Naming Characters

I'm definitely leaning toward doing NaNoWriMo. And, so far, the biggest problem I'm running into is, I can't figure out my main character's name.

I picked up an old idea to work with, but the name I'd chosen years ago (Evie) doesn't seem to fit anymore. I've searched books and sites and I keep coming up empty. This character doesn't want to be named, it seems.

I'm trying to veer away from names that end in an -y sound. My last two characters were Mari and Tierney, so I figured it's time for something different. I'm definitely open to suggestions. This character is a feisty commitment-phobe with a penchant for unnatural hair colors and photography. If you can think of a name that seems to fit, I'm all ears!

As a side note of awesomeness, I have the most amazing beta readers ever. No offense to any other beta readers out there, but it's true. They've all got a knack for giving useful feedback without deflating the writer's sensitive ego. Instead of feeling defeated, I'm pumped to start revisions. I can't wait to have a polished, pretty draft in my hands!

So, how do you come up with your character names? Ever have one who refused to be named? Are YOUR beta readers as spectacular as mine?

Positively Indecisive

Despite my best efforts and fabulous list-making skills, I still haven't come to a decision on the NaNoWriMo front. I've got one foot planted more firmly in the Yes camp than the No one, though. Which, I suppose, is a start. I've even started a rough outline for a novel I just may work on next month. Given those facts, I suppose you could say that I HAVE made up my mind to participate. Which is probably true.

But still.

I have reservations.

I'm sure we all know I'll do it, though.

The blogosphere is abuzz with NaNoWriMo posts these days. Seems every writer with a blog has something to say about this fabulous, insane month. And why wouldn't they? NaNo is awesome!

Anyway, I've been hoarding links again. And, you guessed it, most of them are about NaNoWriMo. And so I decided to share them with you lovely people.

Elizabeth Spann Craig of Mystery Writing is Murder shared some great links in her post All about NaNoWriMo

Over at Terrible Minds, there's a super-awesome list of 25 Things You Should Know about NaNoWriMo

And storyfix.com is doing a month-long series, How to Nail Your NaNoWriMo Lots of useful advice here!

Hopefully those of you participating will find some golden nuggets of information in these links. And, heck, even if you're not!

In the meantime, I'm off to figure out what my potential NaNo MC's name will be...

N is for Names

Naming my characters is probably my favorite part of starting a new story. The name usually comes to me first and I build my character around it. The name usually is a starting point for my character's entire personality.

I like a unique name, but nothing too out there. After all, I grew up with the name Meika. I wouldn't want to saddle my characters with a lifetime of correcting people when they pronounce it wrong, or constantly spelling it out. Of course, I love my name now. I've never met another Meika. Which, I guess, is what I try to do for my characters. The female leads always have names that I love but would never name my children (I've already got names picked out for the kids I'll have someday, so I know which ones to avoid).

Every now and then, I'll read a book and think to myself, "Now, why didn't I name MY character that?" (ie Katniss from The Hunger Games...how cool is that name?) But overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the names I've come up with. Last year, I tried to change the name of one of my MC's. I searched and searched for a name for weeks only to end up right back where I started. And you know what? The name fits her perfectly.

So what about you? How do you name your characters? What are some of your favorite names from fiction? Do you like YOUR name?