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Apr 18, 2021 · Inappropriate and misleading character names are what prompted this post. You don’t want to give a character a name that sets up the wrong expectation in your readers. If you need to give your protagonist a name that goes against type, explain why as close to the opener as possible.
- Match Their Personality: As I mentioned earlier, a character’s name plays a big role in how readers perceive them, especially during their introduction!
- Consider Your Story’s World: Next on our list, when it comes time to name your characters, you need to consider your novel’s worldbuilding. After all, the world around us plays a big role in what names we’re given—or perhaps choose for ourselves!
- Think About Meaning: While some authors think hiding meaning in their characters’ names is silly, some lean into this practice hard—and honestly, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong here.
- Avoid Repeat Letters: For rule number four, we have something that’s often easy to overlook—but that can make a huge difference if you’re juggling a large cast of characters.
Aug 16, 2018 · Coming up with character names shouldn’t be impossible, but it is important. To help you navigate this all-important choice, we drummed up 12 steps. But first, let's unpack why you might not want to simply pick a name out of a hat.
- Check root meanings. It’s better to call a character Caleb, which means “faithful” or “faithful dog,” than to overkill it by naming him Loyal or Goodman—unless you want that for comic/ironic purposes.
- Get your era right. If you need a name for an 18-year-old shopgirl in a corset store in 1930s Atlanta, you know enough not to choose Sierra or Courtney, unless such an unusual name is part of your story.
- Speak them out loud. Your novel might become an audiobook or an e-book with text-to-speech enabled. A perfectly good name on paper, such as Adam Messina, may sound unclear aloud: Adam Essina?
- Manage your crew appropriately. Distinguish your large cast of characters by using different first initials, of course, and vary your number of syllables and places of emphasis.
To know your characters name, you should have an understanding of who they are. Let's say in a fantasy book, you are working with a wide range of creatures who most likely do not have an English background. You can use the sounds of a characters name to establish personality.
Jun 24, 2024 · Got your perfect fictional character, whether for a novel, screen or role-play, but can't find the perfect name? Look no further than this page. Determine your character's ethnicity and appearance.
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Feb 16, 2022 · Do your character a solid and live vicariously through their fictional name. A special title or initial makes a name stand out. Is your character a Jr., Sr., or Dr.? are they the first, second, or fifth of their name?
