by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan
While working on a past novel, I had emailed my agent and asked her thoughts about my characters’ names. She suggested I change one because having two old-fashioned names may confuse the reader with the genre. So I changed my male character’s name to something a little more modern.
A book of baby names and their meanings is one of the most used books on my writing resources bookshelf. For me, the story begins with the characters. And the characters begin with their names. My characters’ names tie into their personality traits or the truth they will learn about themselves by the end of the novel.
So when choosing a name for your character, think about the qualities you want that character to possess, then find a name to fit that character. Or think about the lie your character believes and consider the truth your character will learn and tie the name into that truth.
When naming your characters, consider the character’s age and name your character appropriately. If you do choose to name your modern-day hero or heroine something old-fashioned, consider letting the reader know why. I’ve chosen old-fashioned names for characters in memory of their grandparents…just like we do in real life. On the Social Security Administration site, you can click on the year of your character’s birth and choose a name that was popular during that year.
Ensure your characters’ names fit the genre you are writing. Modern-day heroes aren’t named Frodo or Chewbacca. And be careful not to have your names too exotic or too hard to pronounce that it interrupts the flow of the story for your reader. On that note, try to avoid overly popular names too. There’s nothing wrong with the popular names, but it’s like naming your child—you don’t want her to be one of four Emmas in her class.
Be aware of the first letters in your characters’ names. Too many characters with the same first letter or first letter sound may cause confusion for the reader, especially if your novel contains a large cast.
Those closest to you have nicknames for you. That same goes for your characters. Although that strays into the topic of POV, consider the nicknames your characters may have. In one of my previous books, my hero called the heroine Red because of her hair color. So while in his POV and if he’s thinking or speaking to her, he mainly calling her Red. Nicknames create an intimacy shared between two people with a special bond.
Naming your characters allows you to tap into their personas. By giving them a name to fit their personalities, you’re on your way to creating a character who is relatable to your readers.
If you struggle with character names, buy a baby names book or visit online baby names sites. Those books and sites offer names for boys and girls, as well as the origins and meanings of those names. Naming your characters is nearly as important as naming your children—it’s going to stay with them for the rest of their lives, so choose wisely.
His dreams can all come true…but only if his ex-wife will agree!
Jake Holland’s peaceful dairy farm is a sanctuary—one he wants to share with other worn and weary veterans. He just needs one more piece of land to start his program…and it belongs to Tori Lerner, his ex-wife. A collaboration could benefit them both, but with a past full of secrets between them, is there any hope for renewed love?
Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, Season of Hope, released in March 2019. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and being creative. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.