by Suzanne Lieurance
Naming characters for your fiction should be fun.
But there are several things to take into account.
Follow these tips and you’ll have more luck creating the perfect name for each of your characters:
1. Be Sure The Names You Choose Fit the Time Period and the Location of Your Story.
You probably wouldn’t use Tiffany as the first name for a female character in your novel if the story is set in 17th century Spain, for example. Instead, you’d need to do a little research to find out what names were common in Spain at that time.
2. Choose Names that Reflect the Genre of the Story.
Readers expert certain types of names for certain genres. Could you imagine Darth Vader as the hero in a romance novel, for example, or Pecos Bill as the sleuth in a modern day mystery novel?
3. Choose Names that are Easy to Pronounce (for the most part).
Readers will find it difficult to follow the action if they stumble over character names throughout the story.
4. Know Your Characters.
Create a profile for each of your characters to get to know them better. Once you do, you’ll have a better idea of the perfect name for each character. You’ll want to come up with quirky names for quirky characters, strong names for strong characters, etc.
5. Avoid Having too Many Characters with Names that Begin with the Same Letter.
This is particularly important if you’re writing stories for children. If the main characters are named Johnny, Joe, and Jason, it will be difficult for young readers to keep them apart.
6. Avoid Strange Spellings of Common Names.
Parents sometimes do this when naming their children. But when you do it in fiction, it tends to look too cutsy and distracts the reader.
7. Use a Placeholder Name.
When you have trouble coming up with the perfect name for a character, use a placeholder name so you can start writing. Don’t get stuck trying to name a character. Use a common name like Mary or John and just start writing. Change the name later.
8. Use Online Name Generator Tools.
These can be fun. Just don’t spend hours and hours playing with these tools instead of writing your story. Here are some to try:
Random Name Generator
www.behindthename.com/random
Fantasy Name Generators
http://fantasynamegenerators.com
Fake Name Generators
http://www.fakenamegenerator.com
Last Name Generator
http://www.namegenerator.biz/last-name-generator.php
9. Combine the Names of People You know.
Use one friend’s first name with another friend’s last name. Or take two well-known characters from literature, the movies, or television and combine them. Daisy Duke and Charles Dickens, for example, would be Charles Duke and Daisy Dickens.
10. Put Thought into Naming Secondary Characters, Too.
Most writers give careful thought to naming their primary characters, of course.
But be sure you take all of the previous tips into account when naming your secondary characters, too.
Try it!
Before you go, don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list.
Just fill in your name and email address, below:
