The naming of things is important. God gave Adam the task of naming the creatures of the world. Magical beings withhold their true names, lest they fall under the thrall of an enemy. In fiction, no names are as important as your characters’, but writers often skimp on this important step in character creation. We’ll spend hours sweating out the name of a mythical city or magical MacGuffin, then name a pivotal character after a childhood pet. Some writers seem to put in less thought than that.
You shouldn’t ignore the power of names. In an essay for Lit Hub, Alison Stine talks about how she named the characters in her first novel, Road Out of Winter, including her narrator, for whom she wanted a “final girl” name. “The final girl: the character in horror movies, especially slashers, who survives to kill the killer,” Stine explains. “One of the common traits of the final girl is that she has an androgynous-coded name, or one that is shortened, like Jess or Sid.” For her character, Stine chose Wil, short for Wylodine.
“Naming a character can feel like unbearable pressure because it isn’t just a name,” Stine says. “It’s an aspect of characterization that’s immediate…The music of a name—or lack of—makes you feel a certain way. Names can radiate warmth or coolness, familiarity or fussiness, trust or suspicion.”
Names will define your characters and should support your theme. You should also take care to keep your names distinct. “Too many characters with similar names—even names that start with the same first letter—and readers can be confused,” Stine advises. “Names also need to make sense for the location, time, and tone of the story. If a major character is unnamed, that’s a decision too, one that can draw attention to itself.”
You should give your character names as much consideration as you do any other element of your story. “Let the names be a part of your story,” Stine says. “Let names tell the story too.”
