Yes, dear reader, I am a writer, not expecting.
I visit baby name websites, name generators, and Pinterest, more often than I’d like to admit, and this dilemma of naming characters is the driving factor of my current headache, and also the endless baby ads on my everything.
Whenever I’m working on my characters, one of two things typically happens. I either A, think of the name first and then build the character; or B, the name never comes to me and remains as [person with a totally great name] until I actually start writing. And let me tell you, it is infuriating when option B strikes because I need to have the name ready in order to write. I also have a similar issue when naming my novels, except, luckily, that doesn’t hinder the writing process.
So when I am not granted the greatest fortune of coming up with a name first, I spiral down a road of annoyance.
Alas, I am a placeholder Queen.
If I cared about my craft any less, I would google a names list, draw one randomly (of the many great names there are—the issue is I can’t find a name that seems to fit the character; the issue is not that the names aren’t good), and slap it onto the character. But I care deeply about my work (it’s unfortunate at times) so, for me, every name must have a meaning and linkage to the character—not always in a cliché way. The name doesn’t have to be 6 syllables long, nor does it need an obvious description connecting it to the character (such as William being linked to protector).
All it takes for me to choose a name is one of the following:
Do I like how it sounds?
Do I like how it looks?
Does it somewhat (and often stereotypically) seem like it would fit with this character?
Does it deviate from stereotypes?
Is it similar to what I had in mind all along but didn’t quite know that yet? (My personal favourite.)
It just is good.
Yes, this list is quite contradictory. I write by feel, which often means I’ll choose something that stands out to me even if it has no apparent meaning. Many writers do this, and many writers also follow careful rules and formulas and methods to get them to where they need to be. Either one is good, and both have their headaches.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I will not (this may be subject to change) use the name of someone I’ve met in any of my longer works of fiction (unless the name’s in use before I meet you). So.. sorry Sophia, you will not be the lead of my next rom-com.
When I do find a name from a list, it’s smooth and joyous sailing... But, unfortunately, that rarely happens.
This is where the spiral begins. The insanity. The: I’m going to lose my mind because I want to start writing, but I really don’t want to write a million placeholders.
Writing [female main character’s name] or [male name] or [name] every other sentence for hundreds of sentences would lead anyone to madness; or if you’ve managed this (I’ve managed three chapters before giving up), I admire you, and please, what is your secret?
I reserve my use of placeholders for the editing period, which is also why they are highlighted in magenta, as you may have noticed. I do this because [name] is a lot harder to spot whilst scanning text than [name].
But what do I do when I still can’t find a character’s damned name?
I look everywhere. And I mean everywhere.
I found the last name of my current stubbornly unnamed character by happening to watch a bit of golf while at a restaurant the other day.
And perhaps the reason the name has not yet reached me, or made itself appealing, is because I haven’t fully fleshed out the character yet. I still have some more poking to do.
This road has not led me to tears yet, but many wrinkled and bent pieces of paper as I debate tearing it to shreds.
So as I write this and reflect upon my current frustrations of my unnamed character, I have decided to go back and build this character some more, and then continue my search and hopefully something will stand out.
See you soon baby name lists, generators, random golf matches, Pinterest, and out-of-context quotes.
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