Ho Do You Choose Your Characters' Names? Are There Names You Avoid? by Connie Vines RR#83 #WritingTIps

This month's topic: 

How do you choose your characters' names? 

Are there any you avoid?

Character names are one of most important decisions I make when I begin a story.  Names have meaning and often set the tone of a novel. People have pre-conceived ideas of how a hero named 'Sam' should look/act verses a 'hero named Kaleb', for example.
I give one of my main characters a unique name which defines his/her personality or hint's at his/her background.
For example: In Rodeo Romance Book 1, featured a hero named: Lynx Maddox. Lynx is a bull-rider and dubbed 'the Wild Cat of the Rodeo Circuit'.  
Rodeo Romance Book 2, brought us: Brede (pronounced Breed) Kristensen is a widowed rancher.
My current release: Gumbo Ya Ya: an anthology for women who like romance Cajun style has a cast of characters in the four stories. Because each story features a Cajun hero/heroine, one will have a Cajun last name. 

Story One: Murphy Flynn and Sylvie Dupree.Story Two: Persia Richmond and Cooper T. Story Three: Julia Kincade and Sebastian Beaux  Story Four:  Enza and Gabriel

In my WIP my hero's name is Sam.  
Sam is a straightforward and down-to-earth guy--just as the meaning of his name implies.
A name is an easy way to define a character.  No long narrative needed. The reader knows Sam isn't  into flashy fashion or throwing away his savings on a whim.

 If your character is born in July: The flower: Larkspur (Lark) or Water Lily Gemstone: Ruby    Astrological Sign: Leo/ Lenora


Are there names I avoid?
Yes, I try not to have characters in a novel with similar names, or names beginning with the same letter.  
I do not like phonically spelled names: Kaleb, Danyella, Jakob, etc. this person is going to spell his/her name continually and I predict errors on legal documents too.  And in my case, however, I find it unwanted distraction when reading a novel. 
How do you feel about character's names?Do you have favorites?
See what the wonderfully talented authors of 'Round Robin' have to share with you today :-) 
Happy Reading!
Connie Barnes and noble Amazon Smashwords

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/

Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

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Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2i7

Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/

Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/

Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/

Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com