What’s the best way to come up with names for Creative Writing?
So, I’m lame and am trying to write some meandering prose about nothing in particular.
Do you have any tips for coming up with names for characters? Some I come up with are interesting and usuable but those are few and far between.
Does anyone have a method they use in creating character names?
Could you point me towards a book or paper discussing names in creative writing?
Thanks!
- locash
Tags: Character Names, Creating Character, Creative Writing, Prose
October 15th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
When developing names for his Star Wars aliens, I heard that George Lucas just used to ask his children for ideas.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Just use names you like. For example, JK Rowling’s neighbor’s name was Potter, she liked the name and that’s where she got it from. So just get names you like that you feel do alright together.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I find sites like to be useful in finding names or determining how well they fit. I also listen to names I hear at work and remember interesting ones. You can do that anywhere.
October 19th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
It sounds cheesy, but having a copy of a baby name book is an excellent idea. Find a used copy somewhere and treasure it!
October 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am
Authors such as Jane Austen have used local names, perhaps with a letter changed. Many authors keep a notebook and jot down anything, names included, that happen to strike them. Graveyards are another source.
The Social Security Administration keeps records of baby names dating back into the 19th Century. Try their website, why don’t you?
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Ok, i have the same problem
so basically i go on behindthename.com
and into the random name generator….
It allows me to choose names from many ethnic backgrounds and even names for creative characters like witches…
Hope that Helps =D
October 26th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Better to use very ordinary names like ‘Bob Smith’. The more unusual the name, the more likely there is to be a real person who’ll sue you.
October 28th, 2008 at 9:18 am
pick random names. if you can’t think of anything then ask your friends for some ideas. or you can play with words and maybe use words spelled backwards or words from other languages.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I use behindthename and a baby book. But I never decide on names until I have done good character studies and really fleshed out the characters. Then the names more or less figure themselves out. I like reading the meaning of the names and choosing names that reflect certain characteristics of the people I write about. It works out nicely that way. Another author I know uses names of characters to honor people in his life. That is a nice thing to do too.
But your character studies come first. Once I finished a book and decided my lead female’s name didn’t suit her. One click of find and replace and she had a new name. Pax – C
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 am
Totally agree with the baby name book thing or you could even go to babynames.com but yeah I am an author and I love love love to have baby name books laying around so that I never have to go far to decide on a name LOL
Sincerely,
Raelin
November 4th, 2008 at 3:17 am
I look for names whose meanings reflect my characters. If I can’t find names I like, I simply search until I find one I like and that matches my character. I like to test the name in dialogue, as well, to see if it flows with the story.
Name generators are also a way to find names, but I tend to stay away from those, as they lack depth perception and originality.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:46 am
The phone book! If I’m feeling stuck, a great excercise is opening the phone book to a random page, using the old “eyes-closed-point-finger” trick helps. Whatever name I’ve pointed to, I write a character for…. Find a name, full in the character….or vice versa.