Hey, it's Emily! I am super excited to introduce you to our new series Character Creation!
We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program with An Exciting Announcement:
I am maybe even more excited to introduce you to a project Brianna, Gabrielle, and I have been bursting with for a while now. Starting in this blog post, the three of us will be creating a story from scratch, showing you our process and inviting you along for the ride!
In our Character Creation series, we will not only share tips on creating a main character but actually make one! We will continue following this character’s journey throughout future series as well as we talk more about arcs, worldbuilding, and plot. We hope that this will get your creativity flowing and inspire the work writing a story takes. Along the way, we will also ask you for feedback via our Instagram page so that you can help Honeycomb’s character make decisions and complete the quest! Check our posts and stories for these opportunities and more info to come!
In the Meantime, Back to Our Series:
Not every story starts with a character, and not every character starts with a name, but once you have an idea for a novel, a protagonist and a name are sure to follow close behind. Names have power and with them your story’s actors become much more real. Follow along with me today as we take a look at 3 key points to consider when choosing your characters’ names!
1) How Will My Readers Respond to This Name?
When marketing a book, the protagonist’s name is one of the first elements that will stick out to your potential readers from the synopsis. Names can often indicate genre and personality—elements we will cover later. Primarily, though, you want to be sure your main character’s name is distinct without being complicated. Find a name that will stick in potential reader’s minds until they can’t forget it and just have to know what happens to that protagonist.
Memorability
Creating a memorable name is vital. Consider: are you more likely to pick up a book following the adventures of Robert Miller or Elias Rivers? Chances are, you’ll go with the latter. Elias Rivers is eye-catching and intriguing, someone you could imagine having an epic destiny or wielding an heirloom sword. Robert Miller is your Midwest town’s latest candidate for mayor.
In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, main character Ponyboy Curtis certainly has a distinct name from other young adult novel protagonists. The story gives no explanation, except for Ponyboy mentioning his dad was “an original person,” yet Hinton’s character is memorable and recognizable for his strange name. When making a new character or editing details of old ones, ask yourself if your characters’ names are significant to readers. Could they Google your character’s name and find your book, or would dozens of FaceBook profiles flood the search results instead? Find an unforgettable name that fits an unforgettable protagonist!
Simplicity
While unique names are certainly important, writers must not be overkill. True, a name like Robert Miller may not draw a reader’s attention, but a name like Xiomóresiobhed Devereauxeogrance might cause them to run away with a headache. But you and I both know readers’ eyes would just skim over a name like that and would never know how to tell their friends about the character without butchering the pronunciation. There could be exceptions, such as if the complicated name is an important character detail, or if he can go by a nickname like Dev throughout the story, or if his long name comes from a real-world culture you incorporate into your book. However, most of the time, readers value simple, easy-to-pronounce names over ones that are mega-unique. Find the balance between memorability and simplicity and your potential readers will thank you!
2) Does This Name Fit Into My World?
How readers interact with your main characters’ names is, of course, an important factor, but writers must not forget that those names also need to make sense within the story and worldbuilding contexts. Names can reflect anything from genre, to time period, to location, to culture. It’s a lot to keep track of, but keeping up with these elements can be really rewarding for writers and readers alike!
Genre
Readers often get a sense of a story’s genre based on the character’s names. If a synopsis mentions a Mia and a Liam, likely the story takes place in the modern world—whether a romcom, drama, horror, or magical realism story. Alternatively, with names like Emara and Baldroy, or Nova and Volt, readers can expect to enter either a fantasy or sci-fi series respectively.
Setting
Setting also plays a large role in a character’s name. For example, while Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are both fantasy series, Harry is a common name in the United Kingdom whereas Frodo is not. The difference is that Harry Potter comes from modern-day Surrey only to step into the hidden Wizarding World, whereas Frodo Baggins comes from an entirely fictional, high-fantasy world.
The setting’s time period is also a large factor. If your main cast of characters all have names like Edith, Archibald, Winnifred, and Digby, I will have a hard time believing they’re just friends from Cornell Class of ‘09 instead of nobility discussing Queen Victoria’s policies over tea in the parlor. Make sure your characters’ names fit into the setting you have established.
Culture
Writers must also consider the cultures surrounding their world and characters when choosing names. If your character was born and raised in modern-day Malaysia then a name like Wasfia is a good choice! Alternatively, if your character lives in America but her family is from Italy and takes pride in their heritage, her parents are more likely to choose a name like Stella instead of Emma. And remember, when coming up with culturally-based names, research is not just encouraged but expected!
You can play around with culture in fictional worlds too! In Donita K. Paul’s DragonKeeper Chronicles, each fantasy race has different naming conventions. The O’rants—human-like creatures with skin that smells of citrus—have short, softer names like Kale and Lyll, whereas the Tumanhofers—a stout people known for “digging” into their intellectual passions—have longer, sharper names like Librettowit and Taylaminkadot. When encountering a new character in Paul’s unique world, readers can almost always and immediately know where they come from.
Consistency
After fitting characters’ names into their genre, setting, and cultures, writers must remember to remain consistent. If your main characters all come from the same world and culture but have names as varied as Esmerelda to Nancy to Xia, this may confuse your readers. In one of my favorite webcomics, UnOrdinary, most of the characters have unique names like Arlo, Seraphina, Isen, and Remi. However, the main character’s name is John. While its author uses John’s name as a sort of ongoing joke throughout the webcomic, his name initially sticks out and distracts when compared to the patterns of the other characters’ names. Keep consistency in mind as you name not only your main cast but also side and background characters!
3) Does My Character Fit This Name?
(The Sisters of House Black from "The Wizarding World")
After discussing your readers’ response and your novel’s context, the final element to consider is how well a name fits your character individually. Certain names, depending on their sound, meaning, and connotation, may color how readers think of your protagonist as a person. While a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, readers will associate your characters by their names and often a name makes for a lasting first impression.
Sound
Sound is an important element to consider. If your character is gentle and elegant, you may want to find a soft name that embodies those qualities, like Felicity or Elian. However, if your character is curt and clever, names like Carmen or Vincent may fit better. Notice how Felicity and Elian make use of L’s and create a more delicate sound, whereas Carmen and Vincent have harder consonants? Try saying your names aloud and fit the sound to your characters.
Hidden Meanings
Readers can learn about your characters through what their names mean as well. The name Zelda means “brave warrior” which may clue a smart reader into that character’s role within a story (and it helps that many will think of the Nintendo’s warrior princess Zelda as well). Meanwhile, naming a character Rose could convey that character’s sense of love—or hidden thorns. J.K. Rowling slips many hidden meanings into her characters’ names. Do the barest research on Remus Lupin’s name and you’ll learn a twist about his character. Rowling also uses hidden meanings in her naming conventions, calling the Evans family members after flowers and the Black family members after stars.
Connotations
Finally, make sure when you name your characters you consider the connotation a name carries. While the name Beyonce may come from old French and African origins, hardly any reader is going to be able to separate your character Beyonce from the pop star Beyoncé. However, sometimes you can use this to your advantage! Thomas Harris chose the name Hannibal Lecter for his character for a reason (*cough* because it sounds like the word cannibal *cough*). Just remember to pay attention to what your character names sound like and what readers may associate them to!
Our Honeycomb Character
Brianna, Gabrielle, and I—in starting a story from scratch—decided to begin with a character. We’ve named her Honey Heimsol. Let’s give a quick breakdown of her name!
(P.S. Thanks to Gabrielle for making our art for Honey!)
Honey was our character’s first and only name, for obvious reasons. However, we’ve given her name more meaning besides being tied to Honeycomb Author Services. Nearly everyone in Honey’s little village has a nature-based name, and the Heimsols are the type to follow the status quo. Plus, when the midwife fed Honey’s mother spoonfuls of wildflower honey during labor—“It will give you energy and dull the pain,” the midwife said—the name seemed a clear choice for the Heimsols. She grew up to be a sweet girl, fitting of her name.
For our character’s family name we initially chose just “Heim.” Firstly, it gives our character’s name some pleasant alliteration with the repeating H. Secondly and thirdly, “Heim” traces to Old Norse and Germanic words for “home.” The sources fit with our medieval, high-fantasy setting, but we also love the hidden meaning that relates to Honey’s homebody motivations and her eventual quest for belonging. Fourthly, “Heim” sounds similar to the word “hem” which subtly makes readers relate the name Heim to their family’s trade: tapestry weaving. However, in the end we chose to add an extra syllable to the end of “Heim” creating the name “Heimsol” since it had a better sound to it. Thus, we created Honey Heimsol.
Give It a Try!
Hopefully this blog post has given you some ideas of what goes into naming a character. As far as coming up with ideas in the first place, there are countless methods! You could search any place scattered with names, like phonebooks or cemeteries. You could research the cultures that inspired your story, or use websites like Nameberry to search for names from specific cultures, with specific meanings, or containing specific sounds or syllables. You could also use an online name generator to brainstorm ideas or Frankenstein-together pre-existing names by scrambling the letters or splicing two names together. If all else fails, you could always try the keyboard-smash method and see what you find!
And, as always, Brianna, Gabrielle, and I would love to help you no matter where you are in the writing process! Please reach out to us on our website, Instagram, or brand-new Twitter with any questions you have about our services or distinct writing processes. We know what it’s like to labor over a beloved story, and we can be the fresh-eyes that help you prepare and polish it for publishing!
Till then, bee brilliant! Emily
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