Where do character names come from?
One of the hardest parts of writing for me is coming up with character names. It's like naming a whole litter of kids in a very short time span. The name has to fit the character and it has to be a name that is usable, easy to say, easy to read. An aspiring author once told me at a conference that a publisher wanted her to change her romantic lead's name from Walter to something more . . . sexy. She refused. But I see the publisher's point - when I am reading a romance, Walter just doesn't do it for me. Obviously, it did something for her, but you've got to think about your readers when you name a character. I always try to think about that when I name my characters.
So, you may ask, where do the names come from?
Several years ago, I decided I needed a reference book to name my characters, so I bought a baby name book. It's a handy dandy little book, divided into male and female names, listed alphabetically with a short description of each name. Great little book. Except for the fact that I don't use it. <shrug> But it's a fun little book to flip through sometimes.
I sort of go through cycles. For a while, my characters were named for literary characters I like. No, wait - that was how I named my cats (let's see, there was Lestat, Claudia, Louis . . . that was when I was on my Anne Rice kick). During NaNo, when I don't have time to really think about names, I use NFL players' names, but I sort of mix them up. That can be a pain, tho - NFL players have some wild and funky last names! I wonder if they charge players by the letter on those jerseys . . . nah. Otherwise, Chad Ochocinco would be something like Chad O'Cinc.
As time goes on, I find myself letting the characters name themselves. It isn't unusual for a character's name to change. In my current WIP, I gave a character (the romantic interest of the main character) a name. Something that started with an A. Don't remember what it was. But about halfway through the book, I woke up at 2 am with the very clear thought in my head.
His name is Paul.
Trumpets sounded. A golden cone of light shone on my head. Yup. That was his name. Search and replace, and Paul it was for the rest of the novel.
And that's pretty much how it goes for me now - the characters name themselves. My process is a hybrid of previous things I've tried. They usually start off with a name I picked out of the baby name book, hooked to a name that means something to me (be it an NFL player or a literary figure or even a TV character I have a soft spot for), but eventually the character will speak to me and choose his/her own name.
How do you choose your character names?
So, you may ask, where do the names come from?
Several years ago, I decided I needed a reference book to name my characters, so I bought a baby name book. It's a handy dandy little book, divided into male and female names, listed alphabetically with a short description of each name. Great little book. Except for the fact that I don't use it. <shrug> But it's a fun little book to flip through sometimes.
I sort of go through cycles. For a while, my characters were named for literary characters I like. No, wait - that was how I named my cats (let's see, there was Lestat, Claudia, Louis . . . that was when I was on my Anne Rice kick). During NaNo, when I don't have time to really think about names, I use NFL players' names, but I sort of mix them up. That can be a pain, tho - NFL players have some wild and funky last names! I wonder if they charge players by the letter on those jerseys . . . nah. Otherwise, Chad Ochocinco would be something like Chad O'Cinc.
As time goes on, I find myself letting the characters name themselves. It isn't unusual for a character's name to change. In my current WIP, I gave a character (the romantic interest of the main character) a name. Something that started with an A. Don't remember what it was. But about halfway through the book, I woke up at 2 am with the very clear thought in my head.
His name is Paul.
Trumpets sounded. A golden cone of light shone on my head. Yup. That was his name. Search and replace, and Paul it was for the rest of the novel.
And that's pretty much how it goes for me now - the characters name themselves. My process is a hybrid of previous things I've tried. They usually start off with a name I picked out of the baby name book, hooked to a name that means something to me (be it an NFL player or a literary figure or even a TV character I have a soft spot for), but eventually the character will speak to me and choose his/her own name.
How do you choose your character names?
Posted by Elle Robb at 5/19/2010 3:12 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: denim diamonds Denim and Diamonds romance missouri character names character sketch western
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: denim diamonds Denim and Diamonds romance missouri character names character sketch western
I use a baby names book almost exclusively--though I do try to choose names that subtly fit the plot.
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