Tigereye13
Active Member
Ok, this is something that might seem a bit odd but it is something that I struggle with in my writings: names. I can do world building along with character development but when it comes to naming a character or location I get stuck.
I do know about and try to use baby name books along with Behind the Name. But sometimes I just get overwhelmed with how many names there are to choose from or just can’t find the right name for a character. Though, I don’t know good places to look for Surnames.
The name will generally be one of the last things that I create for a character or place. I have written entire chapters of a story without names. I put brackets around descriptions of the character until I figure their name out (such as [Main character] did X, [werewolf co-worker] was able to smell what the mystery present was well before it was opened, [trainer] traveled to [town a] and rested at the Pokémon Center, etc.). Some characters are easier to name than others. My side characters tend to get names sometimes before my main characters. Locations are even harder, and I can never seem to figure out something that sounds right.
So, I was wondering if anyone might have some tips on how to name people and locations. Maybe an example of how you do it or things that you have heard from others that work.
I do know about and try to use baby name books along with Behind the Name. But sometimes I just get overwhelmed with how many names there are to choose from or just can’t find the right name for a character. Though, I don’t know good places to look for Surnames.
The name will generally be one of the last things that I create for a character or place. I have written entire chapters of a story without names. I put brackets around descriptions of the character until I figure their name out (such as [Main character] did X, [werewolf co-worker] was able to smell what the mystery present was well before it was opened, [trainer] traveled to [town a] and rested at the Pokémon Center, etc.). Some characters are easier to name than others. My side characters tend to get names sometimes before my main characters. Locations are even harder, and I can never seem to figure out something that sounds right.
So, I was wondering if anyone might have some tips on how to name people and locations. Maybe an example of how you do it or things that you have heard from others that work.