Why do fiction writers need help naming their characters?
I see so many writers on YA asking what to name their characters. IMO, it makes little difference, as long as the name is plausible. If Nicholas Nickleby, Holden Caulfeild or Elizabeth Bennet had other names, what difference would it make to the story?
Even if you're writing a fantasy story where every character has a unique, invented name, or a historical story where you want the names to be authentic to the period, you ought to be able to name your characters without help.
Compared to plotting, and actually writing the story, naming characters is a piece of cake, and far from the most critical factor in the success of the story.
Wesley B2013-04-08T20:14:35Z
Favorite Answer
I feel the same. Most of the most popular and well-known characters have regular names. Twilight's hunk? A boring old Edward. Star Wars? Despite being long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...the protagonist is a Luke. Star Trek? James. Blade Runner? Richard. Dune? Magic spice, galactic war, kilometers long sand worms? Pretty sci-fi only to star a mere "Paul" as it's lead. One of the best selling novel series of all times and who gets to go to Hogwarts? A normal old Harry. Just look at successful literature. It isn't full of Maddisyn's or Peppers or Runegolds. It is normal names people can relate to.
People forget about several things. First, people don't name themselves. So it doesn't matter if your star wants to be goth, unless his parents were, he probably has a normal name like Jason and not "Razzor." Second, overly weird names generally serve to make the story less relatable and more prone to sounding dated or stale. Third, when all your characters have weird names, none of the names sound weird any longer. Fourth, worrying about names to the point you aren't writing until you find the "right" one..that's an amateur sign of wanting to talk about writing instead of actually writing. If you really don't know, just pick something and change it later. You have a computer. Find and replace has been around since 1995. Just write and you can always change the name later if you want. Don't waste time worrying about it at the expense of not actually writing your story.
Occasionally it works. You have your Ender Wigginses and your Frodo Bagginses, but those are by writers who knew their craft inside and out. And even then, look at their other works and 90% don't star weird or edgy names.
Not all do, but trust me when I say that naming the characters is actually the hardest part. Your undermining the significance of names, they are a LOT more important than you think. The plot is one of the easiest parts when you get going. The names have to have meaning. Asking for help on ANSWERS just gives them more ideas. Nothing wrong with it. As a writer myself I am speaking from experience: names can be bitches to come up with.
Apparently they missed the memo about the creative nature of fiction writing...perhaps?
As for YA people, they're beginners and they make amateur mistakes. Most are also kids and what kid doesn't try to cheat on their homework?
As for names in general, they're important if used properly. A name can suggest a lot about a character before the author even begins to develop that character. It introduces origins, heritage, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. So names are more important than simply tacking on a name tag.
I'm a young teen writer myself. I have asked many people friends and on here for name suggestions. The reason some writers may ask is because we need a variety and the more names you get the more choices you have. For me I ask for lists of names so I can go through them and when I read one that feels like it will fit the character I choose that one. Sometimes you don't need help because you already have/know the perfect name. Honestly I have a difficult time to find good names because most are overused so I want something unique and ask for that. Some writers need help sometimes(like me) other writers have it come to them like its no problem at all :)
Personally, my issue is that I tend to name my characters one of 4 names. That's just a habit. So when I introduce a 5th character and need a new name, I draw a complete blank.
What I usually do is ask my friends if they know anyone like the character, and if a name fits, I use it.