the naming of characters is a difficult matter...
So my undying WIP (codename Torcmar until I think of something better) is in a state of flux (again) as I try to wrestle the story into something meaningful.
The problem is that I have been writing this story since the summer of 1995, when I was a student at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. I spent quite a lot of time in the cafe at the Dom where I was staying (no, that's not a typo, Dom = Home) with notes and sketches and maps. The original map of the Shadowrealm is based on the map of Krakow's Old Town with which I navigated the cobblestones of the medieval city. I made up a lot of fun characters, and got really into the story.
The main character at the time was called Laella, and she had a friend called Zephrene who was sort of scene decoration and sounding board. I love the name Zephrene so I used it for a MOO character in 1997. Then I used it for myself when I started creating an internet ID, thus the LJ and the various other usernames.
And then as the story evolved, I realized that Laella was not actually the protagonist, but Zephrene was. And I can't keep writing her with that name, because it has too many associations for me, and all of my beta-readers will choke on it. It doesn't really matter that the character pre-dated my internet ID.
So what can I name her instead? Aaaargh.
In other news, I have inquiries about three weddings this year, and only two are for friends. Wowee.
The problem is that I have been writing this story since the summer of 1995, when I was a student at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. I spent quite a lot of time in the cafe at the Dom where I was staying (no, that's not a typo, Dom = Home) with notes and sketches and maps. The original map of the Shadowrealm is based on the map of Krakow's Old Town with which I navigated the cobblestones of the medieval city. I made up a lot of fun characters, and got really into the story.
The main character at the time was called Laella, and she had a friend called Zephrene who was sort of scene decoration and sounding board. I love the name Zephrene so I used it for a MOO character in 1997. Then I used it for myself when I started creating an internet ID, thus the LJ and the various other usernames.
And then as the story evolved, I realized that Laella was not actually the protagonist, but Zephrene was. And I can't keep writing her with that name, because it has too many associations for me, and all of my beta-readers will choke on it. It doesn't really matter that the character pre-dated my internet ID.
So what can I name her instead? Aaaargh.
In other news, I have inquiries about three weddings this year, and only two are for friends. Wowee.