SeattleGhostWriter

I sometimes have problems with names, coming up with names, how names work, ect.

What I have learned to do (and this works for me and not sure if it works for others here on the forum) is that as I write, I don't focus my energy on the name itself, but the character.

Here is an example of what I am talking about: (Time is 10:25 pm PST):


Mark stared at the package. There was no name on the package to provide who the sender was. But he just stared at the brown wrapping paper, jiggling it to see if there was anything breakable in it.

"Are you stupid?" Jackie called from the couch, watching him with interest the way a cat watches a mouse before pouncing.

"Hell no, I ain't stupid." He then had a grin flash across his unshaven face as he stepped into the house.

(Time stop 10:26pm).

When I sit down and write, I don't (as stated) focus on the name so much, but the action, the dialogue, and the scene. I just randomly conjur up three or four names and pick out the best one in a matter of a few seconds and just write. It is the action, the scene, and the characters that define themselves.

Some writers get caught up in trying to go through this process:

I want to name my character Nicole. But, I know several Nicoles and they are all witches, and I don't want her to be a witch.

Sometimes, halfway through my writing, the character develops to the point where I rethink the name and change it. (Heck, I got a private detective that went through five name changes before one fit his character, but that was after the fact I had started writing out and letting the character develop).

That is how I approach it.

Timothy

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kidstaple

Foxee, my way of coming up with names and worlds is really simple... although it might seem strange. I carry around a small Composition notebook in my back pocket, and if I read a name, hear a name or what have you, I sometimes will play with it, and twist it. It's really easy.... atleast for me!!!!

tbs21

i try to come up with my main character's names when i write the outline. later i might change their names. of course you can't name every character in the book before you start writing, because you never know when another "minor" character will pop up.

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bob rulz

I'm bad at coming up with names as well, so I usually just think of something generic as a placeholder until I can find a better name. Sometimes I'll keep the name, sometimes I won't. I'll try to find names wherever I can; people I know, names I hear, science fiction movies and novels, twisting around names I already know, Monopoly, etc.

Pat

I take 'em when they hit me. For instance, not too long ago a good idea for a novel smacked me in the face while I was sleeping. Naturally, I reached for my memo pad and jotted it down, looked at it in the morning and a title smacked me right then. A main character name smacked me a week later, two chapters into the novel. Etc etc... just put something like "John Smith" in for a name and put these words as the title: "Thetitlegoeshere" Always works for me.

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lisajane

For a new novel I've begun, I've had to think of three Russian female names for my three Russian sisters. I wound up with the following (oldest to youngest...)

Svetlana (Sveta) - seems like a common Russian name to me and I narrowly avoided actually being named Svetlana myself. God bless Mum refusing to let Dad name me.

Tatiana (Tania) - again, seems like a common Russian name to me. My close friend, Tania, will be overjoyed about this as she's always wanted me to name a character after her.

Viktoria - I just like the name, but switched the 'c' for a 'k'.

Choosing a surname for them, however, is another matter....

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