I finally chose a character name from a baby book instead of making one up

For my new fantasy story set in a place like Savannah, I had to pick a name for my main hero. Everyone in my writing group said to invent a totally new name, but I went with 'Elara' from an old baby name book I found. It just fit her better than any of my made-up ones, and readers said it felt real right away. Has anyone else had better luck with real names over fantasy ones for a main character?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_singh18d ago

Remember my friend spent weeks on a name for his space pirate captain, came up with 'Zylar Vex'. His beta readers kept tripping over it, said it sounded like a cleaning product. He changed it to 'Cassian' last minute, and suddenly everyone could picture the guy.

tara_palmer8d ago

Honestly that hits close to home. Spent ages naming a fantasy tavern keeper "Morthos the Unseen". My writing group just pictured a weird stain remover. Changed it to "Old Tom" and bam, instant backstory. Sometimes you try way too hard.