Monday, November 1, 2010

The Dualities of Names

I like to always choose words for titles and names that have more than just one meaning. 

I am starting NaNoWriMo today. So far I've written a staggering 178 words. Impressive, right?

Anyway, the enigmatic male lead is called Kant. No last name, not that I know of at least. He is just Kant.

I chose it because it's a strong name. I wanted something that was out of the ordinary, quirky and conveyed power.

Another aspect of the name is that in Danish, 'Kant' means 'edge'. To be on the edge of something - be that life, death, the universe or something else entirely. But Kant is most definitely a character who always lives on the edge of what is possible. So again the name was very fitting.

Of course I didn't come up with the name all by myself.
It actually belongs to this guy:
Immanuel Kant
A German philosopher who lived from 1724 - 1804

In researching his name I came across this quote: “Thoughts without content are empty, ideas without concepts are blind.”

And that quote just fits so well with how I’m imagining my character to be. I just love it when something clicks and that feeling of rightness washes over me. It’s why I write.

And now I have to get back to actually writing on my story.
Or should I say Kant’s story?

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