Internet Writer's Workshop: Character Naming
Hullo, and welcome to the first episode of "Writer's Workshop." Today, we'll be talking about those pesky objects that forever seem to dominate our literary works: Characters!
Today's episode will focus on the naming of characters. A name can make a great deal of difference in a character. Even with the same personality, a "Georgette" and "Gertrude" will appear to be entirely different characters to our discerning readers. Let's peek into our toolbox and see what we can't come up with.
Here
This is a remarkable "common name" generator based on census data from the US. The United States is a good country to use for this situation, because of the many countries out there, the US has a stupendous diversity in names. However, there are caveats to be considered:
1. Does the name fit the personality of the character?
2. Can you pronounce the name properly?
3. Does the name fit the nationality of the person you're creating? (And, if not, is there a good reason for it?)
This is for a good smattering of names that are welcome in almost any fictional piece. But wait! What if you're looking for a very specific culture or country you want the name to come from? Not a problem in the slightest! Just head to the following link:
Right Here.
At this website, you can select boxes of the cultural background you want your character to have. Also, quite nifty, is the option to supply your own surname to see how it looks. Feel free to also generate a middle name. (Even if some cultures do not recognize a "middle name," they usually have something mildly equivalent).
"But wait again!" you might be saying right now. "This only deals with real-world examples of names! What if I'm creating a world from scratch, or there's a fantasy world, or--"
After taking a deep breath, the best place to head would be:
Over Here!
This website is always my go-to for made-up fantasy names of all shapes and sizes. Fantasy and science fiction let the author run wild with weird naming conventions and even weirder alphabetic acrobatics! But remember: -- Eventually, you'll probably have to explain the name of the character AND type it a lot of times. Shorter names (or at least shorter nicknames) will endear your audience to the character (and, consequently, make it a lot easier on your fingers!).
Thanks for tuning in for the first episode of "Internet Writer's Workshop." Watch out for the next episode, where we explore the coveted ABCD method of character creation!
Today's episode will focus on the naming of characters. A name can make a great deal of difference in a character. Even with the same personality, a "Georgette" and "Gertrude" will appear to be entirely different characters to our discerning readers. Let's peek into our toolbox and see what we can't come up with.
Here
This is a remarkable "common name" generator based on census data from the US. The United States is a good country to use for this situation, because of the many countries out there, the US has a stupendous diversity in names. However, there are caveats to be considered:
1. Does the name fit the personality of the character?
2. Can you pronounce the name properly?
3. Does the name fit the nationality of the person you're creating? (And, if not, is there a good reason for it?)
This is for a good smattering of names that are welcome in almost any fictional piece. But wait! What if you're looking for a very specific culture or country you want the name to come from? Not a problem in the slightest! Just head to the following link:
Right Here.
At this website, you can select boxes of the cultural background you want your character to have. Also, quite nifty, is the option to supply your own surname to see how it looks. Feel free to also generate a middle name. (Even if some cultures do not recognize a "middle name," they usually have something mildly equivalent).
"But wait again!" you might be saying right now. "This only deals with real-world examples of names! What if I'm creating a world from scratch, or there's a fantasy world, or--"
After taking a deep breath, the best place to head would be:
Over Here!
This website is always my go-to for made-up fantasy names of all shapes and sizes. Fantasy and science fiction let the author run wild with weird naming conventions and even weirder alphabetic acrobatics! But remember: -- Eventually, you'll probably have to explain the name of the character AND type it a lot of times. Shorter names (or at least shorter nicknames) will endear your audience to the character (and, consequently, make it a lot easier on your fingers!).
Thanks for tuning in for the first episode of "Internet Writer's Workshop." Watch out for the next episode, where we explore the coveted ABCD method of character creation!