A Not-Quite-Random Poll

[rj_anderson]

I need to change the name of a minor character in Knife, because her present name is depressingly common in fantasy literature, and it really isn't giving me any idea of what she's like. Since she's going to become a major character if I write a sequel, this is a potentially serious problem. And yet... since I don't really know what she's like at this point, I'm having difficulty choosing a new name for her.

Therefore I have decided to -- you guessed it -- take a poll.

Before you vote, here's all I know about this character:

- she's got medium brown, curly hair, and brown or hazel eyes;
- she is not particularly tall;
- she's a faery, of the small and winged variety;
- she's intelligent, thoughtful, and somewhat quiet (I think); and
- she's going to have to leave her home (reluctantly, I think) and strike out on a long, dangerous journey, to look for something her people need.

I won't tell you her present name, because those who've read Knife probably know it already, and those who haven't won't find it helpful, I'm sure.

[Poll #874744]

Comments

Re: Hmmm...

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can understand the difficulty in coming up with a name without more background. I was more concerned about people's immediate visual and auditory impressions of the potential name choices - which ones made them curious about the character and her story, and which ones (if any) seemed off-putting or had negative connotations for them.

All the faeries in my book (except Knife, but even she was originally named Bryony) have plant-based names -- just a naming convention they've adopted over the centuries, since their true names are known only to themselves. There's no mystical or religious aspect to the plant-names, but I have tried to choose names that seemed to fit the personality or occupation of the faeries involved (which is one of the reasons I'm about to change the name of the Chief Cook, for instance - "Valerian" is all wrong for who she is and what she does, but "Mallow" suits her physical appearance and self-indulgent personality much better).

Anyway, at present I'm using "Vervain" as a placeholder, until I get used to it or until I think of something better. Thanks for your input!