Thread: Names, names, names help please.

Hey I'm working on my first book , and the storyline went awesome. The only problem I'm having is that I can't come up with any names just wanted to know what you did to get names for your characters?

Think of two people you know who have similar characteristics to the one in the story and take the first name of one and the second name of the other.
Leave them blank for a bit and then one day I will be typing away and simply put a name in that has come to me naturally.
Take the first name I see in the newspaper and twist it a bit to fit.
I have used all these at some time.

I choose names by the story setting. If it takes place in Europe, then I look up names for
what ever country . If it's Nebraska USA, I use common American names. If it's Si-Fi make one up.
Long Shot

When I try to write fiction I first call the guys Joe, Harry, Bob, and Sam, and the girls Mary, Debbie, Jane, and Becky. (That may be one reason my fiction fails.) But that's only on the first writing of it. On a later pass I'll come up with more creative names. By then I'll have the text moved into Word for formatting and can use 'find and replace' to take out Joe and put in Angél or whatever fits the character better. Generic names work better for me than leaving the name blank at the beginning.

One of my most recent stories starts out 'Joe, Harry, Bob, and Sam went into a bar...'

Usually when I start writing, I just use a random name, the first that pops into my head. Once I get the character I'm more able to figure out what name would most fit them (or least fit them, if I want to go for the "que?" factor). I keep a list of names. When I see a name I like, I put it on the list. I collect a lot of interesting ones at work.

I also put down the first names to pop in my head, then change them later. I've been know --whilst furiously scribbling the first draft-- to give a very minor character two different names! Oops! Other than that I use variations on names of people I know that suit the characters, it seems to really cement their personality in my head. Rochelle may become Shelly or Narelle twists to Nadine. I hope this helped.

Thank you all soooo much. This helped me with how to figure out the names of people if I was writing a regular book, which is probably my next big task (ugh), but on this book its a fantasy so regular names sometimes just don't work. what would you do in
that situation? Again thank you SO much.

Why not look in the spam folder of Google mail (if you have Google mail) and take the names of the people who sell v145&a!

You study Nabokov.

One thing I like to do is simply use a nickname or something for a while just to keep the writing flowing like "the red head" or simple Jane. Then later, once my character is solid and complete, I think of his/her parents. What type of people their parents were/are and how it affects what type of person they are. I go through that and try to understand my character's life as a child and in this way I get to know them and their parents more. By doing this, it usually comes to me what the parents would have named someone like my character when they were born.

If you have problems naming characters, I advise you plug in something you can type quickly and remember, then use Find and Replace later. Shop it to readers and ask them if "Joe" works or if "Joe" ought to be a "Leonardo", "Adonis", or even a "Ka'tari".


All else fails, there's always name generators.

Originally Posted by seigfried007

All else fails, there's always name generators.

Can someone get in trouble using a name generator? Are these real or ficticious names?

Fantasy stories are a little unique in that you're not only creating fiction characters but a fictitious world as well. Having done this myself I would take a step back and look at the place of origin for the character you are trying to name. Ask yourself these questions:

What language do these people speak and what does it sound like?
What are the lands they lived called, what have they named the lake or street they live on?

Examine these elements and I think you'll start to get a feel for what the names should sound and look like.

For me, it depends on what kind of character it is. If it's a realistic character (someone who could be alive and in a real situation), I'll take a name of someone I know with similar qualities. I wouldn't use a name of someone close to me in my life.
Example:
I have a character that is strong, but very quiet. That simple description would best fit my good friend whom I used to work with when I lived in California, Sanford.

However, I use someone distant enough from me that they wouldn't assume that the character was named after them.

With unrealistic characters (in a fantasy world, superhero, etc.) I try to match who or what they are, or their personality, with a name.
Example:
My last story involved the devil in human form (in the early draft). I looked at names for the Devil (could also work with any dominating qualities for a character). Lucifer caught my eye, and I named him Lucas. I needed a last name, so I scrambled Satan to make Stana.

Personally, I think unrealistic/mythical/nonhuman characters are really fun, because you can hint to the nature of the character without giving it away immediately. Maybe no one would know that Drako Slaid actually hints towards Dragon Slayer until he makes that name for himself.

Even if the reader doesn't pick up on the name, it will be a reminder to you what they are all about. It will help with your character development.