I am sure we’ve all been there. You have a fantastic concept, a great plan, you’ve built your world, decided whether it’s future, past, present, this world, a new one you’ve created, perhaps a different planet altogether, and now it’s time to fill it full of characters. And………..blank. Nothing. Zip. Na da. Zilch. I know how this feels, I’ve been there myself, many times.
But there is always hope. There are so many character name generators out there which you can use for free, to help with this.
Sometimes you can come up with the name completely. For example, leaning on my experience writing Middle Grade fantasy, myself and my 12-year-old daughter, who helped me come up with the concept, came up with the name first, because we thought it was funny, it just came to us. Immediately we came up with it, the character personality and everything else came automatically. We decided he had to be a Wizard, he had to be eccentric and a tad clumsy, and he absolutely had to surprise the reader at some point. Our series was born at that moment, and 3 books later, we’ve never looked back.
So, what’s in a name? Well, in my experience, it has to be able to relate to the characters job. In my adult thriller series, the lead character Mark King, had to have a name which was relatable, and so I chose his full name as Mark Lucas King. Mark’s job in the beginning of the first novel, is a Lawyer who, when his wife is murdered, he must hunt down the killers, and bring them to justice, but I also wanted a name where he could be known by his last name ‘King’.
Names are vital in our writing, and in my opinion, should relate to the story somehow. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t have to, and there are exceptions to the rule, but I like to put a lot of thought into how I can link the names, especially main characters names, to the story as much as possible.
The name generators online are so much fun, you could literally sit there all day and generate names, some even come with personality traits too, which is also great fun! Many sites have organised them into sections, depending on the story type, and this makes it even easier and quicker to find the right name for the right character, in your story.
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Hi Phil,
It seems like a small thing but the character's name is important. I am obsessive about character names to the point where all writing stops until I can come up with the perfect one. I've have to train myself to put a place-marker [NAME] in my notes if nothing comes up after a couple minutes of brainstorming so I can get passed this road-block and move on.
Hi Stephanie.
I agree. Sometimes I do the same, although most of the time (thankfully), my names tend to come to me prior writing commencing. Sometimes my girls tend to, ahem, assist.
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I agree names are important, although I don't usually relate them to their job. Usually, I look at name meanings or use appropriate variations derived from folklore and mythology. In one script, I called a villainous character Jack. A simple common name. But anyone who starts noticing what this character can do (ability to jump great distances, shapeshifting, prolonged lifespan, control over fire, telekinesis) might click that at one point he was more commonly known as Spring-heeled Jack.
That script contains a number of references to folklore in character names. There's a Tommy Rawley, which is a variation on Tommy Rawhead, or Bloody Bones. I've got a Lilith, the demon from Jewish mythology. A John Tregeagle, based on Jan Tregeagle, a figure from British history who in folklore made a pact with the devil (and is currently working for Jack). Jack laments the loss of his beloved Isobel, a reference to the real-life Isobel Gowdie, a Scottish woman who confessed to witchcraft in the 1600s. And there's a pub called the Old Black Shuck, named after a demon dog from Northern English mythology.
The script itself is called Outsider, so those not part of Jack's little cartel of paranormal arseholes do not bear the names of similar figures (although one character mentions a relative that "pissed off the Kingdom of Hungary" - a reference to Elizabeth Bathory).
In another script, The Below, where characters are transported to a bizarre alternate world I named one character Samara Vega - which, roughly, means Guardian of the Meadow - and is a reference to her role in the story.
Hi John!
Great to hear about your work, sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing, I love what you've done with the names.
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Elmore Leonard used to say he couldn't get the characters right until he got their names right.
Eric Christopherson absolutely! I tend to find the same issue if I don't get the names quite right. I also tend to repeat the names out loud to see how it sounds from the viewers perspective. If it sounds odd to them, it' won't work.
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character names wont sell a script, or get you meetings for income/employment.
story/concept and execution will- the craft.
Dan MaxXx it's more about creating in the first instance, the actual writing element of it. But you are correct in terms of the power of story and concept, those are vital elements of any good story. Discussing character names, that's more for the early stages of the writing process.
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In one of my scripts one character's name is important to the story. His name is King Mowry and I wrote a spinoff series name the Kingpins. The entire story world is linked through one name. If its essential to your story why not? You have to put much care into it.
Alicia Vaughan great name, love it! I agree, the name can make all the difference if it's essential to the story. One of my WIP has then name of the character as the series name, so it's vital I got it right, I believe I did. Take Angela Black for example, (TV series here in the UK), the character name is the title, so it may have sounded weird if they'd gotten the name wrong.
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I have never had a problem with names. I have looked up period names, current names, I love using my friends (and sometimes emenies name) I've even used my name, spelled backwards, a couple times, I agree they do have to fit. Once found I write about 10-12 pages of history on them. Including their Charator Diamond. What their Strenghs are and their opposite flaws. Case in point Supermen undestructable on his new home but his home world makes him weak totally destructable.
Art Wasem Hi Art!
I love how you create and develop your characters and their names. We see this so often, we create and hone our stories as if they're our children, but when they get in front of execs and publishers, because they see so many, it seems like they are 'just another story'.
To make out stories stand out above the thousands of other manuscripts and scripts they see, names tend to be one of the first things they read. For example, in my 6-part tv drama series I wrote some years ago, the first thing a producer commented on was the MC's name, by putting a note next to it simple as 'great name'.
I also love doing character backgrounds for my characters!
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I can't even remember half my main character names in most of my screenplays. So I don't think they are all that important. In Final Draft it takes about two seconds to change them if a producer wants them changed for some reason. However, I can see it might matter in a novel because the written words are the end product.
Depending on my story I may have too many character names to remember. I usually keep a working file of their names on an open tab just to keep up. I really try to use or blend names of people I've met to give my characters personalities. Have mercy on people who tick me off, they're usually the first to meet an unhappy ending. Onward and upward.
I tend to look for the meaning of the name first, or peruse a list of names of a specific ethnicity, when I know that and not the character's abiding quality. Behindthename.com is a great resource for this. Of course, sometimes the names just suggest themselves.