ.

Andrew McAndrew?

Odd, I know. It's actually my neighbor's name, but I really like it.

I suppose no odder than John Johns, and I met him once.

You know, you could go with a fairly normal name, but one you don't see that often. You know, like.....Roger, maybe.

But balance the first name with a more interesting surname, one that says something about the character. Um...Covenant?

Bruce McCubbins

Van Gregory.

Lore wrote:Dick Shafthauser

hey use emoticons if your going to be silly--sounds like a pr0n star!!! I like Van Gregory-Tam really likes Robert Wallace-has a good ring to it-strenght: which is what this character will really need!

dennis r wood has a nice ring.

danlo wrote:

Lore wrote:Dick Shafthauser

hey use emoticons if your going to be silly--sounds like a pr0n star!!! I like Van Gregory-Tam really likes Robert Wallace-has a good ring to it-strenght: which is what this character will really need!

You're no fun.

I liked a passage in Alastair Reynolds' Chasm City where the main character, Tanner Mirabel, was musing about his own name. He said he liked the contrast between his solid, salt-of-the-Earth first name and his delicate, aristocratic-sounding surname. I suspect those were the exact thoughts Reynolds had when he was naming him.

Lore wrote:You're no fun

I am fun--it's just that I've seen a history of a certian Pemberley gentleman admonising others in other forums to use emoticons to avoid misunderstandings ...and I couldn't resist!

danlo wrote:

Lore wrote:You're no fun

I am fun--it's just that I've seen a history of a certian Pemberly gentleman admonising others in other forums to use emoticons to avoid misunderstandings ...and I couldn't resist!

Well, I'm taking the name 'Dick Shafthauser' back.

Loremaster wrote:Well, I'm taking the name 'Dick Shafthauser' back.

Quick, somebody take this and run over to the innuendo/out-of-context thread!!!

Malchijah (Mal) Messner.