Ed Lynskey's Blog: Cracked Rearview Mirror - Posts Tagged "character-names"

I could write a chapter on how I come to name my characters. The process has evolved since I began writing fiction 11 years ago. For starters, I've shifted away from using exotic or hard-to-pronounce names. I don't want my readers (or me) tripping over the name each time it rears up in the text.

Which characters should get names? If the character speaks more than a few lines, then he or she is assigned a name. Lots of lists of names get drawn up. I also like to put together two different names (first and last) to form a new one. "Jesse Taliaferro" is an example. A reader later emailed me, wondering why I'd used her late grandfather's name. No. Jesse came from the bluegrass band Jim & Jesse, while Taliaferro was a Civil War general.

Research is the key sometimes. When I wrote The Blue Cheer, I researched online the most common surnames found in West Virginia, its setting. A teenager once emailed me, saying I'd gotten the same name as his. LOL. I only wished that I was younger than he was. Fat chance.

Sometimes when I recognize a real person's name being used in fiction, it throws me out of the story. I can picture their face instead of the fictional character's face. On the other hand, my small town cozy mystery Quiet Anchorage uses my two late aunts' names. So, go figure that one.