writingforyourlife

When I began planning my novel, I had a beginning, a middle and an end, plus a handful of characters.  I knew one of these characters wouldn’t  enter the story until between one-third and one-half of the way in.

So, I set to the task of actually writing my book, starting near the beginning.  Consequently, for the longest time I put off naming this particular character who hadn’t yet turned up.

I can’t explain my motivation for this unforgivable procrastination, except that I may have thought there were no names that were adequate.  I daresay I was afraid of the whole idea of naming this character.

In the end, I managed to do the dreaded task, and I’m pleased with my choice.  However, I didn’t pull it straight out of thin air.  I made a list, played around with first names and surnames, shuffled and re-shuffled until I had one that felt right.

When naming your characters, don’t be tempted to slap a title on them too quickly.  Stop and think about the connotations of every name you use.  Research their ethnic origins and meanings.

For example, the character of Briony in Ian McEwan’s Atonement   (click here to see my book review , film review ) accuses an innocent young man of sexually assaulting her cousin, and spends the rest of her life trying to atone for her crime.  The name Briony comes from the plant bryony , which is a poisonous climbing vine.  It’s the perfect name for this character.

When you name a character, you should be able to explain why.  If you can’t, maybe you haven’t got the right name.