One of the most enjoyable things about writing stories is naming the characters.
Sometimes a character springs fully formed into my mind; name, age, appearance, personality, the whole works.
Other times, there is a character that I know I need, and I have to research to develop them.
Some of my character names are completely random, but some have real meaning for me.
In the Bayou Beni series that I am writing, the Marshall parents are named George and Harriet, which are my parents' names. George and Harriet Marshall are great parents, as were George and Harriet Marion. They are like and not like my parents. (George is more like Daddy than Harriet is like Mommy.) They are absolutely fictional characters, but they are also a tribute to my Mom and Dad.
There is a lector named Bill Dunn, which was my Godfather's name. He died in 1998.
There is also a third grade teacher named Grace White. Mrs. Grace White was the name of my third grade teacher, and she is the first person who encouraged my story writing.
When researching to name characters, I look at surnames common in areas, I look at most popular girl and boy names in a particular year, I look up common names in countries that my characters were born in or emigrated from.
Or, I just like the name and run with it.
At a point in my young life, I thought I would have a pack of kids to name. I just had one child to name, but I have an entire town of characters I have now given birth to.
How important are character names to you when you read a story? Can a poorly named character turn you off? Have you ever stopped reading a story because of the name of one or more characters?
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