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Monday, October 15, 2012

What's in a Name?

"The poet cannot invent new words every time, of course. He uses the words of the tribe. But the handling of the word, the accent, a new articulation, renew them."
EUGENE IONESCO

Ok, I admit I didn't know who Eugene Ionesco was when I first read this quote. I did a quick search and learned a little about him. I'm not sure if I would like his writing or not, but I still like this quote.

Why?

Well, I'm a little stuck with a little problem. I decided I needed to change the name of my villainess form the incomprensible and unkliked name "Sihrqayya" to "Kalidess."

Then I decided to check out the meanings of my other character's names . . .you know just to make certain they were good (to procrastinate and waste time).

I found out that Dantor is the name of a Haitian Voodoo goddess. Hmm. A bit of a problem there for me.

Dantor in my story is Clara's teacher, mentor, advisor. He's a guy with integrity and strength. He's the source of romance for my secondary mc, Stelia (Clara's unofficial mentor). I really like his name. I feel like it suits him.

However, if anyone does an internet search and looks up his name's meaning . . .well, dude looks like a lady is the first thing that comes to my quirky mind.

So, what do I do? Do I change Dantor's name to something like Dan or Torren?

Do I just keep it and try to reinvent and renew that name for my book?


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20 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 13, 2012 at 11:12 AM

    Well, I don't think there's anything wrong having Dantor as a name even if it means a voodoo goddess. Who's going to check that up? For all I know Susan might be something like that and I never knew :-) What I do suggest is that you don't have characters with unpronounceable names (imagine if your book became an audio book and someone had to read it).

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  2. Luanne G. SmithOctober 13, 2012 at 11:30 AM

    If it bothers you, you could alter Dantor somewhat, like change it to Dantoro or Dantoros or something similar. It's a strong, masculine sounding name, so I'd probably just try and change it.

    I had to change the name of one of my main characters awhile ago because so many people were using that name in their books, but I ended up just tweaking it enough to make it different, and I think it worked okay.

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  3. klahanieOctober 13, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Hi there,
    Yes, it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star! :)

    You have brought up an interesting situation and my human has toyed with a few names in his stories and checked to see if they might have a possible meaning.

    Pawsonally, sorry, personally, I believe that you go with the name that appeals to you. I think the name "Dantor" is just fine.
    Pawsitive wishes, your way, Penny :)

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  4. Alex J. CavanaughOctober 13, 2012 at 2:27 PM

    I understand your dilemma. As LG suggested, maybe a slight change to the name?
    Almost afraid to do a search for any of the the names I selected now...

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  5. Jessie HumphriesOctober 13, 2012 at 4:43 PM

    Names are tough. I usually take months on them and change them 1-2 times!

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  6. TrishaOctober 13, 2012 at 8:26 PM

    Yeah, you could change him subtly, like to Dantorr or Dantore or something. Here's hoping those two aren't goddesses of something or rather too!

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  7. michelleOctober 14, 2012 at 4:35 AM

    I struggle with names. My characters remain Mr. X or Ms. Y for a very long time before they acquire proper identity...

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  8. Old KittyOctober 14, 2012 at 8:04 AM

    Dantor is a lovely name - and to be named after a deity of whatever gender is just fab!! Take care
    x

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  9. mshatchOctober 14, 2012 at 8:14 AM

    Unless I've actually invented/made up the name I always look up the meaning before I commit.

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  10. rOctober 14, 2012 at 8:59 AM

    I tend to look up names and see their meanings, and pick them from that. Even if no one else spots the hidden meaning, I would know it was there. But that's just me. At the end of the day, it's your story, so you should be able to write what you want.

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  11. Tara TylerOctober 14, 2012 at 12:07 PM

    or you could change the spelling, the search again. dantorr? dentor? dahntor?

    i just accept names, but i know others do look them up...and your readers appreciate the change of the villainess's name!

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  12. Carol RiggsOctober 14, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    Yes, some people DO look up names...but I wouldn't worry about it. It SOUNDS like a male name, and if it fits his character, well, great! I also like Torren, however (though it sounds vaguely like torrid or torrent, neither of which are good connotations if you're going for integrity and strength LOL).

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  13. Laurel GarverOctober 15, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    I agree with Carol that it's fine to use it or take Torren as a good substitute. It depends on how much it bothers/worries you. The pantheon of Haitian voodoo isn't exactly common knowledge, so it's unlikely your readers will draw the wrong conclusions about your character, unlike plucking a name from a better known set of cultural stories: Judas or Daedalus, for example.

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  14. nutschellOctober 15, 2012 at 10:00 AM

    I think it's fine, but you could also change the spelling if you want. :)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  15. Tyrean MartinsonOctober 15, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    Susan - good point! I hope my books get to be so popular that they get an audiobook version!

    L.G. - I like the idea of tweaking it!

    klahanie/Penny - glad you have such a pawsitive idea on that!

    Alex - thanks! I understand your reluctance to find out . . .I found out too much.

    Jessie - glad I'm not the only one!

    michelle - I know what you mean about not naming characters - my villainess was "The Evil Sorceress" in my first draft . ..which became kind of cumbersome.

    Old Kitty - Glad you think so! Thanks!

    mshatch - smart lady!

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  16. Tyrean MartinsonOctober 15, 2012 at 4:24 PM

    Ravena - I wish I had started with that method, but Dantor's name is kind of stuck in my head now. next time I'll be smarter about it.

    Tara - good idea!

    Carol - glad you think it sounds like a guy name!

    Laurel - true, it's an unlikely jump . . .so I think I'm going to tweak the spelling and go with it.

    nutshcell - thanks, I think that's what I'm going to do!

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  17. Tyrean MartinsonOctober 15, 2012 at 4:24 PM

    Ravena - I wish I had started with that method, but Dantor's name is kind of stuck in my head now. next time I'll be smarter about it.

    Tara - good idea!

    Carol - glad you think it sounds like a guy name!

    Laurel - true, it's an unlikely jump . . .so I think I'm going to tweak the spelling and go with it.

    nutshcell - thanks, I think that's what I'm going to do!

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  18. Cherie ReichOctober 15, 2012 at 4:55 PM

    Ooo, I like the new name Kalidess.

    And I know what you mean about Dantor. I like the name too, but it might cause conflicting images if someone knows/looks up the name. Names change, though, so at the same time, I think you could reinvent the name for your purposes.

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  19. Tyrean MartinsonOctober 16, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    Cherie - Glad you like Kalidess's name, and I'm going to just change the spelling for Dantor, Danterr, and hope that works.

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  20. M PaxOctober 16, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    I think Dantor is fine. If that's his name,that's his name. I only change names if I read it aloud and it sounds funny or 'inappropriate'. lol

    I think you should stick with his name. It sounds nice in my head.

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