I go to the 1990 U.S. Census list of most common names, and then close my eyes, scroll a ways, and pick one out of whatever comes onto the screen. It works really well.
*sings the praises of behindthename.com* *Ahem* Anyway. My characters can come prenamed, prepackaged, fully-assembled, and paid shipping, or I might have to get them in pieces, whenever I find them or they become available and doing a few things custom. Or anything in between. For instance, a couple of my characters (from separate stories) popped into my head as if when I thought the name, I called them from some abyss. And they're like, "You called?" Jack, I was musing on things like the jack of all trades, master of none sort of thing, and suddenly there was my baby Jack Master, who's now quickly growing into something amazing, like some demented plant. Alfie, well, I was bored. Came across a website that if you put your name in, it'll give you your "vampire name". I wanted to see how it worked. Stick my name in and set my gender as a male, and up pops Aelfric. And in much the same way, he pops into my mind. Scholarly, writerly, religous, far-set too-blue eyes, long black hair, ancient wardrobe, petite, short figure, leadership skills, genius, and all, all popped up at once. He's gone through some minor renovations, but he's about 78% the same as when he started. (he's also, apparently, an early-1200s religious scholar/teacher/writer reincarnate of Aelfric of Eynsham, but that's beside the point. ) Then others, like Symphony and Angel, appeared, then festered for a while before suddenly they had names like they had had them all along. Still others, I thought long and hard about. Bavol, for instance, and his cast, have all gone through crazy renovations. Ciel was Zak was Edward, Bavol was Farouri, Evelyn was Evelle... Heavens, they all started out as Sonic-style animals! Ciel/Zak/Edward was based on my boredom during a 4h dog show, wanting to draw, humanizing the dog in the only style I knew, and suddenly my longest-lasting story ever. Still haven't written it, but, still. Sometimes they mean something, other times, they just fit. My Misha's a guy named Michel who was once Michael before I found the French version of the name. Really, the entire naming process has always been one of my favorite things. It's like embarking on some project, tying a neat bow, finally unlocking something--when things just click, it's such a rush. I love it.
I'd put thought into it, but don't base names on characters personalities. That's like saying to someone: "You look like a Jessica," when their actual name is Nicole. I just chose a nice name at random, just make sure it isn't anything that sounds annoying (like Chester. I HATE that name!). If you need more help then just look in baby books and stuff like that!
I've always had difficulties choosing a good name for unusual characters. I go crazy for weeks, trying to figure out a name!! I just hate it when the protagonist's name is normal! I once used "Searoar" for a dead king. It worked and people liked it! Searoar was supposed to be a someone who ran from our world to a goblin-island by sea.
A name is something precious and special to each individual character you write. So what I do to find that name is I describe the character perfectly to myself. I write it all on Microsoft Word, every singly minute detail of that character, appearance and personality. Then I picture that character in my mind. Since I have a perfect description of the guy/girl, the name just comes to me. =] I think there's been one time that the name ended up being unable to fit. In my entire life. =]
In dramas its a lot more difficult coming up with names than in fantasy. Fantasy you can just put random things together to get something vaguely cool sounding and makes sense to the general personality of a newly developed creature. Its using real names that bothers me, and I tend to always choose a similar one. And how the heff do you decide what to call your book? I've got countless projects but I haven't got one good sounding name. I always feel the title has a massive effect.
For a book title, That's really more of a finishing touch after all else is done. It's also the most likely thing to be changed by a publisher, because it's more of a marketing issue.
That's true, and I've heard that before- but if you just want a story to have a satisfactory title for yourself, are there any tips? I also find it ridiculously hard to think of good titles for my longer stories.
Is anyone else as neurotic about names as I am? I don't just mean in a story, I mean as in, everything has to have a name. If I'm playing Pokemon and I catch something, I've got to sit there for about ten minutes or so until I come up with a good name. And after about ten of them all the Tom Dick and Harry's are gone and you have to start using Lawrence, Horton, Carlita, and such... And some things I'll have to give a name, like my cat is named Mew. We were watching the first Pokemon movie. All my Drives and devices have names (Robot Slave, Data, Robot Slave Jr.). If it can have a name it needs a name.
Yeah, I get that soemtimes too, Edward. I can spend ages coming up with a name for something, like a character, until it sounds exactly right. And I can't seem to be able to carry on with doing any other work until I come up with that name. It's sort of fun, on one hand, but on the other, rather annoying
If you're really stuck, just choose a placeholder name. By the time your story is complete, you'll probably have found a name you're happy with, and you can do a global replace (aren't word processors great?). If your placeholder name is at all reasonable, you may have become sufficiently accustomed to it that it no longer feels imperfect to you. After all, in real life, we don't really get to rename our friends (nicknames don't count). Don't let name selection become an excuse to procrastinate!
I always agonise over what to call my characters. At the moment, I've got a Wilma who was this close to being Olive. I've also got a Eugenia, and I'm still thinking maybe she should be called Gertrude. Henry's name seems to fit him well, and I couldn't imagine him with any other name. Fraumgarst I just put together like that, and I still really like it. I was looking for the ultimate bad-guy rebel name when I thought of Zak Chillie. Why, no, of course I'm not crazy! Why do you ask?
The wierder the name the more people are going to hate it (if they are dispossed to hating names) - no one ever took offence at Jack or John. Thus why so many protagonists are given that name. Girls names have more variety to them, but Kate, Claire, Jane, Lisa all obvious ones. Let there last names be more descriptive of character than their first. The key is to have people read the name - not quibble over how to pronounce it - instantly recognise it as a name - and just get on with the story. Starwars - Luke Harry Potter - Harry Pirates of the Carribean - Will, Jack Die Hard - John Nothing special and yet...
I don't have the luxury of using easily pronounced/recognised names in my story, because it's set in ancient Egypt! I think people have trouble with pronouncing most of my characters' names, but I'll just put a pronunciation key at the beginning if it's a real issue. If they have a problem with that they should go and read something else because I'm not changing Djehuty to John ;-)
Google is a great place to search for names from a certain time period. Also i have found myself picking up the telephone book, its funny but it works. Most of the time i take the last names of two people and warp them to form the first and last names for my character.
"I don't have the luxury of using easily pronounced/recognised names in my story, because it's set in ancient Egypt! I think people have trouble with pronouncing most of my characters' names, but I'll just put a pronunciation key at the beginning if it's a real issue. If they have a problem with that they should go and read something else because I'm not changing Djehuty to John ;-) " I mean Egyptions didn't use latin letters back then - we maybe write phonetically. Or simplified versions? Like Kind Tut. But realism may be key in this novel. As you were.
grunch... I could never use the names of a large majority of the ppl I have met in my life for personal reasons that I cannot describe... Actually, If I had to try to rationalize, I would say that deep down I would hate if ppl thought I was using a name of someone I know with purpose... Even though, with a work of fiction, names have always seemed mostly irrelevant to me.
