The Name Game

Naming a character is like naming one of your children.  You want to choose carefully and pick something that will make an impression.  However, there is a fine line between unique and just plain bizarre.  My sympathies go out to the Apples and Blues of the world.  At least a book character does not have to endure a lifetime of snickering and eye rolls after an introduction.

When I was pregnant last year, I was on the lookout for names.  I wanted something different, but not completely off the wall, with an Irish flavor.  I found myself checking pretty much everything that had a name written on it.  My quest netted me quite a list, not just for our new addition, but for future characters as well.  It was how my new protagonist, Rainer Donovan, was born.

My husband, of course, hated every name I came up with. His claim was that he had the choice for the third one since the first two were my pick.  Nice thought, but for everything women go through to give birth, they really should have the final say.  Jokingly, he made reference to the surname of an infamous hockey player.  The older ones loved it and after a little research, I found it was actually an English name.  We ended up pairing it with a classic and I got my wish.  Something pretty with an unusual flair.

Generally, I find choosing the first name of a character much easier than the last.  I always keep my ears and eyes open for a good one and file it away in a notebook I keep.  In a pinch, you can let your fingers do the walking through a phone book until those become completely obsolete.

A classmate from an online writing class once pointed out to me that I shouldn't have named two characters in my story Michael and Mark.  His feeling was that you should not have characters with the same beginning letter because it is too similar and can be confusing to the reader.  I don't know if that is necessarily true, but it can be something to be mindful of.

Whatever moniker you decide on, be sure to stay with it throughout the manuscript.  You don't want Claire to turn into Clarice by Chapter ten.