Character naming can be difficult. #writetip There are many sources to find names suitable for age groups and geographical locations. I’ve used marathon results (or any sports event) listed in the newspaper and my nephews commencement brochure. Places that carry a large number of names in one place give you the opportunity to choose a name quickly. You can always change it later if you don’t like it. Halfway through a novel a name might not feel right for a character. Once I changed a name without realizing it until it was pointed out by an editor. I used the ‘find and replace’ feature to change all previous occurrences of the name. Clearly, my mind had decided a new name was needed.

I keep a spreadsheet that I can sort by characters first names and last names. This way, I can make sure I don’t have character names that are too similar to each other. I’m never happy when I read a novel and get confused on what character is being written about because the names sound or look the same.