Yay! for discussion!! :D Sorry I'm so late. It's an eventful week for me all of a sudden. O_O
(a) I don't think I ever held a name back... But that's mostly because I don't write all that much... I only have 4 finished fanfics, 3 unfinished ones, and 1 unfinished original story so far... So I don't get to invent names very often.
(b) Finding a right name is a Challenge. But when I finally find it I can't imagine it being anything else. When it's a random OC that we only see like five minutes of, I usually go for a common popular name that can fit many types of personalities and that feels right in a dialog. Choosing names for protagonists takes MUCH more time because it's the name you'll have to use often and it HAS to be the right one. I spend hours and hours googling for names and meanings. But when it's a protagonist I usually have an idea how the name has to feel so it's easier to know when you've finally found it.
(c) If it's fanfic turned original (as it is in my case)... well... At first I call characters by their old names in my head (as you know Maelog was Darken. And btw Morgan was Severus Snape... but never Alan Rickman). As I go deeper into the story I see more and more differences between my version of the characters and the characters they are based upon, and that's when I choose a different name for them. Because they are no longer who they used to be I don't try to find a similar name for them. It's like they are a completely new personality. And again I just choose what feels right.
(d) To be honest I have a feeling like I'm writing the same story over and over and over again. But each time from a different angle somehow... With more knowledge and experience... maybe. I don't think it's wrong to write about things you enjoy and/or support. It's the very reason for writing imho. To tell about things you want to tell about. And no two stories, however similar, are never 100% alike. So I don't think themes are bad. On the contrary. :D
no subject
(a) I don't think I ever held a name back... But that's mostly because I don't write all that much... I only have 4 finished fanfics, 3 unfinished ones, and 1 unfinished original story so far... So I don't get to invent names very often.
(b) Finding a right name is a Challenge. But when I finally find it I can't imagine it being anything else. When it's a random OC that we only see like five minutes of, I usually go for a common popular name that can fit many types of personalities and that feels right in a dialog.
Choosing names for protagonists takes MUCH more time because it's the name you'll have to use often and it HAS to be the right one. I spend hours and hours googling for names and meanings. But when it's a protagonist I usually have an idea how the name has to feel so it's easier to know when you've finally found it.
(c) If it's fanfic turned original (as it is in my case)... well... At first I call characters by their old names in my head (as you know Maelog was Darken. And btw Morgan was Severus Snape... but never Alan Rickman).
As I go deeper into the story I see more and more differences between my version of the characters and the characters they are based upon, and that's when I choose a different name for them. Because they are no longer who they used to be I don't try to find a similar name for them. It's like they are a completely new personality. And again I just choose what feels right.
(d) To be honest I have a feeling like I'm writing the same story over and over and over again. But each time from a different angle somehow... With more knowledge and experience... maybe. I don't think it's wrong to write about things you enjoy and/or support. It's the very reason for writing imho. To tell about things you want to tell about. And no two stories, however similar, are never 100% alike. So I don't think themes are bad. On the contrary. :D
Well... that's my fifty cents. :D