How NOT To Write FanFiction

Chapter 1 || Names

“Hi, my name’s Rin Okumura!” the boy pounced on the first opportunity to introduce himself to the sisters.

“My name is Jennifer Lopez, it's nice to meet you.” the first girl responded. Her near identical sister flicked her hair irritably.

“Name’s Arlokamitashi Lopez.” she tsked quietly.

“Um….are you American?” Rin asked hesitantly. Both of them shook their heads.

“No, we're Japanese.” they said together.

HAAALT

If you couldn't see the obvious mistake, I think you may need some teaching.

Names are a very….frustrating issue with fanfiction, or really any story in general.

Many authors either do one of five things;

-They overuse an overused name.

-They create a name that does not fit their character’s origin.

-They create a name that literally makes no sense.

-They create a name that you can't take seriously or is stupid (ex. Bob).

-They create a creative or original name (that may or may not have a backstory).

The last choice is the rarest, and is most of the time, accompanied by a well-developed character.

To be honest, I'm sometimes a victim of this rule. As an example to this, my main character (that I use as a representative to what I wish to be like) has a name called “Wolf”. I did make a small backstory to it (rather than changing it), and because my character is from an area that specializes in simple and odd names, the problem has been mostly solved.

As of recently, I've become an expert on unique and creative names (in my opinion).

My Character Names:

Kane ~ My American Workaholic Character

Tristen ~ My American Stalker Character

Sanzaki (called Sanza) ~ My Lazy Asian Author Character

Reign ~ My American Homophobic Gamer Character (who also happens to be gay asf)

Names I Suggest You Avoid:

-Skylar (or Sky)

-Zachary (or Zach)

-Kyle

-Kai

-Ai

-Mia

-Christian (or Chris)

-Aya

-Aki

-Any extremely common or overused name.

To those who may have these names, I'm not saying they're bad. I'm saying they're not fanfiction material. They're WAY too common, and for me, that can be confusing. For the short names such as Aki, Aya, or Kai, I suggest if you do use them, make them a nickname.

In fact, in real life, my elder brother’s nickname is Kye (pronounce just like Kai), but his full name is completely American. It's damn convenient.

Another major issue with names is the meanings behind them. They are more overused than classic English names. Most people prefer to look up common words.

Examples: Love (Ai), Flower (Hana), Wolf (Ookami/Okami), etc.

Now I ask you this; how many times have you seen those names in (anime) fanfiction.

100 times.

Exactly.