01 April 2015

The Anxiety of Naming a Character

**My theme for this year’s A to Z Challenge is THE NAME GAME. Everything you’d want to know about naming characters. I’m also going to attempt (miserably) to tie in today’s post with my post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Click the link to find out more!**


So you have a character. You’ve got the beginnings of a story planned out—things that will happen to him, people he’ll come across, decisions he’ll have to make. Maybe you already know what he looks like, who his friends and family are, his hobbies, hopes and dreams. But there is one very basic thing that you need to figure out in order to convey this character to your readers. Your character needs a name.

But what if you don’t have a name for him yet? The first thing I would say is: DON’T PANIC. Oh, you’re not panicking? Well, I had to tie this post in with insecurity somehow, so pretend you’re panicking!

Ok, so first, calm down. There are going to be several things that you’ll need to figure out while writing this particular story. Some can be easy, others can be difficult. Figuring out a name for your character could be either of these. Sometimes a name will just pop into your head like the actual character told you himself. Other times it could take weeks or longer to figure out. You could go through lists and websites and every resource you can find of names, never seeming to find the one that feels just right.

But seriously, don’t panic. Think about all the factors that could help you make a decision. What kind of character is he? When does the story take place? What are his parents like? You have to think of your character as a living, breathing person, and not just a figment of your imagination. What sort of influences from his family and culture would be used when he was given a name?

Perhaps the most important thing is to listen to your character. You’ll know when a name feels right, and when it doesn’t. Maybe the first name you come up with won’t be quite right and it will have to change. Maybe you’ll need to start writing the story before the name comes to you. But eventually you will figure it out and your character will have a name.

Do you ever panic when naming a character? Stay tuned for more in depth posts on the different aspects of naming characters!

31 comments:

  1. I actually quite enjoy coming up with names for characters. Fantasy characters in particular can be fun to make up! I once got some inspiration from the side of a lorry driving down the motorway - inspiration can strike anytime! Enjoy the A-Z challenge :)

    Best wishes
    Suzanne (IWSG co-host)

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  2. Interesting! For the story I posted today for A-Z, I made a conscious decision NOT to name my character, something I've never done before. If you get a chance to visit me I'd be interested to know if you think it has effected the story in any way.

    http://keithsramblings.blogspot.com

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  3. I had a little trouble naming minor characters in my book. Main characters were a little easier for me.

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  4. The only character I've had real problems naming I had to rename three times - once because one of my beta readers, the only man, actually, said the name sounded silly and it kept making him laugh, second time because I then picked the name of a TV character who happened to be too similar to my character (I did not know this TV character existed, it was just an unfortunate coincidence that my editor pointed out), and finally because the next name I tried I ended up not liking, so that one was my fault! :)

    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
    FB3X
    Wittegen Press

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  5. Usually the names come to me first, so it's rare I struggle with them. Unless I realize there are two names that are too similar and I need to pick a new one.

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  6. Maybe it's all the practice I had during this high school Dungeons & Dragons sessions, but I've always enjoyed coming up with names. :)

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  7. Hi Sarah, it's nice to meet you! :) Glad to meet another writer participating in the A to Z Challenge.

    I must admit I love naming characters, even when I'm having trouble deciding on one. I've experienced pretty much everything when it comes to naming characters; I've had a character whose name I knew immediately because it's like she popped into my head and introduced herself, and I've had another character whose name just didn't fit until I realised it was simply because that wasn't her name at all, I just hadn't been able to hear her at first.

    I love to take names from places, too; if I have a character who's Chinese I want to give them a Chinese name, and if I have a character who's Irish I might indulge in a Gaelic name. I love it when names fit.

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  8. I'm good at arbitrarily picking names. lol If they sound good and fit in some way to the story, I keep it. Or maybe my mind subconsciously chooses fitting names for any given story...Hm...lol

    For my fantasy MS, I had a name picked out for my antagonist and knew almost right away it wasn't going to work. When I finally thought of a better name, it worked so well.

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  9. I often change the minor characters' names several times before I'm happy. Name guessing is fun for historical characters - I hunt through the census listings for the most appropriate. I struggle with contemporary names.
    I'm going to enjoy reading your A-Z!

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  10. I generally don't have too hard of a time coming up with names. Most of the time they pop into my head. The rest I google names and go through baby sites until I find one that speaks to me.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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  11. Excellent.
    I always have more trouble with girls names then guy names.
    Once I renamed a female character 3/4 of the way through a book.
    And yes, I do panic!

    Heather M. Gardner
    Co-host: Blogging from A to Z April Challenge
    Blog: The Waiting is the Hardest Part [http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/]

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  12. I never panic when I have to name a character. I love it! Recently though I didn't know what to name an antagonist, so I had a contest on Facebook and my followers submitted names. It was fun. And interesting to see what everyone came up with for this bad guy.

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  13. Never had to do this not being a novelist. I can imagine it would be pretty difficult. Especially when you have to invent names because the characters don't live on our world.

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  14. I have a W.I.P just waiting to get started but my hangup: NAMES! Great post.

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  15. Generating names is something I really enjoy when planning out a story. Generally I come up with a list and look up the name's meaning to find a personality match. :)

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  16. Sometimes names just come to me, and sometimes I make it through a whole rough draft without finding the right one. Kalidess (a villain) was simply Dark Sorceress through all of draft one of Champion in the Darkness. Then, I named her something different that my CP and a number of other beta readers didn't like, and then I took a poll on facebook with three different names and decided on Kalidess.
    Other characters like Clara, Dantor, and Stelia had names right away.

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  17. I think names come out in the process too. My scifi heroes in my next book were based on two friends from college, and I tweaked their names a little, but then gave them aliases anyway! Where the villain, Zarko Fanwester, came from, I have no idea. He just turned up one day, and that was it!

    Good luck with the challenge!

    Jemima

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  18. Character naming is definitely both fun and super tough. I've had secondary characters whose name I've had to change five times. None of the other names seemed right and my beta readers caught onto it! Hooray for beta readers! :)

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  19. I've never really panicked, but I have been stuck until I could find a name that worked for a character. For some reason, characters never become whole for me until they have the right name. Looking forward to the rest of your posts!

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  20. Thanks for a great article! looking forward the rest of your A-to-Z posts. I like to make up names for idiot drivers on the highway. Then I imagine what kinds of desperate and pathetic lives they lead that cause them drive so poorly. Seriously though, names are easy for me. Must've been all that RPG action in HS and College. Still need a lot of work on character development. :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  21. It might sound strange - because a story really rides on its characters - but I've never stressed over or questioned my character names or characteristics. That is the part of writing stories, at least for me, that simply comes to me without much thought. Once I have a premise for a story, the name and who should carry the story just comes to me. That's the only easy part for me, though. LOL Great post!

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  22. I never panic. I just leave a blank and figure it out later. Sometimes it's many characters, which means a lot of blanks. Yes, that does get confusing...

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  23. Listening to them is the best advice. They know who they are, so get out of the way, author, and let 'em have their say.

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  24. Sometimes I know my characters' names right away. Other times, it's much harder. I do always know when a name isn't quite right. I might keep it for a first draft, just so I can get on with the story, but I will have to go back and figure out his/her real name.

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  25. I jot down a list of names I like, then pick one that sounds just right. I have, however, gone back and changed names because as the story took shape, the name didn't fit anymore.

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  26. Naming my characters is one of my favourite things to do. You know it when it's the wrong one!

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  27. I think you tied IWSG in perfectly, actually! What's more IWSG than anxiety? And yes, I sometimes get anxious when trying to choose names!

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  28. Pretty cool! I usually have the names come easily to me, I think its fun deciding. I do get very anxious about other things though o_O

    Happy A to Z-ing!

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  29. I often struggle with names. Sometimes I get my sister to help. (She loves names.) Sometimes I post on Facebook for suggestions. :)

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  30. I'm an inveterate name nerd, so I always have a lot of names to draw from. I tend towards classical eccentric and classical unusual, and tend to give more common, popular, or trendy names to secondary and minor characters. Even my characters from non-English-speaking lands tend to get less-common names these days. A character with a name like Ammiel or Octavia will be remembered a lot longer than yet another Jason or Ashley.

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  31. No anxiety to speak of when it comes to naming characters. The only time a character's name was an issue was when a fellow writing pointed out my character's name was similar to a UK singer and there was a possibility of confusion between that person and my fictional character (in a semi-bad way).

    Beyond that, it's pretty much a snap to come up with first names. Last names is a whole different enchilada, since I have a tendency to create last names that are connected to an inside joked/obscure pop culture reference.

    Father Nature's Corner

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