5 Tips on Naming Your Characters

The name of your character is going to stay with your book the whole way. It’s very important to get it exactly right. Lucky for you, you don’t have to know your characters’ names before you start writing. I have started stories and named my characters @, $, ^, %, and *, just so that I could get on with the story and come back to the hard naming business later. But, once you get to that hard naming business, here are five tips to consider.

1. Consider the traditions of your story world when it comes to naming. For example, in the Hunger Games, all of the characters from District 12 have nature based names. (Katniss, Primrose, Gale, etc.) If you have a story set in any time period besides our own, don’t chose name from this time period, because chances are they won’t be popular. (Just as Edith and Mabel aren’t still popular today.) Making your names fit the story world is very important, just be careful not to go too overboard. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rolled my eyes at the ridiculous names in some stories.
2. What is the character’s parents’ pasts and values? Even if you don’t answer this question with in your story, this is a good thing to consider when naming your character. It can add a lot to your character’s background too.  Parents’ lifestyles often affect what they name their child. I know a hardcore football fan who named their child after their favorite quarterback. Music fans name their children after their favorite artists. What is your character’s parents like?
3. How does your character feel about their name? Most people have some sort of feeling regarding their names. Once again, even if you never mention it within your story, it can still add a lot to your character building. Do they love it? Hate it? Accept it, but would rather have something different? Is it too different? Too normal? The name you choose shapes the character.
4. How do others feel about your character’s name? Everyone has their opinions about certain names, based on the people that they’ve met with that name. How do the characters in your story respond when they hear your character’s name? And how does your character respond to their response?
5. What is the current day connotation of that name? How would your readers respond to this name? Think of any famous or infamous people with this name and how they are viewed. Will it affect the way your character is viewed?
6. (Bonus) Does your character’s name have a hidden meaning? One of my favorite things to do is to put hidden meaning into my story. Maybe your shy character’s name means bold. Or, maybe the character’s unknown father’s name means father. *cough Vader cough*

Some other website tools that help me choose my characters’ names are Nymblr, Behind the Name, and Random Name Generator. Happy writing!

 

What tricks do you use to help name your character?

 

5 Tips for Writing Setting

Finding the balance for the right amount of setting can be difficult. Too much and the plot disappears. Too little and you have characters floating through white space. Setting can add a lot to your story, but only when written correctly.

• Use all five senses. This is a pretty standard tip when it comes to writing setting. That’s because it works. In your day, you notice a lot more things than the ones you see. It’s the same for your character. They notice the overly sweet perfume, the crinkle of fall leaves, the burst of sugar when eating powdered donuts, and the toddler’s laughter.
• Less is more. When your character enters a setting that is familiar t0 readers, you don’t have to describe the picture. The reader already knows the picture. For example, if your character goes to the beach, don’t describe the crashing waves or stretching sand. The reader knows that these things are there already, so don’t waste more than a sentence. Instead describe the lone sunbather or maybe the hundreds of sunbather. Describe the elderly couples walking along the edge of the water or the loud college boys playing football. Write what your readers don’t know, not what what they already do.
• Avoid info-dumps. There’s nothing that stops the plot and disconnects the reader like spending paragraphs describing the scenery. The truth is, the reader will probably end up skimming these paragraphs. Instead, incorporate a sentence or two of description every once in a while.
• Start every new scene with a small description of setting. Within the first paragraphs of a new scene, designate the setting. It doesn’t have to be much, but just a sentence is fine. However, make it a habit to show the setting before you get to far into the action.
• Describe it through your character’s eyes, not your eyes. Everyone sees the world a little differently, depending on their past experiences. After all, an mechanic and an artist would describe the same thing very differently. Describing the world through your character’s eyes is a great way to make your character come alive and connect more to the reader.

Finding the balance for the right amount of setting can be difficult. Pay attention to the way setting is described in some of your favorite books. In the end it comes down to practice. Happy writing!

What is your favorite setting you’ve written?