Hey, this blog is a work in progress! I'll make a new pinned post when I have tags and things sorted out, but for now this is the most important info:
I'm Sputnik, he/him
I'm a writer, artist, musician, TTRPG enthusiast, and more. I have a chronic inability to stick to just one medium, evidently
I have a Kofi where I take art commissions here !
I'm writing a novel called Reliquary, a fantasy-mystery story in a middle eastern inspired setting, about a detective who uncovers ancient omens and political corruption in his city - there'll be more info in the future, so keep an eye on the #reliquary tag
Rest assured that everything on this blog, whether it be writing, art, music, or something else, is made by human hands and minds, and not AI. AI is NOT welcome on this blog
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What if you took the 3 Act Structure, and overlaid the 12 Chapter Structure and Save The Cat? Well, now you no longer have to ask.
PS This is the structure that the novel templates in First Draft Pro are based on 🥳
Context: I've spent about six months working on the lore for a wargame I'm making, and I have the major factions, major characters and their backstories, and details, but I'm having trouble bringing it all together so that I can present it to other people without ranting for five hours.
If you haven't already, make yourself a lore bible!
Start with the absolute basics, which I would say is 'laws of the universe'. These are meta statements about the worldview of your setting, that can act as a guide to yourself to determine whether something fits in your world or not, helping you to narrow down and solidify your lore until it all feels cohesive.
Examples of laws of the universe for different stories:
'The good guys always win in the end' - fairytale setting
'No good deed goes unpunished' - grimdark setting
'Fate is more important than individual choices' - mythology setting
'Power always corrupts' - political setting
This can help set the tone, and gives you a shorthand to explain your world's mood to people quickly. You can also include magic rules in your laws of the universe, such as 'The dimensions can be traversed on magic airships'.
Once you have these, find the absolute most important features of your setting. For The Hunger Games, this would be the districts and the hunger games themselves. For D&D's Eberron, this is the dragonmarked houses and magical infrastructure like the lightning rail.
Make a new page to act as your landing page on google docs, or notion, or obsidian, or whatever platform you use to organise your notes. Give yourself 3-5 headings that focus on the absolute most important aspects that make your setting stand out to you.
Some example headings would be 'War-torn Nations' for a setting that has just recovered from a massive war, 'Heroes of a Lost Age' for a setting with mysterious powers leftover from eras past. Write only one paragraph for each heading, summing up how that particular subject presents itself in your world, whether it be in the form of what type of characters might be found in the setting, what type of environments exist as a result of conflicts, etc. Don't worry about writing well, just get the info across for now, since this bible is for your own reference first and foremost.
If you flip to the front page of a TTRPG setting book, you might find a page like this summing up the setting in a few paragraphs. I know for certain that 7th Sea has a page like this in their book, it's part of where I got this landing page idea from.
Then, make a new page for every key word you mentioned on your landing page. Going back to the Hunger Games setting example, the landing page may mention 'the reaping' so you'd make a new page for that, it might mention the capitol, you'd make a new page for that, and career tributes, and so on. You're essentially making your own wiki branching outwards from the most important aspects of your setting, in a way that all links back to your landing page to keep it cohesive.
And then if you ever need to sum up your setting quickly, you can just list off the headings from your landing page and form them into a quick setting premise.
I'm planning on making my own lore bible soon, so hopefully I might have more ideas and advice once I've worked on that. I hope some of this helped, good luck with your wargame lore!
Environmental storytelling. Usually a term reserved for videogames but it is as equally important in books as it is anywhere else. What I mean is that you can tell a lot about a character without explicit dialogue by how they have a room arranged or how they keep their car interior, so on and so forth.
You can use the decoration of a room to show how neurotic a character is, what they prioritize in life, what they like, dislike, their emotional life, how they lead a private life, how they are truly like in the comfort of their own homes. How an office looks, how a desk is set up, or cluttered. These things will tell you more about the character who owns them than having lines and lines of dialoge. And this can be done in one or two paragraphs. For example this snippet:
Our first insult as we opened the door was the acrid scent of trash and decay mixed in with that of rotting food. In de darkness piles of unwashed pots and pans littered the sink to heights that should have toppled over, abandoned weeks ago. Empty takeout containers filled each counterspace available, along with cans and bottles of alcohol. Paintings that were on the walls hung askew and covered in dust, while the curtains at the end of the room blocked all but the faint sliver of sunlight that cut through the apartment, revealing a sliver of the true extent of our friend’s living state.
See what I mean? You can tell a lot about the person by this description. Here is another one:
The room was dim, light filtering in through the half-open shades, walls painted a healthy earthy green. A few plants hung near it from hooks, casting shadows all over the room. A desk that was rarely used by the thin layer of dust over the keyboard, and the smell of lavender that hung faintly in the air. Shelves lined up a wall of the room, one covered in trophies of track and field as well as snowboarding, while another was filled to the brim with books of varying generes. A cat tower sat in a corner, and the bed was neatly made, plushies and pillows of varying colors bringing vibrancy to the room, yet complimenting the rest of the colors.
As you saw above, how you describe the living spaces/personal spaces tells a lot more about characters than what a lot of dialogue can do. Yes, you can mention in dialogue that a character is chronically depressed or they love plants and animals and sports, but a visual description sometimes is better than a clunky line of dialogue.
As with everything, use it as you see fit and however it best fits your book/story. These are tricks and ideas that have helped me a lot in my own works and I can’t recommend them enough.
If you want more tips and tricks and advice. Maybe rants or random posts or what-have-you, follow me up. If you want convo, DM me, or if you have questions. And if you wish to support me, please by my book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble (Online) The City of Laohz: Kannon. I’d really appreciate the support.
sometimes i think that maybe one of the reasons why i am barely making any progress on my book is that i’m scared that i will fail to publish.
but you know what’s actually scarier than the thought of failing? the thought of never actually writing the book i’ve always dreamt of reading. the thought of never even attempting to write it.
and guess what? if you don’t try to write your book at all, then you’ve technically already failed.
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Anger is really easy to show in an argument: arguing, yelling, hitting people or things. As tension builts, anger rises, and once the argument is over, your character might still be angry.
Here are some ways you can show how anger builds or lingers.
Clenching fists, jaw or grinding teeth.
Tapping fingers or foot impatiently.
Giving short, clipped answers.
Forced or fake smiles.
Glaring or narrowed eyes. Rolling eyes.
Cold, sarcastic comments disguised as jokes.
Slamming doors or dropping objects.
Withdrawing from conversation or space. Or walking away mid-conversation.
Pacing or restless movement.
Muttering under breath.
Sudden, sharp gestures.
Ignoring someone deliberately.
Excessive cleaning or other nervous habits to distract themselves
Picking fights over trivial things.
Staring silently, making the other person uncomfortable.
Repeating the same point over and over again, or doing the same thing over and over again.
Controlling or micromanaging situations.
Using humor to mask irritation.
Cold touch (like a stiff handshake).
Writing or typing messages, then deleting them repeatedly.
Many worldbuilders like to start with a map, particularly those making worlds for RPGs and similar projects, but as writers, what can we gain (and lose) from the outside-in method of creating your external world first?
In this post I'm exploring the pros and cons I've found of starting your fantasy novel's worldbuilding with a map, as well as advice for how to incorporate map-making to suit your worldbuilding needs.
Pro: It's tactile
Writing ideas on paper, for me, is one of the best ways to get ideas and inspiration flowing. Being able to physically see how much bigger one nation is than the other, how far our heroes would have to trek to get somewhere and what obstacles they may face, and having physical gaps on the page show you what parts of your world may be underdeveloped, are all benefits of having a physical map rather than just a list of features and ideas.
There's also the benefit of being able to use the power of shape, colour, and whatever objects your have around you to inform your decisions. Maybe your world is made up of a series of islands scattered by the collapse of a massive sci-fi city equivalent of a jenga tower, but you can't quite visualise how that would work until you get pen to paper and draw a whole bunch of blocks (or even better, play an actual game of jenga on top of a massive piece of paper, and then draw around the blocks after it collapses) (man, now I want to make that world too).
Jenga towers aside, my point is that there are plenty of ways to get creative with your world beyond just a set realistic landmasses (this is specultive fiction, after all), and a tactile map can be a great start to that.
Con: You risk losing the forest for the trees
Meaning, you run the risk of focusing excessively on details such as 'Are these biomes realistic?' and 'Are these mountains too close to the sea?' instead of working in broad strokes to begin with.
For example, if your novel is a slice of life that takes place in one or two small towns, then you probably don't need to start with a world map--you may not even need one at all, since you can probably manage enough background and worldbuilding just with some bulletpoints of essential world facts. You could, however, start with a town map, which could be a great way to get an idea of potential characters and plot hooks that could pop up in your fantasy town. Where you can, you're much better off adjusting your planning methods to the scale of your story, rather than trying to pin down every detail.
However, if you're writing a game of thrones-esque long-form series of war and political intrigue, then having maps, family trees and other resources are eventually going to become near-essential to keep track of your world and plot. Starting with a map very well could be the exact jumping-off point that you need to figure out how your plot unfolds.
Either way, a good way to avoid losing sight of your story amidst excessive worldbuilding is to simply ask 'Would my target audience care about this?', or even 'Do I care about this?'. Many people are writing the novel they would want to read, so that's a great way to gauge whether it's what your audience would be asking about as well. If you find yourself saying 'no' to those questions, then you may want to go back and remind yourself of your stories roots again.
Pro: It becomes a reference sheet for later inspiration
As someone interested in history, a map can tell you a lot about a place. When I bought an antique globe and decided to date its creation based on the borders and country names (it was about 1952, so antique but not old old), I realised how valuable one of these would be to an alien species trying to understand our world--and for far more than just the geography. It's geopolitics on a sphere for visualisation, essentially.
If you're writing a story that is heavily involved with the land and what issues characters may face while going crossing borders and biomes, then being able to look at a map and wonder, 'What are the consequences of these two nations being on opposite sides of this river?' and 'What kind of allies and enemies would form because of the resources and needs of these areas?' is a great way to find inspiration for future plotlines.
Con: Letting the physical limits of your map override the thematic ones
If you're anything like me, once you've made a beautiful looking map, you will check it before every little decision you make. And if you're not like me, then yeah, this con probably wouldn't be an issue. But of all the reasons, this is the one that made me decide to hold off on making a proper map for Saris, the world of my novel WIP. Until recently it didn't even have a name. This doesn't mean I didn't know what was in my world; more that I didn't solidify exact details on paper in a way that might get me stuck thinking that I need to abide by the whims of past me, who couldn't have predicted the way the story has unfolded since its creation.
Sometimes--in fact, often--your first idea isn't the best one for the job. I've had to make lots of changes to my setting, and thanks to not having a fleshed out map, this didn't feel like I was breaking anything--instead I let myself make the necessary adjustments, and ended up with more streamlined plots.
If you find yourself hitting walls because you can't make the details line up between your plot ideas and your world, try ignoring the current rules of your world. Instead, think about how the story could play out in a way the reflects the themes and ideas you want to convey in your story, and then adjust your world accordingly.
Conclusion
Like many things, the difference between poison and cure is the dose. Map making can offer insight, inspiration, and concrete guidance to your worldbuilding, but can also hinder and limit you if relied on excessively. I would personally recommend either leaving the map making until after you at least have a strong idea of your setting's needs and themed, or allowing yourself to make multiple maps until you find one that really inspires you for the kind of story you want to write.
1. Give them power over something the reader cares about
A villain who can’t actually hurt anything important is just annoying. Give them control over a person, a system, a truth, or a resource the protagonist and reader are emotionally invested in.
2. Make them punch down, not up
Readers hate villains who abuse people with less power. Targeting children, the vulnerable, the innocent, or the desperate instantly signals moral rot.
3. Let them feel justified
The most infuriating villains believe they’re right. They don’t see themselves as cruel, they see themselves as necessary, logical, or “doing what must be done.”
4. Make them calm while doing terrible things
Cold politeness, soft voices, or pleasant manners paired with cruelty feels far more disturbing than loud rage. It creates emotional whiplash that sticks.
5. Give them small, petty cruelty on top of big evil
Genocide is abstract. Stealing someone’s last comfort, humiliating someone publicly, or enjoying another person’s fear feels personal — and that’s what makes readers angry.
6. Let them win more than feels fair
A villain becomes hateable when they keep getting away with it. Let them succeed. Let them walk free. Let them hurt people without consequence — for a while.
7. Deny the reader catharsis
Cut away before justice. Interrupt revenge. Delay consequences. The lack of emotional release builds frustration that gets attached directly to the villain.
8. Make them emotionally invasive
They don’t just hurt bodies — they manipulate, gaslight, shame, isolate, and reframe reality. They make the protagonist doubt themselves.
9. Let them corrupt something good
They twist love into control, faith into obedience, loyalty into fear, or law into cruelty. Watching something pure rot because of them creates hatred fast.
10. Don’t soften them with too much sympathy
A tragic backstory can explain behavior, but if you want them hateable, don’t excuse it. Let the story clearly show that their pain does not justify their harm.
I'd say I more slid into writing naturally than got into it actively. I've sort of always had stories in my head, I'm a maladaptive daydreamer and ex-gifted kid so back in school I used to finish all the class work in the first 10 minutes and spend the rest of the lesson daydreaming. So for at least 5 hours a day, I was just daydreaming, so there was lots of room in that little noggin of mine to eventually start mentally building worlds, eventually jotting some of it down on paper so I could build more effectively.
I think in the beginning it was just fantasies about my favourite media, like Star Trek and Marvel's Agents of Shield, but eventually I got an interest in making my own characters and stories, simply because I figured that's what you're meant to do when you love stories and want to be a writer.
As a kid I used to mainly just do the things I was good at, because I liked being good at things. With my reading age at the time, one of those things was writing. Getting myself out of the gifted kid mindset of only doing the parts of things that I know I'm already good at has probably been one of the biggest hurdles in my writing journey--I'll admit the temptation to just worldbuild forever was strong.
So yeah, I think 'I was good at it' sounds a bit of an egotistical answer, but it's at least partially true, and also 'I had a big imagination and a not-so-good memory so I was bound to write stuff down eventually' was a big part of it.
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I'm always curious what other people listen to to help them write. I used to just shuffle my usual playlist, but it got pretty distracting. I decided to make a playlist specifically suited to the mood of my novel, and it massively helped--it also made it much easier to write regularly, because I would just put on my writing playlist and my brain would remember that it's writing time.
So here's my playlist:
It contains mainly film soundtracks, particularly from films with desert settings. It's good for focus and for setting the mood.
Feel free to reblog or reply with your own writing playlists!
Each character is introduced in their own emotional world. We see:
Their wounds, needs, and flaws
What they want vs. what they actually need
Why love is currently not working for them
This stage sets up why the romance matters.
2. The Meet Cute or First Collision
They meet in a way that creates friction, curiosity, or disruption.
This can be cute, hostile, awkward, or intense — but it must change something for both of them.
3. Attraction and Tension
They feel drawn to each other, but:
There are obstacles (external or internal)
They deny, resist, or misinterpret their feelings
Chemistry builds through proximity, conflict, or emotional glimpses
This is the slow pull stage.
4. Forced Proximity or Emotional Intimacy
Circumstances push them together:
Working together
Traveling together
Being trapped together
Sharing secrets or vulnerability
This is where emotional bonding starts, even if they don’t admit it.
5. The First Shift (Romantic or Emotional Breakthrough)
A moment changes the nature of their relationship:
First kiss
Confession
One saves the other
A moment of deep understanding
After this, the story is no longer “will they notice each other?” but “what does this mean now?”
6. The Honeymoon or Hope Phase
Things feel good. There’s closeness, trust, or passion.
The reader is allowed to believe the relationship might actually work.
This makes the coming conflict hurt more.
7. The Break (The Black Moment)
Something shatters the relationship:
A betrayal, lie, misunderstanding, or revelation
A fear or wound resurfaces
External pressure pulls them apart
This is the emotional low point of the romance.
8. The Growth and Choice
Both characters grow:
They confront their flaws or fears
They choose love intentionally, not accidentally
They become capable of sustaining the relationship
This is where love becomes a decision, not just a feeling.
9. The Reunion and Resolution (HEA or HFN)
They reunite with honesty and emotional maturity.
The story resolves with:
A Happily Ever After (HEA) or
A Happy For Now (HFN)
The emotional promise of the genre is fulfilled.
✦ Why This Structure Works
Romance isn’t just about attraction — it’s about emotional transformation through love.
Each stage:
TL;DR: Writing in small bursts of 10 days helped me make more progress on my WIP than a daily or monthly writing goal
Intro
As a writer with ADHD, making progress on my WIP has not been the easiest thing.
I've tried weekly writing goals, daily word count goals, just committing an hour to it as often as possible, and even then I end up breaking the habit quickly, and forget where I was up to.
So I've tried many methods of getting writing done. What I'm about to suggest is no one-size-fits-all advice, but instead an extra method for you to try if you're having the same problem--it might just be exactly what you needed, like it has been for me.
I call it the 10 Day Project Sprint. It doesn't just need to apply to writing, but that's what I'll use as an example.
The Method
Essentially, the concept is that when I have my interest piqued and am in a fairly good place to have free time every day (even if it's just on a commute), I challenge myself to a daily word/time goal for 10 days straight.
The idea is that, rather than doing something like a novel writing month, or a yearly goal, the end of 10 days is always easily in sight. If you can write 1000 words a day while on that sprint, you'll have 10,000 words by the end of it--I struggle a lot to write that many words on one project using any other method.
Further Advice
For this specifically, I keep my scene planning in the same document as all my chapters, so I can easily just flip through and pick something to just jot a load of words down for without getting distracted--I sort it into something comprehensible later.
I have separate documents for complex outlining, character notes, and setting ideas, but that's not what I'm focusing on in the sprint. I pick only the part that I've got an interest in at the start of those 10 days, and I go all in on it.
If you do a 10 day sprint once a month with similar writing habits (that's only a third of the month, with 20 days to focus on other projects or to relax), then you'd have 120,000 words by the end of the year--that's a LOT compared to my usual progress.
That's without even needing a consistent daily word goal for the whole year. Essentially, I feel this method takes advantage of the short bursts of inspiration across too many projects that I get as someone with ADHD, while also encouraging me to turn that inspiration into progress by making a short habit that I can always see the end of.
Hopefully this advice helps someone else as much as the discovery helped me!
Ways That Fear Can Show Up (Without Saying “Fear”)
When it creeps:
• Foreboding — the air feels wrong before anything actually happens.
• Ominousness — silence that feels almost... purposeful.
• Misgiving — your instincts tugging at your sleeve, whispering, "Don't."
When it hits fast:
• Shock — your brain blanks
• Startled— your heart slams, you inhale
• Panic — thoughts fracture; your instincts beg for escape
When it lingers:
• Tension — jaw locked, shoulders up near your ears.
• Anxiety — background noise that lingers in every thought
• Dread — knowing something bad is coming and having to wait for it.
When it turns physical:
• Shivers — cold crawling up the spine.
• Sweat, dilated pupils, skin gone pale — your own body betrays you.
• Weakness — knees like jelly, grip unreliable.
When it overwhelms:
• Terror — too big to think around.
• Horror — something has gone wrong.
• Paralysis — body refusing orders.
When it distorts reality:
• Paranoia — patterns where there are none.
• Suspicion — every sound feels intentional.
• Unease — the sense of being watched without proof.
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To write a compelling badass character, you should focus on demonstrating their strength through actions rather than labels, balancing their competence with vulnerability, and potentially using the element of surprise.
Show, Don’t Tell
One of the most important rules is to never explicitly call your character a "badass" or have other characters refer to them as such in dialogue or narration. Let their skill, fearlessness, and confidence speak for itself through their actions. If you constantly remind the reader of a character's status, it can lead to "overkill" and make the character feel unearned. Instead, present the character as they are and let the reader decide if they are worth championing.
The "Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass" Technique
You can create a highly memorable character by utilizing the element of surprise. This involves starting with a character who appears to be an unserious, clumsy, or foolish "lovable fool".
The Contrast: Establish a stark difference between their initial "moron" persona and their hidden abilities.
The Trigger: Use a profound event to spark the transformation, such as a desperate need to protect someone they care about or an emotionally charged memory.
The Shift: When triggered, the character should undergo a "night and day" shift, becoming resolute, intense, and displaying skills (like advanced intellect or physical prowess) that were previously hidden.
Emotional Control and Presence
A classic badass often maintains a "straight-faced" demeanor, showing little emotion even during intense conflict.
Coolness Under Pressure: While they may feel emotions internally, they often suppress them in key moments of conflict to remain effective.
Avoid Over-Cockiness: Be careful not to make them so arrogant that they lose focus. A character who loses a won fight because they "wouldn't shut up" or became too cocky can be a disappointment to the audience rather than a badass.
Moral Boundaries: A true badass often knows when the fight is over and does not continue to attack an opponent who can no longer fight back.
Resilience and Proactivity
Badassery is often defined by a character's refusal to give up, regardless of the odds.
Proactive Failure: They should remain proactive even when they fail. Characters like Geralt of Rivia are considered badass not because they are invincible, but because they keep going despite being tricked, roughed up, or outmatched.
The Underdog Factor: Badasses are often underdogs or outcasts who face insurmountable obstacles. While a normal underdog might barely win, a badass turns the situation around to achieve a crushing victory.
Dialogue and Personality Flaws
To keep a badass character from feeling like a one-dimensional "goody two-shoes," give them a distinct voice and realistic weaknesses.
Sarcastic Wit: If a character is highly competent, giving them a cocky or sarcastic edge can make them feel more badass. Since you have time as a writer, use it to craft the "best comeback possible" that the character can deliver in the moment.
Meaningful Flaws: Give them things they are genuinely bad at. A character who is human, makes mistakes, and gets scared but continues to move forward is often more compelling than an immortal, perfect hero.
Writing a badass character is like forging a blade: you need the hard steel of competence and resilience, but without the tempering heat of flaws and the sharp edge of a distinct personality, it’s just a heavy piece of metal rather than a functional tool.
Naming characters is one of my favourite parts of the process, but I realise that this isn't the case for everyone. For those who struggle with getting inspiration for names for their fantasy characters, here's some of my best advice and prompts.
This post is focused mainly on the choices behind the name and finding inspiration for what your character's name means in the context of your world. For advice on the actual process of making up fantasy names, I might make a separate post--let me know if this would interest you!
The Watsonian Method
For this approach, you immerse yourself directly into the realism of your world by asking: who named this character, and what would be important to that person when naming them?
Often, parents will be the source of your character's name, but depending on your character's background, that might not be the case! Maybe they're from a culture that lets important priests or mentors name the children. Maybe they belong to a slave class that are given new names by their masters. Maybe the character grew up an orphan and named themself.
When you've figured out who it is that named the character, now it's time to think about what names they would choose. What names are considered sensible in this world? What names are considered unusual or even unacceptable? What names are considered common, or rare? Are people often named after gods and prophets, or is that seen as blasphemous?
Are there any specific naming conventions in their culture? You could take inspiration from real life cultures, such as Thailand which has long legal names since each one needs to be unique, or some European countries that have patronymic surnames (a surname based on the name of your father).
The Doylist Method
For this method, you think specifically about what real life connotations come from the names you pick.
This can depend massively on your target audience. Names are sort of just words, and like all words, they carry lots of history and meaning (yes, even made up names, because the sounds themselves have connotations in languages).
Naming a character Margaret is probably going to give the impression that they're an old woman regardless of your worldbuilding, because that's a generational association people have to the name. But if the name Margaret came back into fashion 10 years after you publish your story, then suddenly readers would likely have the impression that a character named Margaret is probably young.
Try as we might, it is impossible to separate linguistics from culture and history. Luckily, you can use this to your advantage by giving certain impressions to your readers by using what they already might know from real life.
You could consider name length, language origin, phonetic impressions, and more. In English, we might consider short, guttural names like 'Gug' to be simple, or even caveman-like. Meanwhile medium-long, soft names like 'Eleanor' and 'Halandil' are considered elegant. This isn't necessarily universal, but they're the impressions we often have as English speakers.
You can follow these assumptions in order to quickly get across an impression about a character, or alternatively you could subvert the patterns to give a more unexpected or nuanced impression. I tend to play into tropes with my character names, even to the extent of using real English words as a jumping-off point for making interesting associations with a character.
For example, 'Saxe' is a pretty typical/fitting name for an intimidating, physically impressive character, and 'Ferren' is a pretty fitting name for a cowardly, squirrely doctor. But Ferren is also commonly nicknamed 'Ferry', which can give a whole new set of connotations.
Further Advice
I find that a mix of the two above approaches brings the most evocative and memorable names. They reflect both the world you've built, how the character fits into that world, and what impression you want to put across to your readers as the author.
I've presented a lot of things to think about and draw inspiration from when naming a character, but beyond that, some of my strongest advice is this: you just gotta pick one at some point. Sometimes you'll go with a name that doesn't quite sit right, and that's okay. Sometimes it takes longer to find the best name, sometimes you never find the one that clicks. If thinking long and hard about character names hinders your motivation to write, rather than encouraging it, then you really don't need to consider all of these things.
I've been gradually building the world and characters of my novel for over a year now, and I'm still considering changing the main character's name. Don't get caught up in it if it doesn't please you to do so.