What a name can do for your writing

What you name your characters can mean a lot to you the writer of the manuscript, and it can mean even more to your reader. Most writers do not put thought into naming their characters, but they should. Have you ever read a book and not been able to fully connect to the characters because they have a name you can't pronounce or even think of someone actually naming their child that?

When I am naming my characters I think about their personalities. I have came across certain people in my life that have they same name and every single one of them with that same name were all the same type of person. An example, I know several people named Beth, and almost every single one of them has been bitchy to an extreme point that made me want to lock myself in the nearest bathroom for a bit of peace. As for men I have met several people named James that are very controlling and for some mad reason are obsessed with detail and being able to pin point people, like fitting them into a certain category. One James that I know actually dislikes so much because he can't get inside my head and figure me out. He says that I do things for no rhyme or reason. Which is not true, he just can't seem to understand my way of seeing things.

So when naming people in your writing consider their personalities. Are the bitchy, snooty, laid back or an obsessive type person? Then think about all the people you have met with the name you have picked and see if it fits. It's like naming your children. When my husband and I picked the names for our sons we took a lot of things into consideration. Our boys have two middle names so that they could pick which name they wanted when they got older. We also took in the consideration if it sounded right with our last name. Self is a tricky name to work with. Also their initials have to be considered, does it spell out something nasty? Lots to think on when naming a child, pet, or a character.

If your having trouble picking a name ask some friends, or even google the name to see what come up in the search. You will be surprised. And as always think about what the name means. Names have different meanings in other languages.

In short be considerate. Think of how well your name suits your character and how well the reader will be able to relate to the name. If they can't connect to the name then they most likely wont be able to connect to the book.