Comments on: Writing Resources for Naming Your Characters

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:33:34 +0000

I like your innovation! I never would have thought to look for names among the spam. Maybe it’s good for something after all.

By: Victor Powell

Victor Powell — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:57:38 +0000

I have used all the above plus spam mail and looking down at the keyboard and starting the name with the letter my index finger was touching.

But all in all, I do think that naming characters require great care for they will be known by the name and could be life or death of your book.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:03:04 +0000

The band Marilyn Manson comes to mind — all the band members took their first names from Hollywood starlets and their last names from criminals (murderers, I believe). In some ways, I think this approach in writing (and naming characters) lacks originality. On the other hand, it does pay tribute.

By: Joseph Condron

Joseph Condron — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:14:04 +0000

Some authors use real or composite names as a tribute to other people.

It is nice to recognise the talents of other authors who have contributed to the area you are writing about.

Although if one was to be cynical, one could say that it was born out of insecurity and a need to display research that was carried out by the author!
.-= Joseph Condron´s last blog ..About The Cicada: Master Of Time And Numbers =-.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:36:40 +0000

You’ve developed a great method for coming up with names. I do all that stuff too, but still don’t have much luck. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just too picky!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:11:50 +0000

For the most part, I usually can come up with a name for my characters off the top of my head, mostly because I spend so much time combing the internet for them (Something I enjoy doing, oddly enough). However, for those names I get stuck on, I narrow down my search by the characters personality, or heritage, or something in their lives that kind of defines them. I pick up names from everywhere I can because of my fascination with them and for my characters, but I like to use thinkbabynames.com a lot. I can search by keyword in the meaning or history of the name, or by origin, gender or even variations. And I always keep my eyes open for interesting names in what I read and hear.

By: S.D.

S.D. — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:27:31 +0000

I love remixing names. I also really like behindthename.com .-= S.D.´s last blog ..In other news... =-.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:06:43 +0000

Ah! I never thought of that, but it’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing it Paulo!

By: Paulo Campos

Paulo Campos — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:14:12 +0000

I’ll often sit through movie credits, jotting down any unusual or interesting names. If I don’t happen to be thinking about this at the movies, IMDB can do the trick.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:05:47 +0000

Yes, I agree that sometimes a villain is better off with a simple, regular name. The same is true for heroes. It really depends on the story. Since I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, the names are often exotic (not names you normally come across) and I always like it when those names somehow reflect the character’s personality or say something about the character, even if it’s only symbolic. But I have read stories in which average, everyday names work perfectly. Thanks for adding this perspective. You definitely didn’t offend anyone but merely opened up the discussion to more ideas. Thanks, Caliban.

By: Caliban

Caliban — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:25:33 +0000

I am abnormal. Not that names are unimportant, but that the right name need not be a mystery to solve.

Villainy is better hid in a creature called Ross, than something darker, something visible a mile away. James Bond carries strength from single syllables (close enough), an old husbands tale, and the work that made that simple name something larger.

A character, complete, complex and consistent will give life to the name given. Pebbles may not work so well, but common sense would not use that, when Sue is a much better boys name.

Jason is both hero and monster. As an aside, my ex-wife’s family name was Voorhees (yes, for real, with a brother associated with…well that’s mine to use, sorry).

Michael Myers, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn Manson; tragic and immortal, immortal and tragic, tragic and tragic – got give up some tears for M and M’s.

You may consider repetitive syllables (Mor Dor, Fro Do – and on and on), an abundance of vowels, which is seriously abused, or bend first and last to one (JakeSully). At some point, an author was the first to use it. Thousands will tear themselves apart to recreate it. Take a deep breath….

I hope I didn’t offend anyone…I can’t help but be a boat rocker.

Caliban

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:16:06 +0000

Evelyn, you just said the magic word: Pern. The Dragonriders of Pern is by far my favorite fantasy series. I’ve read the entire collection twice! I too find villains more difficult to name than heroes. One of my favorite villain names is Snape (from Harry Potter). I like to use made-up names for villains so that I don’t create a negative association to a regular or common name. That’s just me being finicky