Writing Tools: Finding Character Names By Susan Hanniford Crowley

A photo my daughter Cera took inside of the Cloak and Wand store in Mystic, Connecticut

I dream my books, so my characters often come with names though not always last names. Secondary characters need names too. I have several ways to find names that I’ve used in the past.

Old Telephone Books – I always do a mix and match of first and last names. I don’t want to name my characters after actually living persons. The Family Tree – If you are lucky enough to have a family tree drawn up that goes about 200 years back or more, it is a great resource of names. Cemeteries – By visiting old cemeteries during the day, you can find some fascinating names on gravestones. Again I mix and match first names and last.Scrabble – Looking for an unusual name, then throwing Scrabble tiles and seeing what comes up can be fun and enlightening. Books of Baby Names and Websites – These are the smorgasbord of names.

I think you have plenty of methods to use now. Happy Name Hunting!

All the best!
-Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance and now YA novels too.
www.susanhannifordcrowley.com
Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

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