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Fun With Names

Submitted by Stuart on Fri, 05/22/2009 - 4:58pm

Creating names in a fantasy world is both fun and frustrating. The name needs to sound both foreign and yet familiar enough to resonate. Add that to my dislike of fantasy names formed from random collections of vowels and consonants, it can be challenging to find the "right" name.

My tactic for character names is pretty straight forward: I use real if old and obscure names, lining up real ancient cultures with my own.

writing

Google Foo + Brain Dead = Stupid Conclusion

Submitted by Stuart on Thu, 05/21/2009 - 5:00pm

This is submitted for your amusement on this fine Thursday afternoon.

For one of my character names, I combined a couple of different names from mythology. "Ahti" is the nickname for Lemminkäinen from the Finnish mythic cycle Kalevala, and of course Achilles is our favorite Greek hero with the bad ankle. Together they became "Ahtilles" in my book.

Today on a whim, I googled the name just to see if it was used anywhere else.

I found this: "Ahtilles Saarel. First Centurion in the Third Legion, serving under the March Dux..."

Fearful Symmetry

Submitted by Stuart on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 5:01pm

It’s after midnight on a school work night, but I just finished a chapter titled “Fearful Symmetry.” Usually, I work out my chapter titles to fit one or more themes in a given chapter, or maybe a play on words. This is the first time I’ve quoted anything from literature for a chapter title, but this seemed to fit too well to resist. I’m sure Blake won’t mind.

In spite of the play on words here, since the chapter takes place in a cemetery, it was the thematic relevance that made me choose it.

Now, only three more chapters to go!

writing

July, 22 2010

Echoes of Truth is revised and polished. I'm ready to start querying agents, the next step in seeing this novel published. In the meantime, work on the Condotierre is underway. I'm as excited to start this new book as I am to have finished my last.

September, 2 2008

SAEtter.com version 2.0, the Professional Edition is now live! Feel free to explore the new site and features.

While reading The Fellowship of the Ring at the age of twelve, Stuart A. Etter was told by his teacher that he should be reading shorter books. Undaunted, he finished the trilogy and promptly moved on to other novels ranging from fantasy/sci-fi to historical fiction to horror to thrillers.

Prologue: The Prisoner

Damion rubbed the dull ache of age from his hands. Countless years wielding a sword had strengthened his tendons and muscles, but time had worn them down, replacing power with chronic pain. Closing his eyes, Damion dreamed of his youth. Battle and victory marked most of his memories, but darker images tainted his successes, reminding him of his one great...