13 May 2012

The Underlying Power In Naming Your Characters

Naming Characters From My Running List Of 'Power-House-Names'...

Developing and naming characters is a fun and important part of the writing process.  Today I'll explore my varied approach to crafting characters and then harnessing the essence of that character in a name....er...or harnessing the essence in a name to create characters.  Hmmm...the old, 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' question... 


There is such power in a name.  Cliches aside, it's true.  Would you identify with a valiant hero and alpha male named Chauncey?  Not bloody-likely.  Ha!  Would you easily tolerate a kick-a** heroine who vanquishes evil-doers called Lynn?  We associate names with certain characteristics - wrongly at times - but nonetheless, we do. Consider this.  Have you ever known a person who ruined a name for you? This is common with my teacher friends. Or met someone with an odd - or 'unattractive' name that after getting to know them became more lovely?  I, as a young child, avowed that I would name my daughter Prudence because I loved the show Nanny and The Professor...hmm...or was it The Ghost and Mrs. Muir??  Ahhh.  Time steals all things. 

In my first book, Claiming The Prize, I researched plenty of Slovakian names, my hero hailing from that region.  I've compiled a lengthy list of Eastern-European names, which rests safely beside 'Writing-Nook' in my aptly, if boringly, titled notebook - 'Character Names'.  Handy references make life much simpler!  The list has grown, and I have dividers separating names by ethnicity as well as by meaning and emotion invoked.  I must confess to having post it notes slapped on the inside cover and random pages - those quick jot-downs I haven't had the time nor the inclination to categorize.  Ha!  If the glue ever breaks down on those sticky notes, it will be messier than the aftermath of a NYC ticker-tape parade in here.  *frowns at the messy thought*  In that first book, I named secondary characters as I wrote them.  This is interesting, because the name served to shape the character's personality.

For instance, Carson Khaler developed as a smoking gun and playboy.  The name is catchy, it sounded like a rough-and-tumble, pretty-boy, arrogant-and-full-of-himself fighter.

Mac, short for Danny MacGovern, was a promoter - and his persona had to fit his name.  Anyone familiar with the business of professional fighting will 'feel' the connection of the character's 'good-old-boy' tag with the role he fulfilled in the story.
 
The team of trainers within First Strike, my fictional gym grew into the names I assigned.  And Guy Antolini's team name and slogan - Team Anto-Engage: Engage the Globe, were long contemplated tags.

Yves Friarsson - the Friar - was a ju-jitsu/martial arts coach. A soft spoken, serious minded, and well respected man blossomed out of his unique name.
Allen Eisenhower - Ike - fit the bill of hard-core wrestling coach and ground game trainer.  I've known trainers - and Ike is the perfect tag!
St. Clair Davis - Saint - filled the shoes of tough-as-nails-yet-big-old-teddy-bear-underneath-boxing-coach. 
(Incidentally, I had the good fortune of knowing someone with the name Saint in my school years, and have always thought it a fabulous name, loving it so much as to modify it into a surname (St. Johns) for a knight in my second book, Her Dark Baron.)  Readers concur; they're in love with the name, too!  I'd like to believe it's also because St. was such a lovable character - a beautiful, tenderhearted and passionate-about-life guy who was a bit too in love with love.  That tortured guy - the man with a heart made for love but as of yet denied his heart's desire....always a hit.  :} 
Drago Zadrovec, the up and coming MMA fighter in the novel, needed a strong name, indeed, to re-enforce the concept of inner strength needed to succeed in this brutal sport. He was named before the writing...

But names convey much more than strength.

Grace is a soft, feminine name, fitting for my cautious, unworldly heroine with a sweet disposition. It also houses extra potential when considering it's variances.  Grace is a single syllable - it's still strong underneath its gentle meaning.  This worked well, contrasting her soft sweetness against the backdrop of her existence - training and instructing in a mixed-martial-arts gym. 
Gracie reveals her anew from the perspective of those who hold great affection for her - both as a daughter and as a lover.
'Little-G' introduces the well-loved daughter of the gym's owner amongst the men she grew up around - men who exist in a harsh profession yet also have a tender side.

In my second book, Her Dark Baron, I wrote a story outline before I named characters.  This proved an interesting - and helpful - new step.  Naming my characters was easier - I was more acquainted with their story, and therefore, more in touch with names that would portray them as I wanted them to be understood. 

When I sat down to outline The Third Fate's storyline, I went a step beyond, completing extensive character profile packets on each main character.  When I sifted through my extensive list of Scottish/Celtic names, I snapped up my picks with confident ease.  Phew! 

How do you go about naming characters?  Do you put as much emphasis on this process as I do - or does a name grab you and you run with it?  Ever encountered a character with an ill-fitting name?  Or one that has a name that suggested he/she is something other than what you discovered?      

Crafting characters - even a basic development - will aid you in selecting a name that matches the overall mood of your character.  In my newest historical WIP, I have chosen a name that, for me, reflects a rigid and stiff, no nonsense woman, which will thereby enhance the gradual awakening she will undergo as she becomes comfortable with herself.  Her husband's eventual play on her name will embody the inner-metamorphosis in a tangible, 3-D - if you will- way.  Translating this idea from concept to written word is a challenge I anticipate with relish!     

 ~ Nadja

24 comments:

  1. My POV characters usually tell me their names at some point between story inspiration and first draft. I rarely research them. Secondary characters are another story. Sometimes I'll look for a name that is opposite of their personality while others I'll be looking for that perfect fit. I have a number of baby name sites bookmarked, and somewhere I have a baby name book from naming the wee beasties, but I've never gone to the degree of the feelings invoked by a name. But you're SO right. I'll never have a hero named David...a villain, perhaps :)

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    1. I like your idea about using a name that means the opposite - especially if that character is to be 'two-sided'...hhhmmm.

      As for the name David - all I can think of is King David (Saul has killed his thousands; David his tens of thousands...')- so the name holds a completely different connotation for me. Ha! It's funny how names cause such varying reactions, isn't it?

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  2. I always feel like my characters already have names, and I just haven't figured them out yet. :-) When I hear the right one I know it immediately.

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    1. I think a lot of writers feel that way...because when you hear that perfect name- you know it!

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  3. I research names a lot before naming a character. Each name I choose has a meaning and a reason to be chosen. I think names play an important part of this writing thing ;)
    I'm tired of reading about Anna's ... there have been so many protagonists called Anna lately ... where's originality?

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    1. I'm a bit done with Anna as well. I like rare or different names, but agree with Maria...I don't like it when I cannot pronounce them. Studying languages has helped me in this department greatly. But it does no good to have a wonderful name if readers are skipping over it or calling you character something else. (I did this once with a weird name in a novel- I simply called the character something else...ha!)

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  4. When I am naming a character, usually a name pops up in my head and it fits him (or her) perfectly (similar to what Megan said above!). But when it doesn't automatically come to me, that's when I have a harder time thinking of one that works.

    And I know what you mean - I would like the name Daniel, but there was a really rebellious and sullen boy in my 4th grade class named Daniel whom always got in fights and threw a chair across the classroom once. Then he claimed to everyone that we were in love with me even though we'd never spoken. O_O So...that kind of ruined my liking for the name Daniel.

    ~Wendy Lu

    The Red Angel Blog

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    1. I've had a few names ruined for me, too. Perfectly pretty names...nonetheless...I will never use them because of a negative impression earned from some memory or another.
      Calvin is one of those names for me. I adored the Calvin and Hobbs cartoons - so much so that I would have used the name. Unfortunately, I knew someone later with the name that ruined the association with the cartoon. Ha.

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  5. I am a name collector. Whenever I see some unusual name, I jot it down. But definitely, the name must fit the character. And sometimes I might make fun of them a little bit when I do name them. But I also think it's important that readers can remember a character's name, and destinguish one from another. Unless the names are unusual, I don't normally name two main characters with the same frist letter, or that sound too much a like. If it is someone the reader needs to remember, I do try and find some unusual name to fit.

    Good post, Nadja!

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    1. You sound as if you keep a notebook, like me! Funny. I think a great deal about names. I like selecting them, even though it is a challenge at times.

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  6. A funny story. Susan Bischoff thinks the name of my vampire character in Guardian Vampire, Logan Steele, sounds like a porn star. Also, someone gave me a one star review on the book after only reading the synopsis and accused me of stealing the name from another vampire book. A book I had never read! I actually got the name from two people I knew in real life. I asked Amazon to take down the review, which they did promptly. Who knew a name could cause such a stir! Now I'm always nervous about naming characters. LOL

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    1. I wouldn't have thought of that but now that Susan's said it...

      People are so odd - who writes a review only to accuse the author of baseless things?

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    2. Ha! That's too funny! A porn star...*harrumphs*. I hear businessman with Logan Steele.

      And a review that claims you can 'steal-a-name'?? I don't think so. There are so many book - so many names - I can't imagine. Besides...if I heard a name I liked, why wouldn't I use it? I heard the name Evangeline - and loved it immediately. Of course I'll use it!

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  7. Oh yes, I definitely agree that naming characters is important - it takes me ages to research it, wait around to see if the name feels right, and so on. Love that Far Side cartoon!

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    1. I liked it too! I'm always looking to throw in a laugh on the side. And you always choose great names, Deniz! I adore 'Rosa' from Out Of The Water...

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  8. The names I choose go through exhaustive research before I 'baptize' the character. Even if no one else catches the connection, there's always an "Easter egg" about the name that tells you a little more about the character.

    The only names I dislike in stories are the ones I can't pronounce.

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    1. So true. If I cannot pronounce it...I 'rename' the character in my own mind. Ha!

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  9. I admit to using last names from people I went to school or worked with. I haven't seen them in forever, but if they had a useful name, I bring it in. I haven't named villains after any of them, though, so I think they'd be okay with it if they made the connection.

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    1. Villains are hardest for me to name. I struggle to 'hear' malice in most names...lol.

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  10. I do believe in the power of names--I take a lot of time just deciding how to name my characters (sometimes even if they're minor ones)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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    1. I can get overly involved, too. Sometimes that perfect name is elusive for a bit...:}

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  11. spend hours over the names - friends think it's weired and offer ordinary names - one has finally 'got'it and is quite helpful:) it's has to have the right meaning and be a little dofferent or the nickname must be - I have had more difficulty with present WIP because its set in an ordinary market town on our east coast and extroinary names are prolific! Sefuty names were easier - they are odd people:)

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    1. So true...the story itself can dictate the 'range' of names that will sit well with the reader.

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