Steps to Naming Characters

Next to story plotting, naming your characters has to be one of the most important, nerve-wracking, and exciting moments in creating your story. For me, I usually spend a long time considering the name of my characters as if they were my own children. I become very attached to my characters and I feel it's important to find just the right name that suits them because let's face it, the name makes the character. I'm not just talking about the meaning behind the name but also the feeling of the name. Veronique versus Violet, for example, feel as though they have two completely polar personalities. Veronique sounds as though she is sophisticated and exotic, whereas Violet sounds warm and friendly.

So, let's have a quick chat about where to find inspiration for your character names!
Baby name books are always fun places to start, your local library should have a thick shelf of them at the ready. Or if you want to check out the scores of websites devoted to names, here are just a few that I have found to be helpful:

• Nameberry
• Chinaroad (my personal favorite)
• British Baby Names

Of course, what you name your characters all depends on what kind of story you have on your hands. I like to sort out my naming rules based on where in time and space they are as follows:

Historical Fiction: research the names popular in your chosen era, you can fiddle with the spelling but that's about it.

Modern Day: consider the country and area you are putting your characters. Remember to consider the character's personal background and if you think their parent or guardian would have really named a child THAT NAME. Also, if you are having trouble thinking of surnames have a look at movie credits...seriously there are some fantastic surnames to find there.

Sci-Fi: think about what might become a trend in the future. People might be attracted to star or constellation names, pharmaceutical or chemical sounding names. One thing to remember about future names (this goes for fantasy too), if the name is too oddly stylized, your reader is probably going to start skimming the name and giving your character their own nickname.

Fantasy: think about the cultures surrounding your fantasy world. Each faction, tribe, or sect should have their own set of naming traditions. Real-world example: Most English surnames were derived from the jobs their ancestors did (Smith, Baker, Fletcher, etc). In Korean society, some parents choose to name their children with one similar character (Min Young, Shin Young, Sun Young, etc).

Speaking of Fantasy names, here is an interview with George R.R. Martin about how he chooses his names.

Now I want to know: How do you choose your character names? Let me know!

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How To Find Inspiration Through Topic Immersion

Imagine with me for a minute, you get inspired to write a story about some kids who solve a mystery in their hometown. You decide to write out the first scene that comes to mind, and as you write the scene you start to wonder "Is this a realistic conversation between kids?" It's a valid concern since you haven't been a kid in a while (well at least I haven't). So, what do you do about it?

I research! My favorite way to research in this particular case is by watching movies/tv-shows, or reading books that are already out there that have this same sort of topic. Off the top of my head, three movies, and a tv show come to mind: Hocus Pocus, Stand By Me, Earth to Echo, and Granite Flats. All of these are a great jumping-off-point for getting your dialogs rolling and who knows, maybe you will pick up some good ideas for more characters to add or mysteries to include?

This type of research method is what I like to call "topic immersion." Of course you can also include a diet of documentaries, and news articles, or get out there and do field research! A long time ago, I was working on a story that was based in a small town in Connecticut. I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls and browsed small town websites in the area I wanted to base my story in, but ultimately it was traveling there and having a good old-fashioned road trip on the back roads of Connecticut that helped me visualize the story and make it feel more realistic. It's the same method Janet Evanovich used while she was researching her Stephanie Plum novels. She actually did a ride-along in a cop car to understand what it was like in a day in the life of a New Jersey cop. 

Topic immersion is also the method I choose to keep the muse alive in my head. For instance, while I work on a space opera I will watch anything from Star Trek to The Fifth Element, to get a feel for a space-themed culture of sorts, as well as browse through interesting articles in Science News for topics that might work for possible plot twists or character development (can we say "biohacking?").

News articles are goldmines when it comes to plot twists, in my opinion. What was the saying..."truth is stranger than fiction?" Especially when I come across articles about mysterious objects being found and experts speculations on them (have you ever read into the Voynich Manuscript?). GOLD. PURE GOLD.

I could go on and talk about how the life of a writer is hard since we have to know so much...but this picture pretty much sums up everything I want to say...

One more thing: don't get discouraged when you feel overwhelmed by too much info out there. Take a break and remember not everything is pertinent to your story.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the way I like to research.
How do you research your stories? Let me know!

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Discover: Character Interrogation

For the past few months, I have been banging my head against a wall trying to figure out the motives for my characters in this current story I'm working on. The basic plot elements are all finished, but the hows and whys are not answered. AND I NEED ANSWERS, PEOPLE! I guess my approach to this was a little off since I have been writing this story in first-person and thus have only been thinking about what motivates my main character...not about the people around her. 

The plot has an underlying theme of espionage, so for a fun creative challenge, I decided to write the confession of the character who is the spy in the story.

AND I'M SO GLAD I DID. Having him tell his side of the story and what he has been through in order to make the decisions he has made...it helped me understand the whole story a little more. The best part is, letting a character tell the story from another perspective, more options opened up and the plot started flowing!

Now, during my free time, I can't wait to keep writing his confession just so I can keep mining the plot-gold!

I'm debating on doing this same sort of method with a few other characters, but instead of using an interrogation as the background to get them to talk, I'm going to use a scene that is a little more natural for them. 

Obviously someone who is not a criminal, a witness, etc. wouldn't really be found needing to confess anything. The girl-next-door character might feel more natural if you write a conversation she has on the phone with a friend. Or a character you are designing just for that epic death scene in your story decides to reminisce about his life as he is being taken to heaven by an angel. 

What other ways can you get your characters to talk?

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