Comments on: What’s in a name? http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/ About the craft and business of genre fiction Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:11:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Satima Flavell http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7399 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:04:56 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7399 I think you can get away with Sorrow. We can pretend it's been translated:-) I think you can get away with Sorrow. We can pretend it’s been translated:-)

]]> by: Juliet http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7175 Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:36:22 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7175 Good point, Satima. I'm not guilty of punning (my mind just doesn't work that way) but I've been guilty of another illogical use of language - giving people in non-English speaking cultures names with a significance in English that wouldn't exist in their own culture. Example - using the name Sorrow for a character in my novel Wildwood Dancing, which is set in Transylvania. Nice resonance, appropriate to the story and possibly it doesn't matter that the Romanian word for sorrow is tristete ... The problem comes when another character tries to explain away the odd name by saying it's actually Sorin (standard Romanian name.) I think I deleted that, realising it defied logic! Good point, Satima. I’m not guilty of punning (my mind just doesn’t work that way) but I’ve been guilty of another illogical use of language - giving people in non-English speaking cultures names with a significance in English that wouldn’t exist in their own culture. Example - using the name Sorrow for a character in my novel Wildwood Dancing, which is set in Transylvania. Nice resonance, appropriate to the story and possibly it doesn’t matter that the Romanian word for sorrow is tristete … The problem comes when another character tries to explain away the odd name by saying it’s actually Sorin (standard Romanian name.) I think I deleted that, realising it defied logic!

]]> by: Satima Flavell http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7091 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 08:18:56 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-7091 One of my pet hates is the use of puns in English when naming people or things in an invented language. They completely destroy suspension of disbelief for me. If a work is set in another culture (real or imagined) we have to pretend we're reading a translation, right? And puns simply don't translate from one lingo to another. One of my pet hates is the use of puns in English when naming people or things in an invented language. They completely destroy suspension of disbelief for me. If a work is set in another culture (real or imagined) we have to pretend we’re reading a translation, right? And puns simply don’t translate from one lingo to another.

]]> by: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-6718 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:26:38 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-6718 The books you mentioned sound interesting, Juliet. I'll have to look into them. I'm a big fan of depth and authenticity, and I love how research can lend itself to rich writing. Though I've never written a fantasy, your points make excellent sense. Thanks for a great post! The books you mentioned sound interesting, Juliet. I’ll have to look into them.

I’m a big fan of depth and authenticity, and I love how research can lend itself to rich writing. Though I’ve never written a fantasy, your points make excellent sense.

Thanks for a great post!

]]> by: Kathleen Bolton http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-6715 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:59:41 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2007/03/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name/#comment-6715 For me, it's the illusion of authenticity, like the world could actually exist, that make a great fantasy to me. So yes, names and language are a big part of that feel. It really bugs me when characters have a completely goofy made up name. Culture and historical moment do count in worldbuilding. Great post, Juliet! For me, it’s the illusion of authenticity, like the world could actually exist, that make a great fantasy to me. So yes, names and language are a big part of that feel. It really bugs me when characters have a completely goofy made up name. Culture and historical moment do count in worldbuilding.

Great post, Juliet!

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