Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Tuesday Tips: Picking Names

I know some authors that have a really hard time picking names for their characters. I have several methods to select names.

Random Name Generators:

There are several websites that can be used by authors for names. Some of them are even based on various cultures, times, and ethnic backgrounds.

Baby Name Books/Websites:

Some of these sources will even give you the history of a name. They provide years when the name was popular.

Phone books:

Get your hands on a thick city phone book and open to a random page.

Real People:

I have named characters after people I know. With Permission (usually). People love being the Red Shirts in my books. Every now and then the characters refuse to die and develop into heroes.

Tombstones:

Get out of your chair and take a walk. I enjoy beautiful, historic cemeteries in Virginia. There is even a website used by researchers called Find a Grave.

--The name of a character is just the beginning of a full profile of your characters.

 

1 comment:

  1. I tend to use combinations of friends' names if they are western. Evelyn Black a girl from my High School and Mike Slater turned into the lead character in The Visitor - Evelyn Slater.

    Shuffled names provides an almost endless variety.

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