by Rachel D. Russell, @RDRussellWrites
The further into a book’s first draft, the more you’ll see placeholders like WHOBODY, MRS.STOREOWNER, or HEROSDADNAME. You know, super fancy placeholders when I don’t have time to decide the ever-important name of a character. As new characters walk into the scene, nameless, they’re given such a moniker.
But there comes a time when I have to dig in and determine who will be called what name. That can be hard. Not quite as hard as naming my children or pets, but, still hard. Because if this novel should reach the point of publication, these names will live on for a long time. Hopefully, a really long time.
My favorite strategies for naming characters include the following:
1.) I avoid using names that begin with the same first letter. This is an old rule I read about way back when, and I use it because I’ve been the reader of books that didn’t adhere to it and found keeping characters straight an extreme frustration.
2.) Consider the age of the character. If this is not a fantasy or speculative novel, I look up the most popular names for the gender and birth year of my character on the Social Security Administration’s website. This won’t work for counties outside the United States, but it’s a great tool for American characters.
3.) Research popular or common surnames where your character is from. Adding a familiar last name can give your story local credentials. The story I’m currently writing takes place in a state I haven’t visited yet. Tapping into their history, common names, and white pages helps me find names that suit both my character and their hometown.
4.) Pick a name that strikes a chord with you. Do you ever hear a name and fall in love with it? Keep a list of those names to use in the future. I never had a daughter, but had a girl’s name picked out “just in case.” She became the heroine of the first novel I wrote. When I hear or see a name that resonates with me, I write it down in a list for future use.
5.) Tour the headstones. I live near a cemetery with graves dating back to the 1800s. Both first names and last names, along, sometimes, with just enough information for a story seed.
6.) Scrivener’s Name Generator Tool may also help. Under Tools/Writing Tools/Name Generator on the PC version, you can find names for specific origins, gender, first names, last names—quite a list. You can even select what the first letter of the first and/or last name is. If you’re really stumped, this is a great option.
What are your favorite ways to generate names for your characters?
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Rachel D. Russell writes contemporary inspirational romance focused on forgiveness, redemption, and grace. She’s a member of Oregon Christian Writer and My Book Therapy’s Novel Academy. She’s currently writing two novels in the Deep Haven series with Sunrise Publishing. When Rachel’s not cantering her horse down the Oregon beaches, she’s probably interrogating her husband on his own military and law enforcement experience to craft believable heroes in uniform. The rest of her time is spent enjoying her active family, including two teens and three keyboard-hogging cats. You can catch up with her at RachelDRussell.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.