What’s in a name? Well, for me,
sometimes naming characters is a bit like trying on clothes. I gather as many
names as I can carry, haul them into the dressing room, try them on, angle this
way and that way in front of the mirror, ask a trusted buddy for her opinion,
discard ones that don’t fit, and whittle down the possibilities until one has
been selected. It’s important to get a character’s name right. A reader has to
travel with that character for hundreds of pages. An improperly named character
can mean the difference between an enjoyable read and an
I’m-not-going-to-finish-this-book read.
I often call potential names out
loud in voices portraying the varying moods found in my stories. I need to know
a name is going to sound great even if another character is screaming it in
rage. I try out the names while I’m talking to my characters. You might hear me
say, “Well, you know, Patrick…” just to see if his name flows nicely in the
context of a conversation. If it doesn’t, I’ll try another until I get the
right vibe. Meanwhile, The Husband wonders who all these men are.
And what about a shortened form
of a name? David to Dave, Michael to Mike, Steven to Steve. Who will use the
shortened forms? Parents, friends, lovers? Are there shortened forms you as the
author just won’t tolerate? Richard to Dick? Is it going to completely
emasculate your Alpha hero, Ralph, if someone calls him Ralphie? These are all
considerations to keep in mind when naming a character.
Once a first name is selected,
the hunt for last names can be challenging. I’m Italian and live in a
predominantly Italian neighborhood. Most of the people I know are Italian. The
urge to make every last name sound like something out of The Godfather or Goodfellas or have it end in a vowel
is always there. To help vary it up, I began collecting possible last names in
my writer’s notebook. One fun source has been the names of towns along I-91 as
I travel from Rhode Island to Vermont on the weekends. In Kisses to Remember, the
hero, Holden Lancaster, has a first and last name that are towns on that route.
His heroine, Johanna Ware, sports a last name that came from a highway sign. In
Firefly
Mountain, the last names of Claremont, Barre, and Thetford all came
from this town method as well. This name collection system has really helped me
branch out of the parmesan-encrusted bowl of gravy I had been stuck in with
names. The whole world isn’t Italian or Irish or whatever ethnicity in which
you’ve been held hostage.
Sometimes names have just come to
me when characters are introducing themselves in my mind. I’ll be walking my
dog, and out of nowhere, a voice will say in my head, “Hi, I’m Detective Daxton
Wilder, and you should write my story.” Umm, okay, Dax. I’ll get right on that.
And suddenly, no other name is right for him. He. Is. Daxton Wilder. Down to
the core. I can try calling him something else, but he won’t listen. If he
doesn’t listen, his story doesn’t get written, and that makes us both cranky.
Names are sometimes derived from
something that describes the character. For example, in my young adult book, Run
With Me, about a tree spirit, I chose the last name Everleaf for the
hero, Jobah. It has a tribal, earthy feel that is perfect for his story and who
he is. The heroine, Olivia Bradford, received what I’d call an upper middle
class name. She lives in a respectable suburb, attends a nice school, is on the
track team, has two brainiac parents. The last name Bradford was found with my
town method mentioned earlier, and it sounded professional with the word doctor in front of it for her
parents.
I’ve also heard names of real
people that I’ve simply fallen in love with like Salem Grimm. Fantastic! I’m
going to use that someday. Everywhere I go, I check out employee nametags. I’ve
come across some great names like Avaline, Gretah, and Doone. Unusual spellings
of names can be fun too. Carissa can be Kharissa. Or Kevin can be Kevyn. Play
around with names.
Naming characters is a blast, and I do think that those names can help
determine who that character is going to be in a story. Treat your readers to
some solid, creative names that will enhance their reading experience and have
them remembering your characters long after the last page has been read.
Toodles,
Chris
