When creating my characters, I always think of them as my children. J This only means that you want to give your characters a special name that suits their personality. Characters that are distinct and unique, can leave an impact with your readers. After the book Twilight was released, Bella was the most sought after name given to baby girls by their parents. Isn’t it amazing how one name can leave such a huge impression on people’s lives?
I hardly ever get to pick the names of my characters. When I think of them, a name usually tags along with the rest of their attributes. And when I try to change their names, they pout and won't cooperate in the story any longer. :)
ReplyDeleteCharacters come with there names intact most of the time when I start a new WIP. The characters come out of the shadows within my darkly sordid and colorful mind and they introduce themselves, applying for the job of lead or side character. Sometimes, I have to make up names, but I usually go with whatever pops into my head. :-)
ReplyDelete@Dianne and Kate, interesting comments! It goes to show how connected you guys are with your characters. I love our exchange of ideas. Keep it coming! Thanks for sharing your experiences with me.
ReplyDeleteI pick names I can type quickly! One gets tired of typing Gutenburg or Schwartzenheimer! Heck, I get tired of typing Chamberlain...and I'm stuck with that one!
ReplyDeleteStill, names can be problematic. There seems to be an abundance of often-used names in my chosen genre (westerns), so I try hard to use fresh ones. In my Solstice novel, I used "Shaw" as the lead character (my paternal Grandmother's maiden name). I used "Roark" for another main character. "Ballou" for my villain. Since it's a western, I promised myself and any future reader that there wouldn't be one single "Slim" or "Butch" in the entire 100,000 words!
Dan Chamberlain
www.daniel-chamberlain.com
@Dan! That's a good point to consider. You chose some unique names out there. :-)Thanks for sharing!
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