Chapter Three: Names!
This was bound to pop up sooner or later, but fear not! This chapter is short because names are pretty basic.
When naming your character, take into consideration of their personalities, physical appearance, back story, and anything else that might apply to the name. Names are our labels. If we didn't have names, we'd be screaming, "HEY YOU IN THE SHIRT" or "YO! BLUE JEANS GUY!" That would just make love confusing, so names are key!
Think of naming your character like naming your child, only with more information. When naming a baby, you really have no idea what the baby is going to look like or act like. They have no personalities until a couple... what? Weeks after birth? They need time to develop feelings and attitudes toward things.
Like, you may love chocolate, but your baby takes one look at it and thinks "Sweet Jesus, what the hell is that crap?!"
It's the same thing with your character.
Let's go with our first guy, friendly blondie. So, he's the typical blonde haired, blue eyed high school student who's friends with everyone. So, what sort of names would match that?
Well, you can open a new tab and go to a search engine, type in "boy names". Or maybe you want a specific beginning letter.
For blondie, I want an "A" name. So, we'll go to a search engine and type in "boy names that start with A". I'll be taken to several sites with baby names. One of them appeals to me, but you have to look up what the name means.
What's weirder than naming your characterAhearn (which is a Celtic name and means Master of the Horse) when your character is a coward and hates animals?
It's a bit confusing.
So, make sure you find out what the name means. For our blondie, we're going to name him Finn. Finn is a Celtic name meaning fair, blond.
Of course, no name is complete without a surname! Surnames are family names. They change over time as well. Your surname is usually your father's name, unless you decide otherwise. The same rules apply for surnames as for first names. You can't give him a last name that doesn't at least match his family's occupation or trait that is passed down.
It also has to match the first name. It has to sound right.
So, for Finn... I'm thinking Finn McConnell. Makes sense, right?
Now, I'm not gonna spend too much on the girl's name. We'll just call her Maxy Rogers. Her first full name is Maxine, but no one calls her that, even her parents, so that explains the nickname.
Our antagonist will be named Damien Skye. A handsome name for a handsome villain.
If you have trouble with names, you can always use someone you know. Their name, I mean. Not necessarily their full name, but parts of it. You can also go with the really fun option of making up your own name! But make sure your readers know how it's pronounced.
In my series, The Full Moon, one of the characters is named Nythara. I'm sure some people might have had issue with pronouncing his name. So, just as a fun fact, his name is pronounced:
Nuh-th-are-uh.
Isn't it fun making up new names?
Next: Unit 2: Character Designs-- Chapter Four: Mary-Sue & Gary-Stu.
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