Character development and choosing that perfect name
One of the smallest, yet probably the most important part of character development is picking the right name. After all, your character’s very identity starts with his/her name. I’ve struggled with this ever since I started writing fiction before high school. In fact, I usually won’t even start a new fiction project until I have all the character names pinned down.
Finding Names For Your Characters
There are a lot of resources you can use to find names. The simplest is to get out your old phone book (who uses phone books anymore?) and start your search. There are websites dedicated to helping you find names. Most of these are random name generators. I’ve had more success with these than with the phone book. There are also those baby name websites. They also can be pretty useful.
In short, finding names is actually pretty easy given the number of resources we have available.
Finding A Name That Fits Your Character
This is probably the most difficult part of naming characters in fiction. Not any name will due for any character. Finding a name that fits the character’s personality and is an integral part of any story. I tend to write lists after list of potential names for a single character, all in the hopes of finding that perfect name. I always settle on one, but I’m never fully satisfied with my choice.
For me, this can be an extremely frustrating part of writing a short story.
Your Input Needed
My question to all of you is: How do you go about finding names for your characters? How do you pick a name that fits the character’s personality? Leave a comment below and share your answer. Since I really struggle with this in my own fiction, I’m looking forward to your own methods and advice.
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Names are one of the hardest parts of writing for me. I had a dream the other night that had some really interesting characters in it. I am actually even planning on writing something based on it.
The thing I CLEARLY remember is that the names for them are none existent in my mind. I can imagine the looks and appearance of them all, but their names escape me.
The best way I have found for naming Characters (or at least the Main protagonist), is have a name that is Strong and Simple. My FAVORITE character name that signifies this is the Clive Cussler character: Dirk Pitt, even that name gives you a basic idea that the character is a Go Getter. The very SOUND of the name paints the picture.
I PERSONALLY try to leave the last name with one or two syllables, while the first name I leave slightly more creatively open. If I am writing about a business man, I want something SLIGHTLY unique, as I find that people identify with that concept. Just think of the name Donald Trump, and you will get the idea I am talking about.
If I am talking about a teacher who is caught up in a police scandal, I draw on my previous teachers or professors and think of one that matches the character I am writing about. Then I work on a name similar (not exact or even close) to that.
I think you get what my methods are, and I honestly believe this is the same way a lot of people write and create. But sometimes someone comes up with a new and easier method that we didn’t expect.