Monday, September 13, 2010
Character Names????
To me, character names are very important. You can tell a lot about a character just by their name. When I was searching for a name for my main character in A Bitch Named Karma, I needed something strong and sassy, bold. Mary or Sue or Elizabeth just would not have worked at all. I liked Lexi, which is short for a more traditional name-Alexandra, but no one uses her full name except her mother. And that fits too. Her mother is always trying to push her ideals of a perfect life- a traditional life- onto Lexi and she wants no part of it.
I finished reading a book last night...a cute romance that I really enjoyed. But I had issues with some of the character's names. The main character was Flora, and that did fit..she was very shy...very withdrawn...it was okay that she didn't have a real common name. But the two men in the story, Logan and Conner, to me, those names just sounded too new to be grown men. All the Logan and Conners I know are little boys.
So maybe it's just me on this one. But when I search for names, I also take a look at the top 100 names for the year the character was born. Usually I want to avoid ultra common names, though sometimes my character calls for that too. But I just don't like names that would have obviously been way off for the year the character was born.
Just my thoughts!!
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I'm reading a YA book right now where the MCs name is Bianca and it fits perfectly. I have an mc in my wip named Jessica, but I keep seeing that name in books, so I may change it. I love finding character names.
ReplyDeletenames are usually important, but i also find that some names have double meanings for an author or even a reader. lexi was a strong name- you picked it very well.
ReplyDeleteI think and think and think some more when I name a character. And then the name pops in my head and that's it!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I pick a character's name because of its meaning (usually my medieval stuff). With fantasy, I sometimes make up names. Otherwise, I look up the year they were born for names. It depends on the story.
ReplyDeleteLexi fit your character perfectly! Of course, I also love that name!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by ladies!!!
ReplyDeleteLisa, there is a Bianca on a soap that I watch...so for me...it's gonna be hard to change the imagine in my mind to fit this different character...and I bet I know what book you're talking about!! Cant wait to start The Duff!! :)
Thanks Summer and Farmer's wife...I really like Lexi too!! And a friend of mine just named her baby Lexi...so that's kinda hard for me to manage!! LOL!!
top 100 names! Wow what a great idea
ReplyDeleteCharacter names actually give me the hardest times as a writer. Occasionally a character will come to me with a name and nothing else fits for them, other times I have to google to really find the right name.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I will say...I recently worked with a Logan who was (probably) mid to late 30s.
Yes! I also look up common names for the year of birth, and I agree that Logan and Conner are not names for adult men. Teens at best.
ReplyDeleteSince I write a lot of historical fiction, I often dig into historical lists which include names that are old fashioned, but also interesting: Geneva, Ransom, Madison (for a man),Sadie ... Graveyards are also good research for names: Ransloe, Asenath, Eggletine ...
Dianne, those are great names for a historical!! Never thought to browse a cemetery for name ideas!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!!
I agree that character names are important and should fit that character. However, I have the hardest time coming up with the right names for my characters. Sometimes, it takes a few tries before something sticks.
ReplyDelete