Hello, My Name is���
How do you find the perfect name?
I open up a phone book (remember those?) and stab my finger blindly onto the page. That���s the name of my protagonist. Flip more pages and repeat for all the other characters.
Oh, if only it were that easy.
Character names are important to me, so I spend a lot of time thinking about them. Once in a long while, a name pops into my head that���s perfect. In THE TASTE, one of the secondary characters is named Bogart, and it took me about three seconds to come up with that one.
Usually, though, it���s a much more protracted process. With a character in mind, I���ll generate/brainstorm a list of names. As my list grows, somehow the character becomes more defined in my mind, and the disparity between the names I���m generating and the ���perfect��� name narrows.
After I���ve got a list of between ten and fifty names, I���ll go through and start eliminating. (And adding others, as I think of them). When I���ve narrowed it down to two or three, then I sleep on it.
And often, four days later, I���ll change the character���s name to something brand new. Naming characters is more of an art form than a science.
I agree with Meredith on many counts when it comes to naming characters (see her post on Monday). Like her, I���ll test drive a name for a while (even half a book!). If it doesn���t feel right, I have no resistance to changing it.
Like Meredith, it���s important to me that my characters have age-appropriate names, so I also use the SSA website to authenticate my names. And she���s right about getting sidetracked!
Also like Meredith, I try to avoid using character names that begin with the same letter. To keep track of things, I use a chart, with the letters of the alphabet down the left hand side and three other columns: male first names, female first names, and last names. I try to fill out each block in the grid before using the same initial letter in a name.
I also try to avoid names that rhyme: Jill, Bill, Will, Phil, McGill. And I try to vary the length of the names, too���can���t have everyone with a one-syllable name!
Last rule? No characters named Alan.
(This entry is ���simul-posted��� on Criminal Minds .)
