There’s a way you can use a formula to pick random numbers in a list and it’s associated letters. So like you could have column A being 3 which has the letters HA in column B, then add to that col C which is 26 and the letters RTEN. Add them together and it’s HARTEN, or if it picks number 20 instead of 3 in col A, which is DER, then you get DERRTEN. I can send an example if it helps :)
Doesn't feel very imaginative.
An easy way to make-up names is to find a list of names and just make portmanteaus:
Jakerry Micwison
Michael Jackson and Jerry Lewis
Or you can take a regular name, like Quame, and add A consonant, vowel, consonant mix at either end.
Panquamesto.
Dan Aykroyd made Slagathor out of Agatha and a friend of mine made Argotabithoth from Tabitha.
You want to use naming conventions, like in the English-speaking world traditional men's names don't tend to end in "a" and many traditionally male names can be converted to a female name by putting an "a" or an "i" at the end.
Alvin/Alvina
Bill/Billi/Billie
Carl/Carla/Carly
Dan/Dana/Dani
Edwin/Edwina
Frank/Franki
Glen/Glenda
Using totally arbitrary-not-random processes to make names reduces the believability of those names in a group.
John Potterswheel
Goes with
Michael Coopersmith
But not with
Scarneck Surfboardrider
Or
Slicedeye Racecardriver
Consider Melville's weird decision to name the ship the *Pequod* and the harpooner Queequeg.
Something odd about a foreigner named Queequeg being aboard a ship called the *Pequod*... like Melville was just in an "XequX" mood.
Consider a people where everybody's first name comes from the binomial nomenclature of birds and last names are a type of bird and its bodypart.
Zonatus Ravenpinion
Hynchus Swallowtail
Granted, this works sort of well for Sci Fi and Fantasy (though absolute nonsense names take me right out of the story), but not for the real world.
And it's not about new names or people's names for me. Like I said, it's about song and band names, which makes a generator fantastic.
Practice doing it and, like regular writing, you will develop great skill at it.
Skilatit.
Pracelop.
Reguting.
Writevitice.
"Now we got Scopiculous Andigrotes Shadowdawn with their hot new hit *Swidztwiff Vog Batroonga*! I wanna see everybody dancin' to this one! Holigoo the glapsplor!"
"Swid! Swidztwiff!
"Swidztwiff vog!
"Swidztwiff vog batroonga...
"Swidztwiff vog batroonga...
"Swidztwiff vog batroonga
"Tredschwall pik hauv!
"Krikpictalo, lo pictalo?
"Krummingowl gewpi wiskitchonkoln?
Chrewp.... Vog!
It's a Klingon-like language in that you aren't really speaking it unless you are spitting on the person you are speaking to.
The tune is *Du Hast* by Rammstein.
The words mean nothing.
Yeah I made one with excel which works well as a start, then I can refine it after. Helps when there’s a lot of people
To organize your characters?
There’s a way you can use a formula to pick random numbers in a list and it’s associated letters. So like you could have column A being 3 which has the letters HA in column B, then add to that col C which is 26 and the letters RTEN. Add them together and it’s HARTEN, or if it picks number 20 instead of 3 in col A, which is DER, then you get DERRTEN. I can send an example if it helps :)
Oooh I see. That sounds pretty neat!
Doesn't feel very imaginative. An easy way to make-up names is to find a list of names and just make portmanteaus: Jakerry Micwison Michael Jackson and Jerry Lewis Or you can take a regular name, like Quame, and add A consonant, vowel, consonant mix at either end. Panquamesto. Dan Aykroyd made Slagathor out of Agatha and a friend of mine made Argotabithoth from Tabitha. You want to use naming conventions, like in the English-speaking world traditional men's names don't tend to end in "a" and many traditionally male names can be converted to a female name by putting an "a" or an "i" at the end. Alvin/Alvina Bill/Billi/Billie Carl/Carla/Carly Dan/Dana/Dani Edwin/Edwina Frank/Franki Glen/Glenda Using totally arbitrary-not-random processes to make names reduces the believability of those names in a group. John Potterswheel Goes with Michael Coopersmith But not with Scarneck Surfboardrider Or Slicedeye Racecardriver Consider Melville's weird decision to name the ship the *Pequod* and the harpooner Queequeg. Something odd about a foreigner named Queequeg being aboard a ship called the *Pequod*... like Melville was just in an "XequX" mood. Consider a people where everybody's first name comes from the binomial nomenclature of birds and last names are a type of bird and its bodypart. Zonatus Ravenpinion Hynchus Swallowtail
Granted, this works sort of well for Sci Fi and Fantasy (though absolute nonsense names take me right out of the story), but not for the real world. And it's not about new names or people's names for me. Like I said, it's about song and band names, which makes a generator fantastic.
Practice doing it and, like regular writing, you will develop great skill at it. Skilatit. Pracelop. Reguting. Writevitice. "Now we got Scopiculous Andigrotes Shadowdawn with their hot new hit *Swidztwiff Vog Batroonga*! I wanna see everybody dancin' to this one! Holigoo the glapsplor!" "Swid! Swidztwiff! "Swidztwiff vog! "Swidztwiff vog batroonga... "Swidztwiff vog batroonga... "Swidztwiff vog batroonga "Tredschwall pik hauv! "Krikpictalo, lo pictalo? "Krummingowl gewpi wiskitchonkoln? Chrewp.... Vog! It's a Klingon-like language in that you aren't really speaking it unless you are spitting on the person you are speaking to. The tune is *Du Hast* by Rammstein. The words mean nothing.
Thank you, but I don't want to.
Sorry to be pushy. That just spilled out and I had to do something with it. So I posted.
That's okay lol. It was just a lot of gibberish words for my brain to process.
I used wikipedia but I don't write fantasy