Hi all,
This week I'm going to talk about a crucial part of writing, how to name your characters! Each character needs to have a name that feels right to you. When people read your work, you want them to remember your character and what they went through. So I thought I would discuss a few ways I give my characters first names!
There are several ways to name characters.
Name generators.
I've used name generators for a few of my characters before. I use this method mostly for side characters or antagonists.
Googling names.
With Tahira (Curse of Anubis), I wanted a name that had 'Ra' in it. I googled names that contain those letters and looked down the list until one felt right. This is especially good if you want a character's name to begin with a certain letter, but can't find a name that fits.
Use a celebrity name.
If a name calls out to you that belongs to your favourite celebrities, then go for it! Jenna (Celestial Plague), for example, is named after the actress Jenna Coleman because I absolutely loved her on Doctor Who!
After a place.
So far the only character I've deliberately done this for is Cheyenne (Years). I try not to use this method too much unless the name really suits a character.
A random name you like.
Hazel (Elemental Dragons) and Audra (Mute) are names that I absolutely loved and knew would fit a character one day! This doesn't happen too often but I love when it does.
After a pet!
So far, two of my cats, Rocky and Normie, have been featured in Elemental Dragons. Rocky is a human character while Normie is still a cat. I don't see a problem with naming characters after pets and I think it's adorable!
Surnames.
For surnames, I tend to go with surname generators. I have several ways of coming up with first names but I suck with surnames. I usually go through a list until I find one that I think fits the character. This is usually done after all the main characters have first names.
That's it for this week. I hope this post helps if you're struggling to name characters. See you next week!
