Is the name Tysa that bad? I want to use it for the main character of my story, but I’ve been told be several people that it’s a terrible name.
It depends on your story. If it’s based in modern day [name]America[/name] and you character is a middle-class white girl, then Tysa probably isn’t the best name.
However, if Tysa is a robot warrior princess or something similarly less than normal, no, Tysa is fine.
What’s the character?
I am with celianne. If her parents are creative e.g. artists/musicians or Tysa is a name that honors her origin or relative, why not?
But, to be honest, I hardly can imagine a regular shy girl Tysa.
I commented on your other poll about this name and suggested [name]Tyra[/name] but for a character I would not advice it b/c everybody will think of a model. Tysa in that case is fine.
The main rule is that character must fit his/her name. If you name her [name]Mary[/name] b/c you are afraid of using names nobody like but later regret about it, that will really bad. So if you feel she is a 100% Tysa, that’s the name.
I think it depends on the genre. If it’s sci-fi, go for it. If not, I’d suggest something like [name]Elizabeth[/name] nn [name]Lizzie[/name]/[name]Beth[/name].
It’s your story- name her what you want to name her.
Tysa is a good name. It makes me think it’s a feminine version of [name]Tyson[/name]. Totally legitimate, in my opinion.
It’s set in modern day [name]America[/name], but she’s not exactly human.
It’s all relative. If [name]Suzanne[/name] [name]Collins[/name] had taken a poll about using the name [name]Katniss[/name] in the Hunger Games, I doubt people would have been very supportive. She did use it and she grounded it (so to speak) by giving it a backstory (her father telling her “find yourself and you’ll never go hungry”) and she also took care of the main complaint against it by having other characters tease her (calling her “Catnip” occasionally.) It certainly didn’t hurt her sales any! LOL
You may not need to “sell” your readers on the name (people tend to accept names much better when they’re already set in stone) but it couldn’t hurt, especially since you’ve had some negative reactions already.
@gwen5: since she’s not exactly human, I’d say go for it.
^This exactly.
I’d say have that be her “real name,” if she’s not human, but maybe have an alias or something if she’s going to be corresponding with a lot of normal humans.