I'm working on a short story right now and struggling to give my characters to right names. What I'm actually doing is meshing two stories together and also meshing characters together. So, the story has been written and my revision efforts are going strong. But even when these were two stories I was unsure of the names I was giving my characters and changed them a few times. I'm not looking for name suggestions. Just wondering if some of you struggle when it comes naming your characters. Do you ever change character names during the writing process? Or in the revision process? Or maybe you get it right the first time. What's your secret? How do you know when your characters have the right names?
My editor recommended a name change for one of my characters, two characters had names that sounded to close to each other. One trick I use, is looking up name meanings, for characters.
I don't think I want to give my characters names based on the meanings behind them. I know some authors have done it, but I'm not a fan. It's a little to nicely packaged for me. I guess I'm just going through and trying to make sure the name sounds right in the story and it sounds like a suitable name for who the character is. I don't think you have to be so on the nose to get it right. Curious, why did your editor tell you to change the names of your characters? I find that very strange. Did you agree with this editor? Were you struggling with your characters' names already when you sent the editor your MS?
The feedback was that the names sounded too similar, and could create confusion for the reader. I was happy with the names when I sent the MS. But reading the feedback I could see the point they were making, so made the changr.
Oh, okay. I totally understand that. That was something I, too, was given as advice at some point and I've ever since tried to adhere to the advice. I guess I'm still sort of dealing with the way the names sound in the story. I'm not using similar names, but I still wonder if the names of my characters sound right or good with the names of the other characters in the story. And if they fit well the the rhythm of the prose. I'm probably overthinking this some. But things just aren't fully clicking the way I want them to yet.
I get your point about being on the nose with name meanings. But I take a different mental approach to it. Can I find a name with the correct meaning that will be a type of easter egg for a few readers, while going over the head of the rest. I see it as a challenge to my creativity in finding a name that will accomplish that goal.
Naming is the one thing I don't have a problem with, at least when it comes to characters. I have a hard time naming places because it makes more sense for a town's name to actually have meaning, but easy for it to seem contrived.
I rather enjoy finding names for my characters. I'm usually pretty confident in the names I choose, too. I almost never change them later. Either I'm good at getting it right, or I just get attached to the names. Either is entirely possible, lol. I mine names from friends and family, kids I went to school with, teachers, favorite musicians and authors, all sorts of places. I find it helps to search through people that way instead of just trying to think of names off the top of my head. I also come across a plethora of names at work everyday. I haven't used many of them, but I recently gave an MC in a possible future project a first name I saw at work and had never heard of before. Her last name was the name of a street another person lived on later that same day. I never start a story by coming up with characters first, but as soon as I had the name Ekta Sepulveda, I knew exactly who this girl was. The story just started filling in around her. I usually stick to more common names, but it's kind of perfect for what I have in mind. As to how one knows when a name is right, I think you just have to go with your instincts. Find a name that fits before you move on. Really look around until you're happy with what you chose and trust yourself later. That's how I do it, anyway.
Sometimes I debate whether to have characters with unique and realistic names or keep it simple. In the movie Aliens, for example, one character had the name Private Weirzbowski, which is kool, but I'd find that a pain in the rear to write it out repeatedly.
Find and replace is your friend for that kind of thing, jus write a short placeholder and zap them in later or mention it once and give him a nickname “ this is pvt Wierbowski sir, we all call him ski” or character with the most complicated name dies first… its not a coincidence that the troops to survive the fight under the reactor were all easy to pronounce and spell
My characters can go through a number of name changes throughout the writing process until I find something that 'fits.' Then there are those occasions where the name just comes out and it's all set. For one, I was going back and forth, trying to find meaning in it and something that sounded 'like' her, if that makes any sense. Finally, another character actually came up with the right name, as the MC was being called a derogatory name and the other character didn't want to call her that. She ended naming the MC after her own grandmother, which worked out pretty well.
