Tuesday, May 1, 2012

What’s in a Name?


How important are character names?  I think they’re very important.  They should convey part of the character’s personality.  Coupled with other aspects, I think they should evoke a desired feeling from the reader.  I don’t think names should be taken lightly.

Sometimes naming a character comes easily to me.  I don’t have to think about it, the right name just pops into my head, part of the flow of the story.  Other times, I agonize over the name.  I search meanings, I make lists, I write out variants.  It can take ages; the entire time I had planned to spend writing can be taken up with finding the right name.  Sometimes, I’ll just insert a ____ to hold the space until I decide.  Or sometimes I’ll write out He/She and other pronouns until I decide on something.  Sometimes, like today, a name I’ve used in a story for over a year will seem wrong to me and I’ll change it.  Finding the right name after ages of searching feels so good.

Am I spending to much time with names?

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