Thread: Character names?

I used to use the "looks like" method most of the time. I drew a lot, and would draw little sketches of faces until I got one that I thought fit the character description I was looking for. When I had the "look" that I wanted the character to have, I then tried to decide what name fit the face. It probably sounds eccentric, but I thought it was actually kind of fun to do it that way.

I use a range of name and identity generators to build lists, and from those I feel out what works. For a time, I followed the example of the lunatic from Steve Martin's The Jerk, randomly picking out a name in the phone book. But the bulk of people in this region have french backgrounds, so that was limited.

This is my quick toy: Name Maker LE

nvrmnd.

dubble posed.

I love making up names, and using unusual names as well. Some are longer with apostrophes, but I try to make them readable and shorten them to use through the story, like many of us have nicknames. Names are crucial for me, and make all the difference in the world to my writing their characters.

So far I am just in fantasy but I think even in modern fiction I'd use less common names for my main, using something more common for a side character only if it just fit like a glove.