How do characters in books get their names? How do authors decide what to name their characters?
Personally, there are four things I consider when naming characters: having unique names that are not too crazy, having memorable names, having a name that fits the character, and not having sexually ambiguous names.
First, giving a character a unique name that is not crazy. I am not a big fan of common names, not even when I'm not reading. When I have children, they will not be named Bob, or Tom, or John, or anything common like that. Not that there are anything wrong with those names, I just don't prefer them. Some one's name should be unique, as unique as that person is, and possibly their situation. Names like Waverly, Rivers, Lux, Jaden, Mercy, Sawyer, Graham, are all names that are memorable, unique, and interesting.
A character's name has to be memorable. A reader may love the book and want to tell their friends about it, but if the characters names are not memorable then they will not remember them and telling their friends about it would be difficult. Names of book couples like Patch and Nora, Dimitri and Rose, Katsa and Po, are all memorable names and guaranteed to stick in people memories and hearts.
A character's name has to fit them. I love unique names, but they have to fit the character. A lot of the time, in my writing, I like to give villainous characters really sweet, innocent names. I feel like giving evil characters names that are sweet only adds to their evilness; Sophie, Cassie, and so on.
Alas, giving characters sexually ambiguous names is boring, confusing, and often, not memorable. Names like, Sam, Alex, and so on, could lead a reader to be confused and thus become disinterested in what they are reading.
If you are writing, anything, remember that characters names should stick with the reader. If a name is unique, memorable, and fits that character, the reader is more likely to remember and care about those characters and enjoy their reading experience more.
No comments:
Post a Comment