I thought it would be fun to do a different kind of writing post, geared specifically towards fiction writers. :) This seemed like an even better idea considering NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) began this week! During the month of November, I may be doing even more fiction writing tips here on this page. For those of you who don't know, I began writing when I was about eight years old and I started out with writing fiction. My stories were my whole world. Creating characters and developing plot twists was what I thrived on. My characters were my friends and naming them was my favorite part. But sometimes a character in a story or novel is so complex that it can be hard to pick just the perfect name for them. A name that fits them like it was made for them and a name that readers will fall in love with. To help you along, I've listed out three tips I have for creating the best character names ever. 1) Do something unique. When I first started writing I would use really common character names, such as Sarah. Using a common character name isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't give much depth to your character. It doesn't make that character feel unique and special to your story. Craft a name that hasn't been used as often. It doesn't have to be some weird, out-of-this-world kind of name either. I'm just saying use variety and uniqueness. 2) Create a character name list. Sometimes, for me, when I would sit down to write, I would find it hard to come up with a name right on the spot. Something that assisted me with this was creating a character name list that I could reference back at any time. If, for example, I came up with a great character name but didn't have a story for it at the time, I would write it into my list and save it for another time. Sometimes I would just write down every name I could possibly think of so that I could use them in the future. 3) Know your character. In order to be unique, your character's personality should flow with their name. If they're a very unique person, give them a very unique name. If they're a minor character who doesn't say a whole lot, a more simple name should do. For your main character, figure out who she/he is before naming her/him. This will help tremendously with picking just the perfect name. Have fun writing! Do you have any tips for character naming? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year?
Anna P.
11/3/2017 05:47:39 pm
I love naming characters, but never know which name to choose! :) Thank you so much for another encouraging post!
Bella Morganthal
11/4/2017 09:02:55 pm
Thanks, Anna! :) 11/5/2017 08:22:24 pm
Thank you for these helpful tips! That's what I wanted with the names for The Light-names that were unique, not normally used!
Bella Morganthal
11/5/2017 11:40:54 pm
My pleasure! Oh, I definitely think you used super unique and fun names in "The Light"! :) Can't wait for it to release! Those are great tips! I'm writing a story for NaNoWriMo that takes place somewhere in the Middle East during the time of Jesus and so I'm constantly needing new names. Because I need them to be Arabic-sounding I either google 'arabic names' (there's a great list on Wikipedia!) or use something my sister told me: rearrange letters until it looks right :p
Bella Morganthal
11/8/2017 11:19:12 pm
Yay for a fellow NaNo writer! :D And haha that sounds like a good plan too ;) Hope NaNo is going great!
Bella Morganthal
11/8/2017 11:19:37 pm
Thanks, Beth! Comments are closed.
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About this page:
This page of my blog is dedicated specifically to writers. I've been writing for over half of my life. I live and breathe writing. Because of that, I'm passionate about helping other writers grow, develop, and succeed. This section of my blog will include blog posts dedicated to writing, encouragement, and resources. Feel free to read through some posts and my contact form is always open if you ever have any questions or need encouragement! ♥ Archives
April 2018
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