I'm taking part in Deana Barnhart's blogfest this month, and the first week challenge is to ask a random writing question. So here you go...
I was thinking about this yesterday because I'm reading a book at the moment where the main character's name is Eli. My oldest son is Eli (Elias actually, but we call him Eli) and even though the writer has described this Eli as being rangy with dark hair and sad green eyes, I can't help seeing a skinny, freckled redhead as I read. Because that's my Eli.
In one of my books, I had 3 characters with names starting with M, and various critique partners told me it was confusing. So I changed one from Matt to Steve, and it completely flummoxed me. Every time I read through the MS, I'd come to this name and go "Who?"
My characters almost always come to me with their names already decided. I don't give them their names. It's a little disconcerting sometimes, because the names are not always ones I like or would have chosen myself if given the option, but they are always the right names for the character. I think that's why it's to hard to change them later, even if it is just a matter of 'find' and 'replace'.
How do you pick names? And do the people you know with those names affect the way you see characters in books?
My family is all J's - Jim, Jamie, Julie, Jolene and James (who went by Jimmy when he was little).
ReplyDeleteI STILL have an affinity for J names and have totally overused them - mostly because my mom has a list of J names a mile long to choose from :D
I also unabashedly named and patterned a character Michael, after my husband. It's all just fun...
I laughed outloud when you said you got confused after changing a name. The same thing happened to me when I realized I couldn't have half the characters in my WIP all have names that started with F...yeah, bad idea. Lol.
ReplyDeleteMy taste in names is for the odd and obscure - I think being one of 5 Kates in my class at school affected me - but somehow my characters all end up with fairly normal names. I overuse Danny though, for some reason. I don't even know an Dannys...
ReplyDeleteIs it weird that I don't give my names a lot of thought? I think about the character's personality and then pick a name I think would suit who they are. It's kind of like naming pets; the name fits the personality (stripped orange cat, "Tiger", big black dog, "Bear").
ReplyDeleteI usually struggle with names as much as with titles, and often change them at the last minute! That said, I do get flummoxed (great word!) if I have to change a name I absolutely love. Was watching a movie (How to Train Your Dragon) the other day and realized I'd plucked a name straight from it, then had to sweat for a while trying to decide if discovering your inspiration necessitates a rethinking. I decided no. If the name fits the character (it did!), then let it be.
ReplyDeleteUsually my characters pick their own names. One is a real cliche and I tried to change it but she wouldn't have it. Sometimes I've had to change names when I've had too many starting with the same consonant. I've found too, that a name tends to define appearance and character, so I'm careful with girls names especially. Some names are really plain and I tend to avoid them.
ReplyDeleteI think it's hard to change a name once you start seeing the character with that name (kind of like naming one of your children).
ReplyDeleteSo, how do I pick names? Sometimes, I make them up. Sometimes I hear a great name and write it down to be used later. But I do take choosing names seriously, and think about how they sound, the meanings, and associations I have with the names. Again, it's like naming a real person for me.
Names are very important to me, both as a reader and a writer. Sometimes I wade through hundreds of lists until I find just the right name for each character.
ReplyDeleteI read a post recently on a different blog about picking names. The writer would go into his spam folder and choose one of those names! Never thought to do that. I just no to make sure your names are current unless you are writing historical fiction. I wouldn't write an MG with an eleven-year-old girl named Susan.
ReplyDeleteNames are tough for me, because they do make the character. I cant' start writing until my characters have names and they very rarely come to me. I work with a lot of names in any job I've done though (insurance eligiblity, college registrations, etc), so if I get really stuck, I pull up a list, and randomly pick a first name from one person and a last from another that I think go well together.
ReplyDeleteI wish picking a name was as easy for me as it is for you. I struggle with it, then head to google. I seem to want a certain meaning behiind their name so it is just a big headache. Then when I find it is like the sky opening up a ray of light on the situation. I love it!
ReplyDeleteAs for names in a book that are names I know...YES, it gets me every time!
I try out a whole bunch of names on my characters as though subjecting them to a dressing room of names. Eventually one fits with the personality I have created.
ReplyDeleteIf an author paints a picture of a character that is vivid enough, I usually do not picture the person I know what that name.
Sometimes names are easy for me, sometimes they are difficult. For my main characters, I mostly like unique names, so often I make them up, but that's not always easy and sometimes I may come up with a name I like but it does not feel like it suits the character I have in mind. Also, I have a "name list" that I refer to when starting a new project. One time I wrote more than half the book with my MC under one name before her true name finally came to me and I changed it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of the opposite of Loralie - the name of the character comes only after I start to get to know him/her. In some instances that's way into the brainstorming/outlining process, when I'm still writing things like "Girl and her Sister talk about their father in the morgue" Or, "The older woman says she can't walk but they know she can." This can go on for a very long time, I can create the arc of the story and sketch in some pretty detailed plot points, but usually when I get down to actual writing I have a name.
ReplyDeleteBUT it's not always the right name. I had a secondary character named Nelson for almost the entire first draft. Then I realized his name was SOOO not Nelson. It was Julian, obviously.
One thing I will say, read your character's name out loud. There can be some funky syllables, sounds going on when you hear the name out loud that you just don't get when reading the ms.
I love choosing names. Often, I look up names based on some meaning particular to the character. But there have been a few times I've chosen a name for the sound or because of someone I know.
ReplyDeleteMost of my characters are animals and I mostly don't even give them proper names i.e. Kangaroo, although there is a boy protag in my current WIP called Tim. I've always loved that name and I do know a Tim but don't associate it. I'd certainly stick away from associations until you have a lot of characters under your belt. Some memories are best forgotten lol.
ReplyDeleteGood question! Some come right to me, others I have to search on for hours, and they still don't fit. I use name meaning websites sometimes, and look up keywords that are attributes of my character and see what names pop up.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you asked this question. The WIP that I've been piecing together for the readers on my blog, had too many R names. Same problem with my MS before this one, but the letter L was the culprit. I seem to subconsciously become fixated on only one letter at a time. Not sure what my deal is. So strange.
ReplyDeleteUsually I don't think too much about names, but on my current WIP I kind of have. I looked through baby names until I found one with the right feel.
ReplyDeleteMy last book had all the characters named after my daughters. Just to make them happy :)
I worked in a movie theater for YEARS as a manager. Great to read your blog!
Laura
laurabwriter.blogspot.com
Names for me can show up at pretty much any time during the pre-writing process. If I haven't come up with a name when it's time to start writing, I just choose a throw away name that I can replace later. If I have to change a name, I generally don't have trouble with it afterward, although sometimes while writing the old name will slip in.
ReplyDeleteCharacters with similar names can be confusing for readers. I have found that because my characters have such different personalities their names are very different.
ReplyDeleteI'm, now following you.
Hi Kate, I'm a new follower and fellow BlogFester.
ReplyDeleteYou pose a good question though I'm not too sure how to answer. I agree that too many characters with names that begin with the same letter or sound similar is confusing. I'm having that problem with the book I'm currently reading, Divergent. I keep getting All and Will mixed up.
As far as how I choose names, I first think about their ethnicity and background. This was important in my novel since the characters are all either English, Aussie, Italian or Russian, so the names had to reflect their heritage. I then used databases for names in those countries to find ones that fit the makeup of the character.
One thing I don't think a writer should do is involve some kind of symbolism in the characters name. It comes off as trying too hard.
I'm with magpiewriter on this one. Often names only come to me once I've started my first draft. Until then they're things Mr X or BF. I don't see the point in rushing something so important.
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