My names just come to me, I always try to make the name shorter or simpler unless I really like it or there's reason to be long.
Naming is one of my fave parts, Ive always been interested in names. I also find it fairly easy. I do it sorta like you. Think of the traits, see what comes to mind. I also use name meanings, like if your character is a lover of music, i may choose the name Aria because its meaning has something to do with music, plus its very pretty. I also think of their backround. Irish? I may find common Irish names for my character.
the story i am working on is about a boy who comes from a differnt time and culture that isn't known to exist and his name reflects that. mashuel
Personally i think names are very important. I have been known to dislike a character in a book because there name sounds too coarse, juvenile or feminine (In the case of a male character). So when it comes to naming my own characters I will end up changing their names like a dozen times before I find one that's suitable. I think it's important to make sure the names fit in with the world and the characters around them.
personally, I don't invest too much time into the characters names/naming. If the story is general fiction, I'll just choose names based on my phone book and whatever first name I can come up with. takes 1 minute in total per character. What I've been writing lately is sci-fi stuff that takes place far into humanities future in the galaxy. For this I use a mix of old earth names with a combination of aptly sounding names and surnames I can just come up with on the stop. And as I read my stories, I feel like they are pretty decent in the context of the narrative and the storyline in general.
I haven't read every reply in this post, so I'm not sure if I'm the only one who does this. I wrote a random name generator based on the names from the US 1990 census. Originally I considered using the percentages of those names the list included, but rejected that idea after some consideration. Since my stories are set in modern US, it works for me.
I always ask my online finnish friend what are common names in finland, I really like male names from there. Esteri is my favourite i think Another way of doing it, is the LOST way. look at historical, not so well known, figures and use their names as a link to their role in the plot. Thats not to say to use Jesus as every super nice character LOL
My stories (so far) take place in modern times in the Eastern US in states that I've lived in or cities I've visited several times. I tend to name characters with the first names of people I know, and use family names from the area that the story takes place. I'm currently writing about a serial killer named "dolton"; if that's your name, don't be offended, but it's an awkward sounding name that fits my awkward introverted character. I'm writing a novel that takes place in an isolated farm community in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. One of the characters is a farmer named Jebadiah Goetz. I wanted a first name that sounds like it would've been handed down from generation to generation. Goetz is a common last name in the area. There is always some logic to naming my characters.
