Writers? Do you often change the names of your characters?

I hardly ever change a characters name after I originally name them. When I'm writing, I often leave the characters nameless until the perfect one pops into my head. I don't bother with fussing over what to call them. (Though last names are sometimes hard)

With the book I'm currently working on - Jamie was the name in my head since I first formed the idea for the plot. Even though people tell me to choose a name that isn't unisex, I can't. I love Jamie. She's my baby :) Same with the other names like Leon which isn't very common and stands out, but I love it anyhow !

I have the blessing of being able to think of my characters visually. So the names are secondary to me. I want their names to fit them of course, but I realize I'm probably not going to be able to do that 100%, and what seems like the perfect fit for a character might not make sense to everyone else. So I just stick with the best thing I can come up with, and maybe if I find something better, I'll go back and change it. In the story I'm working on, there's a dark wandering shaman named Rasha. But he used to be called Solomon. And Draycuu before that. And when I was a young kid, I had a character called 'Clonevexx' which you could say was the early stage of the same sort of character in my mind. I guess my point is, you'll always have your storytelling ability, and the -names- of characters can sometimes come and go. But I think it's good to make the name 'sound' like the character's personality, or something like that.

One of my characters has had a name change. His first name has changed only once since I started writing and his last name stayed pretty much the same for a long time, then I started kicking around ideas for a new last name for him and finally settled on something I thought fit the character. Other than that, my characters have had the same monikers since the beginning :)

yes i so have!! for me it just doesn't feal like i can find a name that fits until im really far into the story. and i've started writing before without knowing some of the characters names. i think with one of my stories i didnt even have half of the names that i needed before i started but it wound up working out. i just hate when im like houndreds of pages into it and i finally diside on a main characters name that i've used at least five times ever chapter and then i have to go back and fix it @.@ that really sucks and ironicly whenever i'd finished changin everything i found a way on microsoft to change everything in like five seconds.

anyway dont give up and im sure your story will be awesome

Yes, all the time. The main character in my novel-in-process had the name Aria at first. Then it changed to Sophia, then to Sophie, then to Tori, then to Toni, and now it's Tori again. But I have a feeling that it will change again... lol ^_^ I'm just waiting for the right name to come. I'll know when it does.

Since my main character is based off someone in real life i realized my protagonist's name sounded too much like the guy, so it made me want to change it. Also I changed my other main character's last name just because I didn't like it anymore. I can't make up my mind

Yes! There are some characters I knew from the begining thats their name it's perfect for them. Others I'd start writing and know this name isn't going to work. I've changed one girls name five times and I'm still not sure it's going to stick. But once I know my characters well they really speak to me and I'll know when it's right. It will come. (:

Not usually once I start writing. Of course, when I first plan i change around the names/ experiment but usually I get one name and it sticks.

I find that if I change a characters name their personality goes with it, strange but its just how it works for me.

I DO change names of minor characters quite frequently though..

Whenever I change a character's name, I always get confused and end up using the original. I tried changing my main character's name on the second draft, and then after I reread it, I realized that I switched between "Bailey" and "Alice" numerous times.

Well, not often. I have changed two characters names though and I keep switching back and forth between the old and the new names.