How Do You Name Your Characters? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T11:07:38Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:27557?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A29538&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noMy protag, Annie Seymour, is…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-29:537324:Comment:295382007-04-29T20:15:20.597ZKaren E. Olsonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/keolson
My protag, Annie Seymour, is named for two of Henry VIII's wives. I have a Tudor England obsession, and when I was trying to come up with a name, this just popped into my head. And since New Haven's full of Italians and Irish, it's easy to come up with names for the supporting cast.
My protag, Annie Seymour, is named for two of Henry VIII's wives. I have a Tudor England obsession, and when I was trying to come up with a name, this just popped into my head. And since New Haven's full of Italians and Irish, it's easy to come up with names for the supporting cast. Speaking of Japanese names, I…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-28:537324:Comment:292252007-04-28T17:40:55.482ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Speaking of Japanese names, I have to get mine from historical characters of the time or from contemporary (11th and 12th century) literature because Japanese names have changed and I don't trust the more modern ones. It's tricky anyway because there are different rules for naming aristocrats and commoners, clergy and laymen, babies and adults. There are even posthumous names.<br />
The awkward thing is that I am so pressed to tell the story that I don't want to waste a lot of time on finding just…
Speaking of Japanese names, I have to get mine from historical characters of the time or from contemporary (11th and 12th century) literature because Japanese names have changed and I don't trust the more modern ones. It's tricky anyway because there are different rules for naming aristocrats and commoners, clergy and laymen, babies and adults. There are even posthumous names.<br />
The awkward thing is that I am so pressed to tell the story that I don't want to waste a lot of time on finding just the right name because it breaks my concentration. Sometimes, I have to make changes later because two names are too similar.<br />
I'm working on 18th century Germany now, and the situation is very similar. Naming fashions change. Sometimes the names just come…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-27:537324:Comment:289482007-04-27T16:25:55.353ZPepper Smithhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Reefrunner
Sometimes the names just come together without me thinking about them, and sometimes I haul out the Writer's Digest Character-Naming Sourcebook, which gives names according to country, whether they're male or female, and their origin or meaning, depending. I'll usually just cast back and forth through the sections with the names I'm most likely to use until a first and last name seem right to me.<br />
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Characters can get extremely possessive about their names, though, can't they? One of mine is a…
Sometimes the names just come together without me thinking about them, and sometimes I haul out the Writer's Digest Character-Naming Sourcebook, which gives names according to country, whether they're male or female, and their origin or meaning, depending. I'll usually just cast back and forth through the sections with the names I'm most likely to use until a first and last name seem right to me.<br />
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Characters can get extremely possessive about their names, though, can't they? One of mine is a con man who almost never goes by his real name, but by golly, he didn't want me to change it, even though people reading in a hurry tend to read Mick Jarratt as Mick Jagger. Working mostly in the short f…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-26:537324:Comment:287112007-04-26T19:25:11.725ZStephen D. Rogershttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StephenDRogers
Working mostly in the short form, I use a variety of methods already mentioned by others, and the issue becomes not repeating myself. I'll probably write fifteen stories this month and that's a lot of characters. If I repeat names, I might mislead readers into thinking the characters are serial when they're not.
Working mostly in the short form, I use a variety of methods already mentioned by others, and the issue becomes not repeating myself. I'll probably write fifteen stories this month and that's a lot of characters. If I repeat names, I might mislead readers into thinking the characters are serial when they're not. Too funny. Reminds me of the…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-25:537324:Comment:283202007-04-25T16:40:50.122ZDee Savoyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/deesavoy
Too funny. Reminds me of the time I was in the supermarket and I keep hearing this woman calling out "Neutrogena, Neutrogena. Where are you?" I thought she was muttering to herself while looking for soap. Then a little girl went whizzing by. "I'm here, mom." All I could think was I was damn glad the kid wasn't in my class. ;)
Too funny. Reminds me of the time I was in the supermarket and I keep hearing this woman calling out "Neutrogena, Neutrogena. Where are you?" I thought she was muttering to herself while looking for soap. Then a little girl went whizzing by. "I'm here, mom." All I could think was I was damn glad the kid wasn't in my class. ;) Spam's not only good for nami…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-25:537324:Comment:282032007-04-25T04:23:51.996ZDaniel Hatadihttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/danielhatadi
Spam's not only good for naming, but for whole story ideas. Or whole stories.<br />
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Now I REALLY need to know the name of your porn star.
Spam's not only good for naming, but for whole story ideas. Or whole stories.<br />
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Now I REALLY need to know the name of your porn star. I run into the same problem e…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-24:537324:Comment:279732007-04-24T15:44:02.307ZStephen Blackmoorehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sblackmoore
I run into the same problem every now and again, but I try to vet most of the names I come up with against Google. I've got one character whose name turned out to be a real life porn star's. Just felt weird keeping her name after that. I might go back to it, though, because it's a good name, anal queen or no.<br />
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You might try your spam filter. I've gotten a lot of names through that.
I run into the same problem every now and again, but I try to vet most of the names I come up with against Google. I've got one character whose name turned out to be a real life porn star's. Just felt weird keeping her name after that. I might go back to it, though, because it's a good name, anal queen or no.<br />
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You might try your spam filter. I've gotten a lot of names through that. Shitea?!?! OMG. That's great.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-24:537324:Comment:278992007-04-24T11:28:33.507ZDonna Moorehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DonnaMoore
Shitea?!?! OMG. That's great. The daughter of a friend of mine was in hospital several years ago and on the same ward was a little girl called Pocahontas. I could just imagine the nasal Glaswegian voice of her mother shouting "Pokey hen, stop battering yer wee bro and come in and get yer piece and jam." Shitea??? What WERE the parents thinking?
Shitea?!?! OMG. That's great. The daughter of a friend of mine was in hospital several years ago and on the same ward was a little girl called Pocahontas. I could just imagine the nasal Glaswegian voice of her mother shouting "Pokey hen, stop battering yer wee bro and come in and get yer piece and jam." Shitea??? What WERE the parents thinking? Daniel - When I'm writing, I…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-24:537324:Comment:278472007-04-24T05:28:28.460ZPatti McCoy Jacobhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/pattimccoyjacob
Daniel - When I'm writing, I pick names based on people I've personally known who in some way resemble some aspect of that particular character. For example, I have this one character who is "old money," and one of the few people I know who is old money has the last name of Hales. So that's the last name of my character. And old money people tend to go by their full names, not nicknames, so it's Stephen (with a "ph" instead of a "v," of course ) instead of Steve. With a middle initial, of…
Daniel - When I'm writing, I pick names based on people I've personally known who in some way resemble some aspect of that particular character. For example, I have this one character who is "old money," and one of the few people I know who is old money has the last name of Hales. So that's the last name of my character. And old money people tend to go by their full names, not nicknames, so it's Stephen (with a "ph" instead of a "v," of course ) instead of Steve. With a middle initial, of course, that stands for the wealthy mother's maiden name, and let's not forget the several Roman numerals at the end. So Stephen W. Hales, III is my rich guy from Chicago's North Shore. Old Money people also tend to have ancestors who came over on the Mayflower, so regal-sounding names of British origin are authentic as well.<br />
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When I read, which is something I do FAR more than write, here's what happens - after the writer in one way or another describes a certain character to me, I picture that certain person having a certain type of name. It doesn't have to be the same name the writer chooses, but it has to be in the same category. For example, if the writer chose a different name category than I did (say I'm thinking of the name Buffy or Cissy for the sorority girl he's describing, but he comes up with the name Agnes - my grandmother's name, by the way, and a fine name, but she was a poor Irish girl from Limmerick, NOT a sorority chick), then it takes me a longer to connect with the character. Because the name is not ringing true to me. I will eventually connect, especially if the story is well-written, but it would come a lot sooner if the names fit the character' personality, lifestyle, status, etc. I've been a NYC public school…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-24:537324:Comment:278402007-04-24T04:19:56.869ZDee Savoyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/deesavoy
I've been a NYC public school teacher for 10 plus years. I have no shortage of bizarre yet true names lodged in my subconscious. Main characters usually get very plain names. I think folks identify more with the Johns and Marys of the word rather than the Lennises and Shiteas of the world (yes, two of my students, oy). With secondary characters I sometimes get a bit more creative. I've even used a few former students' names. I never plan on using Shitea however. That loopy I'm not.
I've been a NYC public school teacher for 10 plus years. I have no shortage of bizarre yet true names lodged in my subconscious. Main characters usually get very plain names. I think folks identify more with the Johns and Marys of the word rather than the Lennises and Shiteas of the world (yes, two of my students, oy). With secondary characters I sometimes get a bit more creative. I've even used a few former students' names. I never plan on using Shitea however. That loopy I'm not.