Fic help.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Yep. My late father, an aerospace engineer, spent years working for companies (Northrop-Grumman, General Electric) that built military aircraft.

[LT. COL. John Sheppard]

hey guys, just need some help with my the country 10 000 miles away, plz pm me

[BruTak]

Generally speaking, do the Military Police operate in pairs like regular police?

[Starfist]

Generally speaking, do the Military Police operate in pairs like regular police?

As far as I'm aware they do. When I used to go to camps on Royal Air Force stations I rarely saw a solo RAF policeman.
Or a Red Cap for that matter.

[BruTak]

Thanks.

[Starfist]

Glad to help.
I am not sure if it is the same elsewhere.

[BruTak]

It works for my purposes.

Besides, it makes sense.

[Starfist]

It works for my purposes.

Besides, it makes sense.

I can understand that.

[Esquin]

Anyone got any tips on naming characters? It's always been one of my weak points. I'm wanting to write a short series just for fun but the character names are getting in the way of starting.

[BruTak]

Anyone got any tips on naming characters? It's always been one of my weak points. I'm wanting to write a short series just for fun but the character names are getting in the way of starting.

Try a random name generator - http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

With the random name generator--keep in mind that if you're trying to introduce characters of a particular nationality, you might want to stick within a pool of names from that country.

Seaboe

[Whytewytch]

Anyone got any tips on naming characters? It's always been one of my weak points. I'm wanting to write a short series just for fun but the character names are getting in the way of starting.

Human or non-human? Mostly, I consider who this character is going to be--nationality and where they are in time/space play a factor, as do characteristics. Strong characters need strong names, but if they are throw-away characters (walk-on rolls/extras), I just pull any name from a hat. If they are historical, bear in mind that names like "Taylor" or other names that are popular today might not have been then--many names had Biblical or regal roots.

My current NaNo project features Nephalim as the main characters and so I put into Google--"angel names" or "names of angels", then checked out meanings. I focused on fallen angels, as mythologically, the Nephalim were a cross between fallen angels and human females. Funny you should ask this, though, at this time--check out my blog for more about naming.

If my characters are Scandinavian, I'll put in "Scandinavian boy names" (or girl, whichever I'm looking for). Once I find the list of names and what they mean, I roll each one around a bit and see if Miss Muse approves (without her approval, the story ain't goin' anywhere ); the characters have to agree to their own names, too.

Hope that helps!

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

...if they are throw-away characters (walk-on rolls/extras), I just pull any name from a hat.

Minor characters like this don't necessarily need names. You can describe them by their jobs or what they're wearing. I've been told by professional writers that insisting on giving names (and using them) to every single character, no matter how minor, is a sign of amateurism.

Seaboe

[Whytewytch]

Minor characters like this don't necessarily need names. You can describe them by their jobs or what they're wearing. I've been told by professional writers that insisting on giving names (and using them) to every single character, no matter how minor, is a sign of amateurism.

Seaboe

Wow! Thanks for that last part. Looks like my coffee hadn't kicked in yet and I messed up; it's always good to know that there's someone on the internet who'll catch it when you do.

No, I'm not so "amateurish" that I'll name all the people in line at the post office with my main characters; I won't name the gas station attendant or the grocery clerk or the kid walking his dog down the street (or the dog), assuming that those people or places even make an appearance in the story. However, people in the lives of my MCs that are going to play a small role, but not have their own story, should have a name--just like guest characters on a show. My character's boss, who owns a bar & with whom she interacts in a scene or two (as does the hero), should have a name; the bar patrons--no (unless I'm writing a story set in the bar and they are regulars--Norm!). Those are the ones I meant when I said "walk-ons" and "extras".

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

I go with the theory that if a character has a speaking part longer than a cameo, they need a name. I was told about over-naming in a panel on names. The speakers set out a few rules (don't use random apostrophes, don't use unpronounceable names, don't name every single character), then the panel was hijacked by some goon in the audience who was so proud of himself--yet he'd broken all three of those rules in his novel-in-progress. He didn't seem self-aware enough to realize he was bragging about violating the tenets the speakers had just given.

Seaboe