Musings of a Lonely Writer! ----- Appearance vs. Personality!

So on this Musings of a Lonely Writer post I am going to discuss the feeling behind a characters physical appearance vs. their personality. I am going to discuss whether a reader wants a beautiful character or a much more normal character or if it even matters. Could perhaps the personality matter more. Or is it a combination of both.

Okay so when I read a novel I read about so many types of characters but I always get the impression that the character is always perfectly perfect in some aspect, either he or she is handsome or beautiful in some way or they are gifted a perfect personality. In real life that is not always the case. But as I’ve said before the rules and aspects of real life and that of the worlds of books aren’t necessarily the same and don’t have to be.

In my writing I have discovered lately that my characters are these ethereal beautiful characters and sometimes that starts to bother me as I want to have a real character who struggles with not only physical but personality limitations. I mean I love characters that are so different then me and are everything I am not but I also want characters that are similar to real people, myself included.

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So I have started writing a story called, “Death of the Heart Song” and my main character has an undesirable first name, Misery, and her physical traits and personality traits are lacking any sort of beauty or desirableness. She is often rude and crude and says what is on her mind and she doesn’t care who you are when she speaks her mind. She lives in a Kingdom that has beautiful musically inclined people and she has no musical abilities and is classified as ugly in her Kingdom. So later she butts heads with the Prince and becomes quite a distraction to him and she has no clue why.

Their relationship as trainer and teacher and as friends and would be lovers (they are about the same age, he has just turned 16 years old and she is about to turn 18 years old) is a fun one to explore and write about but their relationship is not the main part of the story. The Heart Song element is the main part but I won’t get into that long story. The reason I write this at all is to show I have now made a character that is classified as unattractive and I wonder how she would be perceived by a reader. Would her physical lack of beauty or her personality make a reader love or hate her more or would it be a combination of both or would neither matter all that much.

Also I want to point out I didn’t make her unattractive just for the sake of saying to myself or others that I now have an ugly character. She was undesirable and had flaws as she presented herself to me in a dream and I found it fresh and exciting to see a character that is different then most characters I have written about or read about before.

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I wonder if young and old readers alike care more about the physical appearance of a character or the personality or does it matter at all. But I guess it probably varies by each person and by each story and how the author wants to present the said character and how the reader perceives said character.

Also do you think that authors present too perfectly perfect characters or just the right amount of perfect and flawed? I asked my mom and she said she doesn’t think that there are too many perfectly perfect characters. She also said that sometimes attractive traits, like in a romance novel, are sometimes a plus or needed but in other stories it really doesn’t matter.

So in books I wonder if the characters physical or personality traits even matter. I mean they matter a little bit. But I find a book with a much more normal flawed character in many ways is interesting and gives me more in-depth insight into that character and their world or story.

But the writer in me still finds beautiful glorious characters to be fun and intriguing. Personally I still think though that personality means more. My characters are so different personality wise but they are so interesting and funny or sassy or fiery or sweet or crude or bold or brave, ect. I think that what they say and how they say it is much more important and how they react to the good, bad, and ugly themes in their stories brings me closer to them then what they look like.

So beautiful or not or great personality or not I think how they handle themselves and what their story is and how they live it is much more important. And though looks and a good personality often matter I think how they handle themselves makes or breaks a character and makes the reader love or hate or love to hate the character. If an author can get characters to surpass ones ideas about what makes an ideal character then it impresses me and leaves a lasting impression on this lonely reader and makes me want to make the lonely writer in me push the boundaries of my character layouts.

Care to weigh in? Then please leave a comment in the comment section of this post!

Keep Writing! Keep Reading! And Keep Inspiring!

Evanthia

Meaning: (Derives from the words “Ev” and “Anthos” which mean Nice and Rosebud, therefore Evanthia means the Nicely Blossoming Flower.)

Origin: (Greek, English)

Pronunciation: (eh-VAHN-thee-ə, eh-VAHN-thee-a) 

Gender: Female

While looking up Evadne *see on list of posts* I saw this name. It has a beautiful meaning and has an interesting look. It does have a very Greek look about it which I think makes me think of very foreign beautiful person with flowing dark hair and a sun kissed complexion. It has a very ethereal look and feel to it when said so this is a very good name for fairy tales and sci-fi / fantasy novels or even just a regular story in the regular time. It’s diverse and I find it appealing.

Evadne

Meaning: (Good Fortune, Well, Good, Pleasing One, From Greek Ευαδνη (Euadne), which is of unknown meaning, though the first element is derived from Greek ευ (eu) "good". In Greek legend Evadne was the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body. The name has been used among English speakers since the 17th century.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (eh-VAA-Dneh, iy-VAEDNiy, ee-VAD-nee, ee-VOD-neh)

Gender: Female

I was watching one of those real life crime shows and one of the ladies daughters was named a name similar to this but spelled just a little differently. When I heard it and looked it up this spelling seemed most popular and I instantly liked it. I keep thinking though that I’ve seen or heard this name before or even used it on a character but for the life of me I can’t remember and can’t find any proof to back it up. It’s a beautiful name with a lovely pronunciation. The meanings are divine and the Greek Legend is very interesting if not a bit morbid and sad. It has a nice history of use.

Elysande

Meaning: (Ely: Jehovah is God, High, Ascent, Name of a river in South Wales and a cathedral and town in Cambridgeshire, England. Also possibly a variant of Eli. Sande: Defender of Men, Protector of Mankind, Shining Upon Man, Sand, Sandy Plain, and Sande is a variant form of Alexandra (Greek): Latinate feminine version of Alexander. Sande is also a derivative of Cassandra (Greek).)

Origin: (German, Hebrew, English, Greek, Norwegian)

Pronunciation: (Ely: EE-liy, IYLay Sande: SAEND Elysande: EE-liy-SAEND, IYLay-SAEND)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this name but when I saw it I really liked it but like a lot of names now I had to break up the parts of the names to get the meanings. This reminds me of names I’ve seen ending in Sande as well like Melisande *see on list of posts*. The meanings are nice and strong. The pronunciation is pretty good and easy enough.

I think it is a nice name but I am not enamored with it but I do think it is pretty and reminds me of a Goddesses name or maybe someone from Greek Mythology.

Fanthorpe

Meaning: (Fan: From France, Bee Thorpe: Hamlet or Small Village, This is an ancient name of Anglo-Saxon and Old Scandinavian origin, and is a locational surname from any of the places in England named with Old Norse or Old Danish element "thorp", or the rarer Olde English pre 7th Century "throp". Generally, "thorp(e)" in a place name indicates that it was an area of Danish settlement. The word means a small hamlet or village that grew by colonisation from a larger settlement, and was originally an outlying farm dependent on a nearby village. In the modern idiom there are a number of variant forms of the surname, ranging from Thorpe, Thorp, Tharp and Turp, to Thro(u)p, Thrupp and Thripp. Thomas Thorpe (died 1461) was speaker of the House of Commons from 1431 - 1452. Francis Thorpe (1595 - 1665), who was educated at Cambridge was a witness at Stafford's trial and became a colonel in the parliamentary army, and was later appointed judge for the northern circuit and delivered a "charge" at York justifying Charles 1's execution and also refused to try the northern insurgents. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Torp, which was dated 1158, in the "Pipe Rolls of Northumberland", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Thorpe )

Origin: (Latin, Chinese, Middle English)

Pronunciation: (fan-THORP, FAHN-thorpe, if you want to hear how Thorpe is pronounced then got to this site and run your cursor over the word to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=Thorpe )

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was reading a Phyllis A. Whitney novel a few months back and this was a place in the novel. I have been putting off adding it as the name has no definite meaning until I separated the parts of the name, Fan and Thorpe. The meanings are decent and the name looks interesting but would look even better if used as just a surname.

This name is very foreign and unique and seems an outer space like name to me, like “I’ll meet you on planet Fanthorpe mate. The shipments in of 1000 hexes of gents jooce, so game on.” That was an awful line, lol, so no need to tell me that sucked lol!

Genevra

Meaning: (Fair, white wave, Smooth, Yielding, Juniper Tree, Lady of the People, Tribal Woman, Of the Race of Women, River Mouth, Variant of Ginevra, Italian form of Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word ginepro meaning “Juniper”.)

Origin: (Italian, Old French, Old Welsh, Germanic, Celtic, English)

Pronunciation: (jee-NEV-rah, jeh-NEHV-rə, Z-eh-NEY-VRah)

Gender: Female

This is the name of an outfit on I think Pearson Renaissance Shoppe website. The spelling throws me off because I prefer Geneva *see on list of posts*, which I’ve used in a novel before. I think this was the full name of Ron Weasley’s sister Ginny in the Harry Potter Novels. The meanings are beautiful and I see it is an Italian form of Guinevere and if it came down to it I would choose Guinevere over Genevra as the spelling as I said throws me off.

It is a beautiful name but I am not totally sold on it as one of my characters names but I started this blog to help other authors and this might be a perfect name for one of their characters names.

Eydis

Meaning: (Goddess of the Island, Derived from the Old Norse elements Ey "Good Fortune" or "Island" and Dís "Goddess".)

Origin: (Ancient Scandinavian, Icelandic, Old Norse)

Pronunciation: (AYDiy-Z, EY-dees)

Gender: Uni-sex

This is the name of an outfit on I think Pearson Renaissance Shoppe or Arm Street websites. This does have a very Medieval or Renaissance look which I love. The meaning is absolutely divine. I could see an actual island being named this as it would be kind of cool or even having a Kingdom or World being named this would be really pretty as well.

The name because of the spelling is one I might not remember but I mean if I saw it in a novel I would definitely think it was unique and awesome and at least I would know how to pronounce it, which is a plus.

Catalonia

Meaning: (The name Catalunya (Catalonia)—spelled Cathalonia, or Cathalaunia, in Mediaeval Latin—began to be used for the homeland of the Catalans (Cathalanenses) in the late 11th century and was probably used before as a territorial reference to the group of counties that comprised part of the March of Gothia and March of Hispania under the control of the Count of Barcelona and his relatives. The origin of the name Catalunya is subject to diverse interpretations because of a lack of evidence.

One theory suggests that Catalunya derives from the name Gothia (or Gauthia) Launia ("Land of the Goths"), since the origins of the Catalan counts, lords and people were found in the March of Gothia, known as Gothia, whence Gothland > Gothlandia > Gothalania > Cathalaunia > Catalonia theoretically derived. During the Middle Ages, Byzantine chroniclers claimed that Catalania derives from the local medley of Goths with Alans, initially constituting a Goth-Alania.

Other less plausible theories suggest:

• Catalunya derives from the term "land of castles", having evolved from the term castlà or castlan, the medieval term for the ruler of a castle. This theory therefore suggests that the names Catalunya and Castile have a common root.
• The source is of Celtic origin, meaning "chiefs of battle". Although the area is not known to have been occupied by Celts, a Celtic culture was present within the interior of Iberia in pre-Roman times.
• The Lacetani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area and whose name, due to the Roman influence, could have evolved by metathesis to Katelans and then Catalans.

In English, Catalonia is pronounced /kætəˈloʊniə/. The native name, Catalunya, is pronounced [kətəˈluɲə] in Central Catalan, the most widely spoken variety whose pronunciation is considered standard. The Spanish name is Cataluña ([kataˈluɲa]), and the Aranese name is Catalonha ([kataˈluɲɔ] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia).

Origin: (Medieval Latin, Celtic, English, Gothic, Catalan)

Pronunciation: (Cat-uh-loh-nya, cat-uh-lune-ya, if you want to hear how Catalonia is pronounced then go to this site and run your cursor over the word to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=catalonia )

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I think I was looking up Catriona *see on list of posts* and somehow I stumbled upon Catalonia. Catriona, Catalonia, and Catalina *see on list of posts* all seem to look alike to me and I would love to use, though I’ve already used Catalina before. Catalonia is unique looking and has an interesting history and possible meanings.

I love to say it like cat-uh-lune-ya, its addicting saying it like that, lol! I love the way my tongue rolls when I say it that way, lol! If I were to pronounce it that way then Catalunya would be the best spelling for it.

I see an exotic beautiful woman being named this. It would fit well in a historical fiction novel but would also look nice in a fantasy novel. It has an easy pronunciation and is easily recognized. I love this name a lot.

Embla

Meaning: (From an Elm, Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse almr "elm". In Norse Mythology Embla and her husband Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.)

Origin: (Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish)

Pronunciation: (EM-blah (Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish), EHM-blah (Swedish))

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I was on Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe website and a commenter had this name. So since then I have used it as the name of my main character Sawa *see on list of posts* mother in a short story I wrote and entered in this years Nelson Algren Literary Awards Short Story Contest, fingers crossed that I win or am a runner up or finalist at least! :~) Sawa and Embla’s last name is Almund *see on list of posts*.

When I saw the name Embla I thought it looks like Ember *see on list of posts* a bit and so that is why I really liked it. However Embla’s meaning is not at all connected to Ember but that doesn’t really matter. I think Embla looks a bit Scottish or Irish but the Origin is not Scottish or Irish at all which makes me rethink all I know about the Origins of names, lol. Mans origins Norse mythology was pretty interesting, it reminded me of a few other mythological stories about mans origins. It’s a nice older name but with a youthful freshness about it as well and a great meaning and its unique but not too crazy looking.

Sawa

Meaning: (Swamp, Marsh, Rock)

Origin: (Japanese, Native American, Native American-Miwok)

Pronunciation: (SAA-Waa)

Gender: Female

I was watching the 2014 movie Kite and the main female assassin was named this. Since then I have used it as the name of my main character in a short story I wrote and entered in this years Nelson Algren Literary Awards Short Story Contest, fingers crossed that I win or am a runner up or finalist at least! :~) Her last name is Almund *see on list of posts*.

When I saw the movie Kite I was at first not sure how her name was pronounced or said properly but I looked it up and it is really easy to pronounce and is so cool. I love Japanese names. The meanings are decent and the name itself is easy enough.

Now the pronunciation I said is pretty easy but there is one funny or odd thing about it. When saying it I think it sounds like an English speaker trying to sound like an Asian or foreigner who is saying the word Sour. However I read about one person saying it sounds like a person from Boston trying to say Sour. So I guess I really am not the only one saying it sounds like someone with an accent trying to say Sour.

With both the character in the movie and my character it seems a name fit for a fighter and a unique interesting character. I would love to see this name used more often.

Arawn

Meaning: (This was the name of the God of the Underworld, Terror, Revenge, and War, called Annwfn, in Welsh Mythology.)

Origin: (Celtic, Welsh Mythology)

Pronunciation: (AR-own, AR-awn, if you want to know how to pronounce Arawn then go to this site and run your cursor over the word to hear how it is pronounced: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=Arawn )

Gender: Male

Some novel I read up the information for had a semi-bad character named this. I can’t remember the novel title as the info for the novel wasn’t my cup of tea but I was intrigued by the name. This name I have used for the bad character in my newest novella only because it does have a very bad flair to it which is only accentuated by the meaning. It looks a bit like Aaron but with a fantasy / sci-fi flair. Its all around look is interesting and seems easy enough to pronounce.