Name Indecisiveness

Hello Everyone! I’m sorry I’ve been posting almost every day, but during quarantine… Anyways, I recently made two polls about a name for a minor character. One was a list of multiple names. [name_f]Kenna[/name_f] won, but I ended up decided that it wouldn’t work for a particular character. Then, I made a poll between [name_f]Willa[/name_f] and [name_f]Luella[/name_f], the two names I can’t decide between. [name_f]Willa[/name_f] won, but I can’t just give up [name_f]Luella[/name_f], because I really like the names equally! [name_f]Do[/name_f] any of you have tips for what to do when you cannot decide between two names? Has this ever happened to any of you or am I just weird? Finally, I would really really appreciate an really in depth feedback about what makes [name_f]Willa[/name_f] better than [name_f]Luella[/name_f] or [name_f]Luella[/name_f] better than [name_f]Willa[/name_f], because I just cannot choose!! Thank you so much for your time!!

I usually like to picture the character in my mind. What could you imagine calling them? [name_m]How[/name_m] does their name flow in a sentence? It also depends on the genre. If it’s on the more fantasy side, [name_f]Luella[/name_f] works really well (although I could imagine it on a more modern character as well). [name_f]Willa[/name_f] on the other hand, works for a story that is more on the reality side. For me personally, I prefer [name_f]Willa[/name_f]. To me, it’s sleek & pretty but in the end, you know your characters best.

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If it’s for a character, you can just choose a name at random from your options and write them with it and come back later if you realize it’s not the right one. Often trying one option out of two things you seemingly like equally can help you realize which you really prefer. If not, you’ll still have a name you like!

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I agree with @surlasoleil that the genre is something to think about. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] is a more unusual choice. [name_f]Willa[/name_f] may work better on a real person but [name_f]Luella[/name_f] is just fine on a character. Does anyone in the story refer to her by a nickname? A parent or close friend/boyfriend or even a “villain” being patronizing? Would they call her [name_f]Lu[/name_f]/[name_f]Lulu[/name_f]/[name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f] or [name_m]Will[/name_m]/[name_u]Billie[/name_u]?
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] feels softer to me. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] has a bit more spine. Which one matches her personality?

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I would picture your character and see which name suits her more.

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Alrighty, this has been a really bif problem for me. Sometimes I experiment with putting the name in the story and seeing which one fits better. Sometimes I just choose a completely different name; but I usually end up starting from scratch and making a new list of names, and if only one of those names appear on the list, I use that. If both are on the list, I usually will try to put both names in the story somehow. Hop this helps!!

BTW I prefer [name_f]Willa[/name_f]. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] sounds more like a country girl name to me(not that that’s bad in any way). I have always just loved [name_f]Willa[/name_f]! It sounds sweet and flowy, as well as powerful in a subdued way!

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