By Dana R. Lynn, @DanaRLynn
I love writing stories. Creating fun characters and giving them complex problems to solve makes me grin. And if I am wearing my suspense hat, I love putting them in danger. The more danger and trickier the escape, the better. And if I can scare myself while writing a scene, well that’s epic.
That’s not to say writing is easy. Far from it. I’ve had days where I’ve spent hours sitting at my computer only to delete every word I wrote. True story. There are other days when my characters don’t do what I had planned. Which is fine. My stories are what I’ve heard described as “character driven”. I always think of my characters first, then plan the story around them. A lot goes into character development. Believe it or not, one of the things I struggle with most in creating characters is coming up with names.
When I pick a character, I usually go on Pinterest or search the web for images that are close to what I had in mind. I try to find a name that I feel matches their characteristics. Here are some things I do when seeking a name:
- Figure out what year my character was born and do a search for popular names of that year, in that region.
- When I have a couple of possibilities, I sometimes look at the meaning behind the names, and try to find one that best matches my character’s beliefs and strengths.
- For Amish names, I do searches for common Amish names in particular areas. I keep a list of such names when I find them, both first and last names. Including the spelling, which can change. In northwestern PA, for example, popular last names include Byler and Hostetler. In other areas in the country, these names are spelled Beiler and Hochstetler. Using the wrong spelling, unless it is intentional, can pull your reader out of the story.
- Try not to reuse a name previously used. I often keep a list on a spreadsheet. Now, I have repeated names. Usually not names of my hero and heroine, though.
- Try to have names beginning with different letters. If you have a plethora of characters, having too many names beginning with the letter B can become confusing. I have a notebook that I write down first and last names in. This way, I can usually avoid this. Of course, sometimes, a character will have to have a certain name. In my book Amish Country Threat, my main characters were Levi and Lilah. Levi was introduced in a previous book, so his name had to stand. I tried to change Lilah, but I couldn’t think of my heroine any other way, so I left the name the same.
- For last names, I sometimes use a random surname generator. Or I search through a phone book to find an interesting name.
When I first began writing, I didn’t pay much attention to the secondary character names. However, I soon realized this was a mistake. One wonderful aspect about writing a story, especially a romance like with Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense, is when you fall in love with a secondary character and desire to give him or her their own story. If I decide to use the character while the book is still in progress, I can change the name if I don’t care for it. Once a character is introduced and the book published, however, I am stuck with the name. Twice, this has left me with a main character with a name I didn’t like. It was a lesson well learned.
I’m curious about your process. How do you name your characters?
Dana R. Lynn grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania with their three teenaged children and enough pets to open a petting zoo. She is a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by day and writes stories of romance and danger at night. She believes in the power of God to touch people through stories. She has been on the USA Today and a Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller lists. She has been a Holt Medallion finalist, a Selah Award Winner, and a New England Readers Choice finalist and Award winner. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. She is an avid reader, loves cats and thinks chocolate should be a food group. She enjoys engaging with readers and can be found on social media or contacted via her website www.danarlynn.com.