I really hope this is in the correct section

I don't know how many people on here read my story Unexpected or remember it but I have decided to re-write it and before I write certain chapters or parts from certain chapters I was hoping to get some opinions from others.

First-When reading a birthing scene how much detail do you prefer to be in that sort of scene. Would you like to see moderate detail, little detail-just summary of the event- or more detail,the whole event with as much detail as possible?

Second-For those who read the original posting, Do you remember Ciel?-I hope she is remembered - Should the name stay the same or should I give her a Japanese origin name? Two replacement names I have in mind are; Chiaki or Amarante or Kaiya-still looking through others, if you have any name suggestions they would be greatly appreciated!

..That's all! Thank you in advance

Personally, I'm a huge fan of NON-Japanese names for my characters.

In one of my main stories, "A Demon Lord's Cry" two of the characters are named from completely different countries.

One is a forest nymph named 'Ástridr and it is a norse name meaning divine beauty. The other is named Cerdwin and she is a mermaid once reveared as a goddess. Her name is Celtic name meaning 'the mother goddess'.

I think that demons should not always have only Japanese names because demons and other fairy tale creatures come from everywhere and considering that they aren't restricted to boats for travel then I think they would migrte to and from Japan. If Ciel is human then I think a more Japanese name would suit her unless she is a witch or another type of human that could have somehow gone to Japan.

Mm. I agree with your thoughts on that matter. Ciel is half human/half demon-but both of her parents come from Japan. The original reason why she had the name Ciel is because her mother was always interested in names from different origins and wanted to give her a more unique name because well she is a unique child.

As far as birth goes:

I believe that you should put as much detail as you, the writer, are comfortable with reading. It is too difficult to know how much detail an event like childbirth is "too much" as it varies from person to person.

One thing you can do, however, is write a detailed childbirth scene and then add a separator between that scene and the next, either through a line of characters or by making it into a single chapter. This way you can just put an author's note stating that there is detailed childbirth (You wouldn't be revealing much, I presume, as the readers should know she is going into labor at that point.) and that if they do not want to read such thing they can skip ahead. Then just write the next section in a way where it can stand alone without the details.

On names:

I say it depends on a number of factors.

Some demons can have names from foreign regions, that is true. However, you have to think of other things in addition to race.

Think of the time period, does the name fit that time period?
Think of popularity trends, does the name follow or go against trends of the time? (For example, a boy named Aiden in 1950's America would be odd. Japanese tradition, for a long time, was entirely dependent on the child's gender and on a reading from a Shinto priest. 4 syllable names like Sesshomaru are actually uncommon as given names, from what I can tell. Probably because the number 4 is associated with death. Girls were often given names that gave them specific qualities the parents were seeking in the child, such as "good" or "beauty". Although, this practice has become less strict it is still very common.)
Think of the parent's personality. Are they traditionalists or are they more rebellious and likely to go against the grain? (Not everyone names their child Apple or Nevaeh, it takes a certain kind of individual to be willing to do that.)
Think of the meaning you want to evoke. Does the name hold any negative connotations? (Think Adolf.) Or will it make readers think of a famous figure in history? (Albert, Elizabeth, etc.) What is the meaning of the name?

zandrellia wrote:
As far as birth goes:

I believe that you should put as much detail as you, the writer, are comfortable with reading. It is too difficult to know how much detail an event like childbirth is "too much" as it varies from person to person.

One thing you can do, however, is write a detailed childbirth scene and then add a separator between that scene and the next, either through a line of characters or by making it into a single chapter. This way you can just put an author's note stating that there is detailed childbirth (You wouldn't be revealing much, I presume, as the readers should know she is going into labor at that point.) and that if they do not want to read such thing they can skip ahead. Then just write the next section in a way where it can stand alone without the details.

On names:

I say it depends on a number of factors.

Some demons can have names from foreign regions, that is true. However, you have to think of other things in addition to race.

Think of the time period, does the name fit that time period?
Think of popularity trends, does the name follow or go against trends of the time? (For example, a boy named Aiden in 1950's America would be odd. Japanese tradition, for a long time, was entirely dependent on the child's gender and on a reading from a Shinto priest. 4 syllable names like Sesshomaru are actually uncommon as given names, from what I can tell. Probably because the number 4 is associated with death. Girls were often given names that gave them specific qualities the parents were seeking in the child, such as "good" or "beauty". Although, this practice has become less strict it is still very common.)
Think of the parent's personality. Are they traditionalists or are they more rebellious and likely to go against the grain? (Not everyone names their child Apple or Nevaeh, it takes a certain kind of individual to be willing to do that.)
Think of the meaning you want to evoke. Does the name hold any negative connotations? (Think Adolf.) Or will it make readers think of a famous figure in history? (Albert, Elizabeth, etc.) What is the meaning of the name?

Wonderful advice on both counts.

I have never given birth to a child before, so I am currently reading up on different birthing situations, and watching videos on it, the original birth scene was a quick run through of it. Basically Not providing too much detail, but there was more some feelings from the mother since it was from her POV. However I'm thinking of providing more detail and making the scene longer than it was originally, I just didn't know how much would be too much. The divider suggestion is a good one.

For names:
As I mentioned before she does come from parents who were both raised/born in Japan. However her mother decided to give her a name from another origin because she was attracted to foreign names.

The name Ciel means "From heaven, Heavenly" so it is a more positive name. Then again I was thinking when most readers see the name they may think of Ciel from Kuroshitsuji.

The other names I mentioned have positive meanings(or at least I see them as positive):
Chiaki-Gathered wisdom
Amarante-Flower that never fades
Kaiya-Forgiveness(This one kind of ties in more with the story)

I don't think Ciel is a popular name either, at least I don't believe it is a popular name in Japan. Not sure about the other names, I will have to look it up. One of the parents, the father, is a traditionalist however he is not in the child's life when it was born. The mother is more of the rebellious or open minded type.

Thanks again for the advice, definitely gave me something to think about

Having given birth to two children I can say that describing the feeling and emotion of the event would definitely draw in your readers. It is a sensation like none other. If you need any advice on that please feel free to drop me a line.

As far as names go, many mothers do choose names from their own interests. I, personally, have a keen interest in mythology and history and therefore my eldest son was named Alexander after a very famous Alexander.

I did consider unique names like Zephyr (A western wind) but I decided against it as Alexander seemed to just stick.

I believe that when naming your character you should really think about how you feel about the name. Perhaps Ciel just works for that character, regardless of how out of place it might seem. If the name just suits the character then there is no reason to change it.

Thanks I plan on asking my friends who have had children what they felt before, during and after giving birth-but I'm happy to have as much input on the matter as possible since every woman and birth is different.

Very true. Thank you again for the advice you have given me, it is appreciated!