Names

I have always found that the hardest part of writing is coming up with names. So does anyone have any tips or tricks to coming up with names?

Thanks,

Joe

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ali M on August 12, 2011 at 9:14pm

Well, usually it just comes naturally to me. First, I have the character's personality in mind and then I just pick from my long list of character names that I like in my head. Of course, in my early year's of writing I had a really hard time coming up with names so I'd Google boy/girl names and that's how I got my list of names in my head. I still do that if I get stumped, which actually happens with a lot of my male characters. I find it really hard to come up with male names that I actually like and fit the character for whatever reason.

Permalink Reply by Kaserl on August 13, 2011 at 6:46pm

I know, boy names are a lot harder.

Permalink Reply by Courtney Wasylow on August 13, 2011 at 4:35pm

Online baby name dictionaries are great, especially if you want meaning behind the names.

Permalink Reply by Valerie on August 29, 2011 at 12:30pm

Babynames.com actually has a good little page on it: http://www.babynames.com/character-names.php

I often just go by what sounds right. Nicknames are important too. If my fantasy character has a properly lofty name, I want his/her friends to have a good nickname for him/her.

Permalink Reply by aj on August 31, 2011 at 1:09pm

i have known a lot of people so when i write i pick a person i wont see agan and bass the name off that person. but this doset work well when writing a odd ganra of book like steam punk . so if i knew a guy name danny and my Character reminds me of him ill call my guy Daniel. but thats just how i do it

Permalink Reply by Emily Suess on August 31, 2011 at 4:01pm

I use Google sometimes too. But I also grab my high school yearbooks for inspiration. I take a couple of names mash 'em up or splice 'em together and throw them in a document so that I can pluck one from the list when I need it.

Permalink Reply by The Small One (Jacquie) on September 18, 2011 at 4:12am

Invest in a Baby names book. There are some really good ones out there that are super cheap. Then ask a friend or family member or stranger for a number and go to that page! It works like a charm!!

Permalink Reply by Allyssa Penn on September 19, 2011 at 11:29am

I have a big book of baby names, and if I'm really stuck, I flip open the book at random, close my eyes, and stick my finger on one.I also tend to lean towards Irish names, so I have a book of those too. I like having them on hand for character naming, because the internet searches can get a bit tiring when you just want to look at all of them to see which one sounds right.