Saturday, September 23, 2006

What's in a name?

So, I've been working on some stories. Greatful and jealous I don't have as many stories running around as Candice, but still a few are out there. One story in particular basically kept me awake at 3 am the other morning. I woke up and there was a scene running through my head. The main character Hellion was so adamant I get up to write the scene down before I forgot. In my delirium, did I mention this was 3 freaking am on a work day? I came up with a new character. I wasn't even thinking of her existing, but as I wrote she appeared. Her name, her personality all jumped from abyss that is my mind. And lo and behold I liked it... when I read it five hours and a 20 ounce coke later. Stella, nicknamed Interplanetary Stella answered the phone.

This made me think about the name process. Some of the names I have come up with I have labored over books and websites looking for the perfect name for a character. One time I looked up at the tv and a marathon was on there. I pulled the name right off the screen. I don't just come up with first and last names I like for my characters to have a first, middle and last, sometimes even a nickname. I want there name to represent who they are even when I'm still trying to think of who they are. Then there are the character's whose names just pop in your head as you are writing the story. You see them, you connect with them and you just sense their names. Wish it was always that simple, but it's not.

Now, I pose this question to you: How do you come up with your character's names? Do you agonize over the process? Or do you just go with the flow?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

synonyms. I use a lot of synonyms, doing that whole - word association thing....