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I actually have quite a few things I'd like to write, but there are at least three other writing projects which I need to deal with before I can write a proper post and not feel guilty. Le sigh.

Anyway, I have a bit of a problem with one of these pieces which needs to be resolved. I have been writing a story for quite some time now, probably over six months. The main character's name was never set in stone, but I soon started writing things which might not make sense with another name. The main example of this is when the character compares herself to a fictional character with the same name (although I could of course remove it).

This was a name which just felt right with the character. It wasn't too rare or exotic, it felt a little immature and naive and somehow lost, even though the meaning of the name doesn't have anything to do with being lost.

You're probably wondering why I can't just disclose the name so you can help me find an alternative, or stick to it?

Well you know when you meet someone and at first you quite like them? And then you realise that you really, really don't? Well...

So now of course this name is tainted for me. It has lost all the connotations it had in my head already. Trying to think of an alternate, I toyed with the idea of a name with a literal meaning/derivation which is about being lost, searching, wandering. I used behindthename.com. My favourite find so far has been Perdita, which derives from Latin meaning lost, and was invented by Shakespeare for one of his characters. This seems perfect as my character also has some writerly connections. Maybe Dita as a nickname, or is that too Dita Von Teese?

But is it too blatant? If you write, do you like your characters' names to have meanings? Or do you just go for something that seems to gel? Any suggestions for me?

Other names I am considering:

Beatrix
Lucille
Saira
Ophelia

But none of these are as normal as my original name! Maybe, instead, something completely unrelated in meaning but more similar to the original name:

Molly
Polly
Milly (Camilla/Camille)

(can you guess what the original name is? I don't know why I don't want to post it so much, it's not like this person would ever find this blog!)