Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tawnya Caldwell on December 14, 2011 at 10:30am

That's funny.  I don't really worry about weather people will pronounce it right or remember the spelling.  I guess I figure if your reading to yourself, it can really be anything you want it to be.  I guess it isn't until the book is read aloud that the pronunciation matters and even then not the worst thing to have happen to your work right?  : )

Having lived with an unusually spelled and often mispronounced name my entire life, I think I just enjoy the challenge of an "odd" name.  Plus, I think if it's really different it will be easier to remember.

Permalink Reply by Regina Y. Swint on December 14, 2011 at 10:53am

Good point. Unusual names are definitely more memorable. 

And you might be surprised how many times a name like Regina is mispronounced, too.  I get the long I and the hard G all the time, though not in the same pronunciation.  :)

Permalink Reply by Tia Silverthorne Bach on December 14, 2011 at 11:52am

Tia is even mispronounced. Automated phone calls, like from CVS regarding my prescriptions, say Chia (like Chia pet). Really?

 

When my daughters get caught up with how to pronounce a name while reading, I tell them just to read and say the first initial of the name in their head. I don't want them stumbling on a name. But I wonder if they tell the teacher their favorite character was T? ;-)

Permalink Reply by Jennifer McLucas on January 6, 2012 at 5:12pm

Please realize I have not actually ever published anything, lol. That said, I love to name characters. I find a lot names via the Nymbler. It's given me dozens of names I'd never thought of before. I've also found baby name websites helpful if I know I want a character's name to hold a specific meaning. 

Permalink Reply by Joanne C. Hillhouse on January 10, 2012 at 12:49pm

I struggled with this for a key character in my forthcoming book. Usually the characters, even the minor ones, show up with their names, but this guy, fittingly a sort of misfit character in the book, wouldn't give it up right away. I ended up doing a lot of research based on his family history (what would his mother name him and why...which tied in a lot with the family dynamics) and the island's history, culture etc., and eventually found something that fit his spirit (I just knew it when I heard it, that that was his name, and then when I looked up the meaning of the name, and it described him to a T, I embraced it) and he became so much easier to write and understand once his real name was in place.

Permalink Reply by MK McClintock on January 26, 2012 at 2:52am

When I first had to start coming up with names, I picked up a couple of baby name books-it really helped with ideas. I then just tried a few out that I liked until I felt I had one that fit the character's personality and/or origins. Now, it's much easier to come up with names.

Permalink Reply by Adela Crandell Durkee on March 5, 2012 at 7:02am

I approach naming in two ways:  First name, I use a baby naming book.  The meaning of the name is important to me.  For the surname I use the obituaries.  I got this tip from a short story expert. Using the name of a deceased person can avoid trouble.

Permalink Reply by Ann Rodela on March 30, 2012 at 12:06pm

Sometimes a character's name reveals something about the character.  Hercule Poirot's name means Herculean pear in French which suggests a rotund figure and how he possibly walks.  That's why I like Agatha Cristie's characters they are so life like.  I am still on my first draft so my novel is evolving.

Permalink Reply by Merry Lervold on June 22, 2012 at 3:04pm

In my novel, Reign of the Watchers, I created the majority of my characters' names with meanings.  I agree that it can be a tricky thing to do, and I found myself changing some of the names around as I wrote.  Fortunately, one of my characters was already named: Methuselah, whose Hebrew name means "man of the dart."  I worked that into my plot.  For other characters I used both Hebrew and Sumerian names and meanings.  Like for a nasty fellow in the book, I named him Abishag, Hebrew for "my father strays." One of the Sumerian names is Enkum, meaning "guardian."  He's in charge of palace security. But then, not all the names mean something... they just sounded good to me.  Perhaps it was easier for me to come up with names because my novel's setting is set eons ago!

Permalink Reply by Marivi Soliven on June 29, 2012 at 2:43pm

I depend a lot on baby names.com and keep an eye out for unusual names of actual people. I also like using names that suggest something about a character's background or personality.  For instance, a friend's grandmother's name was Wilma Wornstaff, and it worked perfectly for an aging dancer in my second novel.  Using names of friends is also something I do regularly -- they're more likely to buy the book if you tell them you named a character after them :)

Permalink Reply by LeTeisha Newton on July 19, 2012 at 9:43am

When I do names, if you dont mind me helping, I look at where they are from. Then I look at ancients names for that place or culture, because usually they have a meaning. Sometimes I pick from there, other times I mix what i read and give it to another character lol

Permalink Reply by Evalyn Lee on August 7, 2012 at 12:48pm

I find names all over the place and write them down. The local library has a great summer reading program for kids and their names get put up on the wall. Treasure trove. Graveyards, supermarket ads, bathroom walls, overheard conversations. Especially for supporting characters -- tell the universe you need some names, think about the main characteristics of the character, then go look and listen. Seek and you shall find fantastic character names. Sometimes the name changes the direction of the story and makes it better. They're like fishing lures, shiny, fantabulous and strange. A good name will always makes me bite deeper when I read a story. Especially regional names, local names, a name you'd never hear anywhere else but in that one county or on that one road. A family where everyone has the same name boys and girls. Make it crazy. Enjoy. Revel. Explore. What's in a name? The whole world. A book! Good luck with the book.

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