I was talking to a budding author a few weeks ago and she mentioned the trouble she was having coming up with names for the characters in the mystery she\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n
Every author should have a \u201cGood Ideas\u201d folder.\u00a0 Whenever you think of an interesting scenario, write it on the notepad you should never go anywhere without and, when you get home, stick it in the \u201cGood Ideas\u201d file.\u00a0 If you sitting in a waiting room or at the airport or anywhere else where people are congregated, pick out someone by their looks, or their clothes, or behavior, and describe them in your notepad.\u00a0 Another sheet for \u201cGood Ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same holds true for names.\u00a0 If you see one that sounds catchy, or interesting, or unusual, write it down and save it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Names are everywhere.\u00a0 Think about people you\u2019ve worked with, or who were classmates in school.\u00a0 Go through the phone book or high school annuals.\u00a0 Watch the credits at the end of movies\u2014not for the stars, but when all the other names roll up, like the key grip, dolly boy, and wrangler.<\/p>\n
Unless the name is very common, rarely will you use the name of a real person, but just mix up the first and last names from your ideas list, or change the spelling.\u00a0 \u201cGail\u201d to\u00a0 \u201cGayle,\u201d or Smith to Smythe.<\/p>\n
Here are some other hints.<\/p>\n
All your main characters should have different names that don\u2019t rhyme or begin with the same letter, i.e. Jack and Rose, not Jack and Jane; Bill and Mary, not Larry (or Barry, Cary, Harry, Jerry) and Mary.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be afraid to use less common names, e.g., Stanley and Iris; Franny and Zooey.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re going to use a certain name as a signal to the character\u2019s ethnicity, spell it right, e.g. Jos\u00e9, Jes\u00fas, Johahn.\u00a0 Did you mean Seamus (actually S\u00e9amus), Gaelic for James, and not Shamus, Yiddish for handyman, or slang for a detective?\u00a0 In Ireland it\u2019s Brigid, but in France and Germany they use Brigitte.<\/p>\n
What is the time period of your novel?\u00a0 You\u2019ll want to pick first names, at least, consistent with that era.\u00a0 You can find the top twenty baby names (boys and girls) for the last several decades by doing a Google search.<\/p>\n
Finally, remember, that minor characters, those who only appear in one or two \u201cscenes\u201d seldom need names and can be distinguished, instead, by their occupation: the maid, the bus driver, the UPS man, the crossing guard.\u00a0 If there are several of those workers in minor roles, then an adjective, rather than a name, may suffice, e.g. the burly firefighter and the rookie firefighter.<\/p>\n
I had lunch with an author and we discussed one of his books published over a decade earlier, which I had just read.\u00a0 I was amazed that he could instantly recall the names of all the characters.\u00a0 Then it dawned on me.\u00a0 He had created them! \u00a0He knew them like he knew his own children.<\/p>\n
Names are people\u2019s most personal possession.\u00a0 They\u2019re as important for your characters.\u00a0 Think of the books you have read and how many characters\u2019 names you still remember.\u00a0 Spend some time choosing them .\u00a0 After the plot, your readers will most likely remember the names of your hero\/heroine, love interest, and villain.<\/p>\n
UPDATE!<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0The July 10th issue of PARADE magazine had an interview with author John Grisham.\u00a0\u00a0When\u00a0describing what\u00a0it’s like inside the outbuilding he uses as his writing room, he said, “I\u00a0also got my favorite book.\u00a0 It has 10,000 baby names.\u00a0 Every novel’s got 200 or 300 names, so I’m always looking.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(Well, unless you’re Elio Garcia.\u00a0 His novel <\/em>A Song of Ice and Fire has over 1,000 named characters!)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was talking to a budding author a few weeks ago and she mentioned the trouble she was having coming up with names for the characters in the mystery she\u2019s writing. Every author should have a \u201cGood Ideas\u201d folder.\u00a0 Whenever … Continue reading