POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

The Name Game

By Nandy Ekle

A face materializes before your eyes. It belongs to a new character who has come to tell you their story. You see the hair and the color of their eyes; you hear their voice as you learn what they have to say. Then the time comes to name them.

Some characters come to us already named. A lot of times naming a character is easy because they have specific traits or a specific role. I like to choose names that have something to do with the story. I keep a baby name book handy and a bookmark to baby name sites that can tell me meanings of names. It just makes sense to have a depressed female character named Mara, or a very passive male character named Bob. Or a serial killer whose last name is Carver.

But sometimes a character comes to us with no particular name. This is a little more challenging. When this happens there are a few rules to help us name give our characters realistic names. To make them believable, we should take into account the story setting. Different names might indicate different regions or ethnic backgrounds. Time also makes a difference as to name trends. Clara might be an older woman and Brittney might be a younger one. Elizabeth is an older name while Sierra is a younger name.

Another thing to take into consideration is the type of character you have. A passive male character might be Bob, while a romantic male could be Collin or Mark. A cowboy could be Cody or Don and a bully might be Bruce or Oscar.

One thing to keep in mind is the rule of twist. How fun would it be to have a young child named Bertha, or an old man named Brylan. Or think of a gloomy woman named Susie and a bubbly woman named Morticia. But make sure there’s a reason for the twist or it becomes unbelievable.

And don’t forget the originality nicknames bring to a story.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.