Home
>
Writing
>
Creative Writing Tips - Does The Name You Chose Suit Your Character?

Creative Writing Tips - Does The Name You Chose Suit Your Character?

How do you choose a name? Do you put down the first name that pops into your mind? Initially that's what I used to do, until someone pointed out to me that there are a few things to take into consideration when choosing a name?

1. You Have To Be Comfortable With It

We associate names with people we know. If you like a certain name but know and dislike a person who bears it, will you feel comfortable using that name in your story?

Will you mentally shut that person out or will you be reminded of them each time you type that name?

Our characters have to be likable to us before they can become likeable to our readers. Will your dislike for that person transfer to your character?

2. It Must Be Easy To Pronounce

The English language can be, at times, misleading. How many words, and even names we spell one way and pronounce another? If the name you have chosen falls into this category, will your readers know how to pronounce it?

For years I use to pronounce the beautiful name 'Sean' exactly how it's written 'Seen,' when it's pronounced by the much nicer sounding 'Shorn.' Will the name you choose bear the same problem?

If you choose a difficult pronouncing name for your character and worse, one that's not widely known, you stand to lose the effect of that name. A beautiful sounding name can be utterly destroyed if your reader doesn't know how to pronounce it.

Your story has to flow. If the name you've chosen is not easy to pronounce, the readers will constantly stop each time they come across it. This will disrupt the flow of your story.

3. Foreign Sounding Names

The same as the above applies to foreign sounding names. They must be easy to pronounce. Consider the following:

Yahiya
Indihar
Gschu
Lyudmila
These names sound exotic but they don't exactly roll off the tongue. Should you compromise the flow of the story for the sake of a name?
4. Does The Name Suit Your Character?
Not all names suit all people and not all names will suit all characters. Like clothing and hairstyles, names go out of fashion too.
For example...
Let's say your heroine is a lively, upbeat, modern lady. Will it suit her type of personality if we choose the name 'Mabel'? 'Mabel' we usually associate with an elderly aunt or grandmother.
What about your hero? Let's say he's a young man who possesses a powerful personality. Will the name 'Hubert?' suit him? 'Hubert' would suit an elderly character or perhaps a 'quiet' character.
5. They Shouldn't Start With The Same Letter
If you're going to have two main characters in your story and their names start with the same letter, it will read a little awkwardly.
Example?
- David and Debra
- Sam and Sue
- George and Gina
6. Surnames
Like we carefully choose the first name for our characters, we have to be careful when selecting their surnames. Just like first names, there are certain surnames, which sound better than others.
When selecting a surname, make sure it has a pleasant ring, when used with the first name. Using names, which rhyme like, Jeff Jefferson, sound amusing. If this is the effect you wish to create then using it is fine.
7. Stereotype Names
Are you thinking of naming your character Adolph or Judas? There's nothing wrong with these names, except for the fact that we tend to associate them with that single person in history who bore them. Will your reader trust your hero if you name him Judas?
8. Famous Names
I recall a quote I once read which went something like this?
"Nothing grows under the shade of a tree."
If you name your character Elvis, Madonna etc.. Will your character be able to outshine the ultra famous person of whom the world knows? I doubt it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When naming characters there are also a few other points to consider?
Naming them will not only depend on what kind of people they are, but who their parents or guardians were (if the parents or guardians play some sort of role in your story). After all, we don't name ourselves, do we? So take into consideration the following?
1) What kind of people are the parents?
a) Free spirited?
Unusual names will rank highly amongst people like this.
For example,
- The seasons of the year
- Or perhaps a month in the year
- Or an object
- Etc
b) Conservative?
These types of people tend to use the full name rather than an abbreviated version of it.
For example,
- Kathleen instead of Kat
- Michael instead of Mike
- Etc
2) What Is The Parents/Guardians Nationality?
If they're traditional, they will choose a name, which is popular in their country. Also traditional parents/guardians tend to give their children the names of their own parents or other relatives.
Look at the name you chose for your main characters. Does the name suit them?
About The Author
Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers' funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
apartment cleaning near Wilmette ..
In The News:
Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.
Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.
New Instagram parental controls allow families to manage teen screen time and content limits through the Family Center with stricter safety settings.
Third-party security breach at Discord exposes sensitive user information including government IDs, highlighting cybersecurity risks from external service providers.
Survey of 1,000 students shows teens using AI for personal relationships while two-thirds of parents remain unaware of their children's AI usage.
Cybersecurity experts warn about a ShadowLeak vulnerability that weaponized ChatGPT's Deep Research agent to steal personal data from Gmail accounts through hidden commands.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving system faces federal investigation following 58 reports of crashes, with six vehicles running red lights before colliding with other cars.
The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest developments on artificial intelligence, with news on OpenAI moving to soon allow erotica for adult users.
Eric Schmidt alerts that hackers can reverse-engineer AI models to bypass safety measures, citing examples like the jailbroken ChatGPT variant called DAN.
Cybercriminals exploit Microsoft Teams through impersonation, malicious links and fake profiles to gather intel and deliver ransomware to personal and work devices.
Google, Dior, Allianz and dozens of other companies lost sensitive customer data in Salesforce-related breaches affecting millions of records across multiple sectors.
Apple launches iOS 26 with new Preview app that combines document editing, PDF annotation and scanning features into one streamlined iPhone experience.
New AI road monitoring system uses sensor-embedded fabric to predict infrastructure problems, potentially reducing maintenance costs and traffic disruptions for cities.
Holiday charity scams target retirees through lookalike organization names, untraceable payment requests, and data broker information to steal donations.
The Federal Trade Commission says criminals are posing as IRS agents, law enforcement officers or other officials, often over the phone or online, to steal thousands of dollars at a time.
AI phishing scams now use voice cloning and deepfake technology to trick victims, but Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals warning signs to watch for.
Inversion Space unveils Arc, a reusable reentry vehicle that can deliver up to 500 pounds of cargo from orbit to anywhere on Earth in under an hour.
Red flags like processing fees, urgent countdowns and requests for full Social Security numbers expose fraudulent settlement sites targeting consumers.
Comprehensive analysis of Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps examines usability, routing accuracy, data handling and features across the top navigation platforms.
Expert analysis reveals whether wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi connections are safer for home internet use, plus practical steps to secure your network from attackers.
Australian construction robot Charlotte uses sand, crushed brick and recycled glass to 3D print fireproof, floodproof homes with reduced carbon footprint.
Cybercriminals are using fake invitation emails to trick recipients into downloading malware and stealing personal information and data.
Flying drones could help retailers fight a 93% increase in theft rates as Flock Safety promotes airborne security systems to track suspects and deter crime.
The Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter brings you the latest news on the emerging technology every Saturday, highlighting top stories.