Characters’ names…

Parents only have to come up with names a few times, and they often fail miserably. Writers have to do it a lot more; they subsequently have many more times to fail and they often do. Characters’ names are important; they can make a story seem more or less real.

I was lucky my parents didn’t name me Leonard. It invariably would be shortened to Lonnie or Lon, and I was bullied with “Lawn Mower” enough as a kid—why encourage it? I have a rather common last name as it is that maybe indicates I’m at...