Why Characters are Named

Why do I name most of the characters I write in my stories, even when I know they’re about to die?

Because reading ‘the baker down the street’ has slightly less impact than ‘Bob, the baker from down the street’. Naming a character gives the impression that the character, no matter how minor their role, is a real person. This is a tendency that I’ve gotten from reading books by David Weber. I don’t go to the incredible extent of naming that he does, but I try to make sure that any character th...