Help!
I’m working on a novel (romantic suspense) that includes a ten-year-old boy who is a musical prodigy. He is very gifted but dorky and shy. By the end of the book, he will also be a hero. I’m having a tough time giving him a name. I either come up with something that sounds totally dorky or something that sounds too normal and tough-kid.
I’d love some help with name ideas. What names sound dorky-hero to you?
Can you give me any examples?
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These are probably all too dorky, but how about:
Walter Valentine
Harry Chime
Larry Libretto
Eugene Wolfgang
A few that come to mind:
Phillip
Theodore
Ian
Vigo
Felix
Forrest
Theron
Cullen
Trae
Liam
Good Luck!
I truly enjoy your work!
I’ve wandered through the cemetery and come up with some dandy names for characters – even ideas of who those people would have been in their life time.
Good luck, Sue!
timithy, Jared, Cody,Alfred,
@Tyler, Liz and Medina: Thank you for all these great names! I’m going to keep them in my writing notebook!
@Genean: I’ve not wandered through cemeteries looking for name and character ideas, but that’s an incredible idea. I do look through my telephone book for name ideas but here in the UP telephone books are really small!
I keep a Baby Name book that I bought handy. I’ve also used phone books, and when doing research for my historical fiction, I used the Polk Directories at MTU archives to find names that were popular in the historical period I was dealing with. There are online baby name sites that might be quicker than going out to a book store for a baby name book. I do like those, though, when I want a name for a particular meaning.
Debbie, I love the idea of a baby name site. I haven’t used the Polk Directories to find names and don’t know anything about them. Can you access these directories online or do you have to go to MTU (a ten-hour round trip drive for me)?
Sue,
I, too, have used baby name books and cemeteries for my character names. Like Debbie, I am partial to naming my characters according to the meaning of the name. A quick check with my husband produced two suggestions: Warren or Franklin. A look into a baby name book suggests Arvel (wept over), Amadeus, Elwin, Leander, Marlon, Sebastian, and Yancy.
Thank you, Donna! Great names!
Hi Sue, hope these names help not to sure if there dorky enough.
Johan Christopher
Rodderick
Archibald
Taj
Alexander
All great, Trish!! Thank you.
Hi Sue~
I agree with the previous submission by Trish: Alexander. I had been gently mulling over it today, as having a 4 month old still qualifies me as “in the baby naming mode,” and your request for suggestions got my naming brain churning again easily! I had come up with Alex before I read Trish’s idea, and a last name with it might be Tuley/Tumin….
I had a kid on my rifle team named Alex Toomey, who was very dorky. I felt sorry for him, tall and spindly, with his social skills somewhat stifled by years of homeschooling with an overcontrolling dad (I seriously wondered how I could ban the dad from practice). Anyways, last year I heard he was in the newspaper and on the t.v. news, receiving an award (from the Mayor of Anchorage, I think) for heroism. He ran off a man attacking and attempting to rape a woman on some wooded trails.
Anyways, Alex is a more modern dork name to me… I have a really fun book on names, and how the phonetics of one’s name can somehow, literally, “imprint” you with characteristics from the subtle emotions generated by sounds in the name…if THAT makes any sense….These pop out to me from that book: Artie, Burton, Albert, Drew, Orin, Edwin, Gillian, Murphy, Myron, Norman, Stanton, Thurman, Eugene, Vernon, Wilton, Wardell. And some could be used for last names, too, like: Albert Myron, Artie Wilton, Artie Norman, Wardell Stanton, Drew Wardell, etc…
Happy Novel Writing!
Kaydee in Beluga
Hi Kaydee! Thank you for the great names. I love being amazed by who turns out to be a hero. I have to come believe that names do imprint the bearer (wearer?). I’ve wondered if I would be a more sophisticated person if my parents would have named me Susan instead of Sue. Ah well, probably not.
Hug your babies for me!
How about Simon or Alexander as a first name. Perhaps an ethic last name, like Chomski or Stromsky or Stromlin. Hope these help give you some idea or food for thought.
Thank you, Ocene. Great ideas!
Sue, perhaps you can find something to help you here: http://www.writing-world.com/romance/names.shtml
and here: http://www.writing-world.com/links/names.shtml
Jules. Jules was my dorky son who grew into my hero son.
God bless you Sue for your writing. I just finished Brother Wind and immediately went to my county library site and placed hold for the next three.
Thank you for reading my books, Irvina!
Hi Sue, I’ve bought all your books twice. One for my collection and one for our local library.
I’ve re-read each one every few months …as they are like old friends: comfortable.
But, as age has caught up with me, I find holding the large books difficult and my ole eyes have developed cataracts so I have been buying ebooks so I can set the font size and the ereaders are so light to hold.
I know of your difficulties with the publisher
that caused your delay with your last novel and felt bad for you. I know of a website that you might wish to explore.
http://www.allbooksfree.com/
Perhaps some ideas there for getting new readers for your works already developed.
And definitely some encouragement to be found there…
About your name for the musical prodigy.
I have a Russian friend and your character is him. His name is Sergey. Use it and I’ll be getting him a copy …lol.
I’m glad to see you writing again …not older ….better. Much luck!!
Thank you, Brent. You’re very kind. I love the larger-print option of Kindle, too.
Hi,
My favorite boy’s name is Aiden and his sister (if he has one) could be named Zoie!
I’m delighted to know that you are still writing, can’t wait for your next book. We’re planning our Michigan/Mackinaw trip for May. maybe you could join us on the island. We always stay at the Inn on the
Mackinac–good food and a lovely big veranda!
karen
Thank you, Karen, what are the dates you’ll be on the Island?