Naming

My method of naming characters hasn't been consistent over the years. When I was still a relatively new writer, I would scour the internet for names that could become potential character names. I remember when I was younger, I printed out a three-page list of names and their meanings. I would carry that list around in case I needed to come up with a new character.

Then I sort of stopped that and began relying on my instinct. When I began writing a character, sometimes the name would just come to me. For example, I had named a character Daniel without giving it much thought. Nevertheless, it just felt right. I'm sure that many other writers have this instinct for naming their characters.

It's not always easy, though. I've struggled with names before. Sometimes I'll spend a good hour on behindthename.com, trying to find the right fit. Even when I find a good name, it takes a while to get used to calling a character by their new title.

And sometimes I come up with a name that seems fitting, except:

• the name is painfully boring (Like John)
• someone I know already has that name (In which continuing to write that character with that name begins to become a little odd. I have only broken this rule once. Technically twice, but the second time doesn't really count because I really only knew this person in passing.)

For the Maybe Short Story, Maybe Novel, I'm still generating a list of names. In this, there aren't many main characters, but secondary characters are still extremely essential to the story. These characters have a bloated sense of self-importance, so they must also have names that show that off. And what's the most explicit way to show that characters have been raised to believe that they're the greatest things to ever walk the earth? By naming them after stars and constellations.