forum Character Name Help,Critique,and Suggestions.
Started by @CW-BornConfuzzledLeftILoveYa
tune

people_alt 2 followers

@CW-BornConfuzzledLeftILoveYa

Hey y'all! I wanted to make this so that people who are struggling with character names can come here for ideas and critique. I need a name for a boy who has no left forearm,and is deaf. Are those too many disabilities for one character? I have down Jacob for a name. Is that good? Does anyone else need help?

@alanye

To me, a person with more than one disability, there are NEVER too many disabilities for one character, I say don't hold back, just make sure you represent it properly and do your research on the subject. How long has he had these disabilities? Does he use sign language? Do his friends and family use sign language? How well, do they use ASL? Does he have a prosthetic? Remember that not everyone has the money to get prosthetics and therapy. How did he get these disabilities? Do you know/understand how these disabilities affect his life and the lives of the people around him? Don't make him JUST the punchline of an ongoing joke and try not to make him weak because of his disabilities (I'm sure you won't, I'm just pointing out things I see too often in media). Things to think about while choosing a name for your character's name:

  • where is he from? (what's his ethnicity/race and when was he born?) This is important. If you have a character who lives in Asia, they should probably have an Asian name. But if you have a character who is Asian, but has lived in America for their whole life, they will probably have a more "Western" name.
  • what's his personality? Personality can have an effect on the names you give to your characters. Most authors won't give the name "Magnus" to a character who is weak and shy and quiet, because the name "Magnus" reflects power and a strong character. I think certain names have certain aesthetics. The name Ashanti Warren just radiates power to me, and that is the perfect name for one of my characters, who is super strong; likewise, the name Emma T. Jones is a name I would not give to a physically strong and buff character, it just doesn't sound right to me. To me, Emma T. Jones is a soft, sweet girl who would never think of hurting anyone.
  • how do you want people to feel when they hear his name? Do you want him to be memorable? Here's an example: the name Percy Jackson just sounds powerful in itself and is reinforced when people read the book. The name Grover, however, sounds just right for a character who is seen as meeker and more chill than Perseus Jackson

I hope this helped! I'd like to see your character's result, he seems very interesting. If you told me about any ideas you had for personality, I could give you a list of names, I have so many names. If you wanted to critique some of my characters, I could leave a link to any of them? I should be studying for finals, but what the hell.

@CW-BornConfuzzledLeftILoveYa

Thank you! I guess I didn't specify enough,sorry :) He uses a hearing aid and has no prosthetic limb. I haven't quite figuired out how he lost his forearm (he was born deaf),any ideas? Have a nice day!

@alanye

Oh, no, you're totally fine! I was just wanting to know more about this character. There are lots of ways people can lose their limbs. Sometimes diseases result in the amputation of arms or legs. Freak accidents also happen, a lot more than you think. Car wrecks can be so crazy that either the limb comes right off or the bones can be crushed to the point of literally no return, and the only choice, really, is to amputate. Don't limit the words "freak accident" to a car crash, though, there are so many things that can happen out of nowhere. Depending on what kind of story you're writing, the loss of the limb could be attributed to a fight. Maybe your character was caught in the middle of a battlefield or someone literally just cut his arm off. It all depends on what kind of story you are writing and what kind of backstory you want this character to have.

Sorry if that got a little gory, but, obviously, that's how it's gonna get when you're talking about losing a body part. I hope that helped, have a wonderful day!