I choose character names using a lot of similar techniques as you do (i.e. Google searches for common names in the countries/regions of the setting, secret tributes to people who are important to me). I've also used nicknames for characters to make them standout. For example, in my book "The Back Nine", one of my main characters had a rather plain name of Ian Martin, so I gave him a nickname of "Cheech" because he was a big fan of Cheech & Chong when he was younger. In the same book, I have another character with a last name of Stryker because he is an aggressive character. I also try not to have similar sounding names of characters to avoid confusing the reader.
Hi Terry—I did not know you lost a brother, and at such a young age. What a tragedy for you and your family. It is amazing that writing is one of the ways you keep a part of him out in the world (including, now, this blog.) :) And, yes, I remember very well when I learned of my namesake. I was pretty giddy LOL.
Hi, Terry - When I first started writing, as a kid and totally unpublished, names were the most important things in the whole process. I went through baby name books and kept a list of unusual names - they all had to MEAN something- Cara for the female romantic lead, for instance. Finally, after a newspaper career and writing several non-fiction books, I realized that weird and dislikeable people could have great names, and heroes could have really embarrassing (to them) names.
I am currently writing my first novel, wherein the plot requires the main characters to change their identities, i.e., their names, to escape dangerous situations - and for one character it happens more than once.
When I started, I simply picked names that sounded Cape Breton-ish, where the story starts in the late 1800s, and that suited the time and place. I got some ideas from the ancestral tree to learn what was fashionable. Then I changed them during the story to meet the characters' urgent needs of disguise - and my ability to remember who they are at any given point in the narrative!
So far, so good. We'll see.
It's been hanging over my head long enough, blocking the creative pipeline, and I hope to finish by 2025.
For the minor characters. I think I put in a placeholder name, and it just sort of sticks. However, for one of the main characters in my first novel, I searched around endlessly for the right name. I found it on the side of the ROM, actually -- there's a plaque to the (first?) museum curator, Charles Trick Currelly. I took the name Trick from there. The character's last name came from Douglas Coupland's first novel -- so a tribute to that, I suppose. (Come to think of it, I've had at least two characters named after characters in other books, so perhaps a nod to books I've admired?)
In general though, I tend to avoid using real names of people I know -- I don't want them thinking the character is actually them, too!
Good morning Terry. I knew there must have been a science to this aspect of writing. For me, it's been either throw a name out there (first name that comes to mind) and see whether I like the sound of it in the context of what I am writing, or to use the family and friends network - primarily middle names but sometimes first. And in doing so, I do try to get a match with name and character, or try to pay tribute. And of course out or respect for our diversity, I even try to get out of my comfort zone and select names that reflect the plethora of possibilities that greater pool of names provides.
With a name like Chrisann, and never seeing it in print, I have always wondered how authors choose the names of their characters! Thanks so much for sharing your 'process', Terry, and to everyone else who shared theirs in the comments. 🙏
I have been thinking about starting a social media campaign to beg an author or musician to use my name (there are SO many songs with female names!) so let's consider this comment the start of that campaign! 😊 #WhatsInAName #Chrisann
What’s in a name? Perhaps chance, intuition or purpose fuel name choice as commenters are saying. But, as a story and character evolve you must have to decide if it ‘wears well’. Have you had occasion to change a name because it ended up not pulling its weight, so to speak?
I’ve named characters after lots of things: BJ Honeycutt from MASH, Cassandra (who knew what was going to happen and nobody believed her) from Greek mythology, Chen short for Chenoweth because Kristin Chenoweth’s “Taylor the Latte Boy” kicked in my playlist while I was writing.
But as you say, there’s a sort of something that just “feels right” about a name. It’s inexplicable! But real!
Hey Terry, like you I pick names that just sound right to me as somehow reflective of the character. I’ve used Wikipedia (which by the way I use a lot for general research and make an annual donation for the privilege) and old phone books (cause it’s hard to find new phone books!).
Three of my books are memoirs, of sorts, (and one is an autobiography), so I’ve used actual names and hoped no one objected (and a few did, who I ignored). My novels might be construed as autobiographical too and so changed the names from real where I thought it might be problematical. Still, like you, I slipped in names that come close to home, or home 50 years ago. Still, in real-life settings, Peterborough, Kingston, Amherst Island, I’ve tried to take care not to use real residents’ names who might object. At times, the effort to slide names in amused me. (Curiously, one of my [minor] characters names is Mrs MacAskill.) Even one of my villains has some connection to a real life ‘villain’ from my life, though I modified his name. . He might even recognize himself if he ever read the book.
In my first book, I chose the name of an old fellow who lived next to us when I was growing up. In a recent book, I used the last name of my new ophthalmologist. Often though, I idly glance about my book shelve and purloin a name that strikes my fancy...or thumb through the phone book...
David Stewart. I have known one for some time! Now lives outside Perth, Ontario - goes by Dave. Worked at Carleton U for many years. Terrific man - you would like him!
Good question. I've completely missed this boat and there's probably nobody there. But then again, I guess that's a bit like any kind of writing. Scanning Terry's presentation and comments, a lot of the names are meaningful to the writer in some way or other. I'm thinking they reflect the writer's engagement in an imaginary world, and relationship to its characters. Another approach that I'm trying out with my ventures into writing is thinking about how readers might relate to a name. I guess this is about what that name might mean in the broader culture. Celebrity names would be examples of names that would have a broader resonance. But I'm also thinking about our increasingly diverse culture, and how non-anglo folks might respond to reliance on mostly anglo names. But, can I use a name like Ahmed or Tarek without many readers assuming I'm saying something about indo-Canadian or Arab-Canadian culture. But I don't want to do this, just have these people being ordinary folks. So far, the only solution seems to be to have them be just ordinary folks, no identity messages, and hope readers get that. But maybe there are better approaches?
Since I don't write fiction, it is very easy to name characters!! However, I enjoyed reading your process and have so loved getting to know your characters over the years. Looking forward to many more!
I choose character names using a lot of similar techniques as you do (i.e. Google searches for common names in the countries/regions of the setting, secret tributes to people who are important to me). I've also used nicknames for characters to make them standout. For example, in my book "The Back Nine", one of my main characters had a rather plain name of Ian Martin, so I gave him a nickname of "Cheech" because he was a big fan of Cheech & Chong when he was younger. In the same book, I have another character with a last name of Stryker because he is an aggressive character. I also try not to have similar sounding names of characters to avoid confusing the reader.
Thanks. I like “Cheecn!”
The main character's name in my novel The Degrees of Barley Lick, is an anagram of my friend, Cyril Blake's name
Nice! A clever tribute to your friend.
Hi Terry—I did not know you lost a brother, and at such a young age. What a tragedy for you and your family. It is amazing that writing is one of the ways you keep a part of him out in the world (including, now, this blog.) :) And, yes, I remember very well when I learned of my namesake. I was pretty giddy LOL.
Thanks Melany.
Hi, Terry - When I first started writing, as a kid and totally unpublished, names were the most important things in the whole process. I went through baby name books and kept a list of unusual names - they all had to MEAN something- Cara for the female romantic lead, for instance. Finally, after a newspaper career and writing several non-fiction books, I realized that weird and dislikeable people could have great names, and heroes could have really embarrassing (to them) names.
I am currently writing my first novel, wherein the plot requires the main characters to change their identities, i.e., their names, to escape dangerous situations - and for one character it happens more than once.
When I started, I simply picked names that sounded Cape Breton-ish, where the story starts in the late 1800s, and that suited the time and place. I got some ideas from the ancestral tree to learn what was fashionable. Then I changed them during the story to meet the characters' urgent needs of disguise - and my ability to remember who they are at any given point in the narrative!
So far, so good. We'll see.
It's been hanging over my head long enough, blocking the creative pipeline, and I hope to finish by 2025.
Good for you, Monica!
For the minor characters. I think I put in a placeholder name, and it just sort of sticks. However, for one of the main characters in my first novel, I searched around endlessly for the right name. I found it on the side of the ROM, actually -- there's a plaque to the (first?) museum curator, Charles Trick Currelly. I took the name Trick from there. The character's last name came from Douglas Coupland's first novel -- so a tribute to that, I suppose. (Come to think of it, I've had at least two characters named after characters in other books, so perhaps a nod to books I've admired?)
In general though, I tend to avoid using real names of people I know -- I don't want them thinking the character is actually them, too!
I like the idea of paying tribute to favourite books. Good idea.
Good morning Terry. I knew there must have been a science to this aspect of writing. For me, it's been either throw a name out there (first name that comes to mind) and see whether I like the sound of it in the context of what I am writing, or to use the family and friends network - primarily middle names but sometimes first. And in doing so, I do try to get a match with name and character, or try to pay tribute. And of course out or respect for our diversity, I even try to get out of my comfort zone and select names that reflect the plethora of possibilities that greater pool of names provides.
Thanks for sharing, George.
With a name like Chrisann, and never seeing it in print, I have always wondered how authors choose the names of their characters! Thanks so much for sharing your 'process', Terry, and to everyone else who shared theirs in the comments. 🙏
I have been thinking about starting a social media campaign to beg an author or musician to use my name (there are SO many songs with female names!) so let's consider this comment the start of that campaign! 😊 #WhatsInAName #Chrisann
(Here's a short list of some songs with female names....sigh.....https://flashbak.com/the-125-greatest-songs-with-a-womans-name-in-the-title-26113/)
I like Chrisann as a character name.
Oh....I forgot to mention that my neighbour's name is, get this: Pierre Trudeau!!!
Like a lawyer I know whose name is Brian Mulroney. True!
What’s in a name? Perhaps chance, intuition or purpose fuel name choice as commenters are saying. But, as a story and character evolve you must have to decide if it ‘wears well’. Have you had occasion to change a name because it ended up not pulling its weight, so to speak?
I’ve named characters after lots of things: BJ Honeycutt from MASH, Cassandra (who knew what was going to happen and nobody believed her) from Greek mythology, Chen short for Chenoweth because Kristin Chenoweth’s “Taylor the Latte Boy” kicked in my playlist while I was writing.
But as you say, there’s a sort of something that just “feels right” about a name. It’s inexplicable! But real!
Hey Terry, like you I pick names that just sound right to me as somehow reflective of the character. I’ve used Wikipedia (which by the way I use a lot for general research and make an annual donation for the privilege) and old phone books (cause it’s hard to find new phone books!).
Three of my books are memoirs, of sorts, (and one is an autobiography), so I’ve used actual names and hoped no one objected (and a few did, who I ignored). My novels might be construed as autobiographical too and so changed the names from real where I thought it might be problematical. Still, like you, I slipped in names that come close to home, or home 50 years ago. Still, in real-life settings, Peterborough, Kingston, Amherst Island, I’ve tried to take care not to use real residents’ names who might object. At times, the effort to slide names in amused me. (Curiously, one of my [minor] characters names is Mrs MacAskill.) Even one of my villains has some connection to a real life ‘villain’ from my life, though I modified his name. . He might even recognize himself if he ever read the book.
In my first book, I chose the name of an old fellow who lived next to us when I was growing up. In a recent book, I used the last name of my new ophthalmologist. Often though, I idly glance about my book shelve and purloin a name that strikes my fancy...or thumb through the phone book...
David Stewart. I have known one for some time! Now lives outside Perth, Ontario - goes by Dave. Worked at Carleton U for many years. Terrific man - you would like him!
Good question. I've completely missed this boat and there's probably nobody there. But then again, I guess that's a bit like any kind of writing. Scanning Terry's presentation and comments, a lot of the names are meaningful to the writer in some way or other. I'm thinking they reflect the writer's engagement in an imaginary world, and relationship to its characters. Another approach that I'm trying out with my ventures into writing is thinking about how readers might relate to a name. I guess this is about what that name might mean in the broader culture. Celebrity names would be examples of names that would have a broader resonance. But I'm also thinking about our increasingly diverse culture, and how non-anglo folks might respond to reliance on mostly anglo names. But, can I use a name like Ahmed or Tarek without many readers assuming I'm saying something about indo-Canadian or Arab-Canadian culture. But I don't want to do this, just have these people being ordinary folks. So far, the only solution seems to be to have them be just ordinary folks, no identity messages, and hope readers get that. But maybe there are better approaches?
Since I don't write fiction, it is very easy to name characters!! However, I enjoyed reading your process and have so loved getting to know your characters over the years. Looking forward to many more!