I’m happy to have Shelley Munro back to Smexy today talking about how she names her characters and giving us a peek at her book, Tea for Two!
The Naming Game
One of the first things I do when I’m writing a book is decide on my character names. In fact, I need the perfect names for my hero and heroine before I can write a single word. Some authors call their characters A & B and slot names in later or change their character’s names at the editing stage. I can’t. I think it’s because the names make the characters real to me – they become real people with characteristics I can identify with. A person’s name has power.
I check baby naming books and online sites. Sometimes I’ll look at specific meanings of names and fit them to the character I have in mind. Other times I want an exotic name – for example the characters in my recent Middlemarch Mates series are from India and I wanted names to reflect this. I ended up using Rohan, Ambar and Hari. In my historical The Second Seduction, I chose names that were common during the Georgian period, while in Fallen Idol I needed a plain name because my performer hero wanted to forget his famous background and embrace normal. I called him Bob.
My favorite baby naming book is BABY NAMES FOR NEW ZEALANDERS by Anne Matthews because I set many of my stories in my home country and like to give my characters a NZ-flavored name. You’ll also find many online baby naming sites with a Google search.
Other things I consider are:
• Will the name be shortened to a nickname i.e. Samantha to Sam.
• Do the initials spell anything? My grandmother’s initials spell RAT.
• Do the hero and heroine’s names start with the same letter or sound similar. This might be confusing to the reader.
• Check the number of syllables in the names – varying them means less confusion for the reader.
• Make sure the Christian name and surname sound good together.
• Are the names easily pronounced or can they be sounded out easily?
As you can see, naming a character is just as difficult as it is naming a child and authors put a lot of thought into the matter so their “babies” aren’t teased!
To choose the names for my characters in Tea For Two, I flicked through my baby naming book and chose names at random. Hayley has three names all starting with H (Hayley, Helen and Harriet – you’ll understand when you read Tea For Two) and Williams sounded like a great surname.
Fast forward quite a few months. One day the traffic to my website went crazy. Some people from the Paramore fan club were discussing Tea For Two. I’d never heard of Paramore, but I soon discovered that the lead singer’s name is Hayley Williams. Of course, I’ve heard of Paramore now and quite enjoy their music. You’ve probably heard of them too.
So, I have one further hint these days when deciding on a character name – do an Internet search!
Thanks for having me to visit today.
Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand and writes contemporary and paranormal romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. You can visit her website at www.shelleymunro.com.
Here’s a short excerpt from Tea For Two
“What would you like me to do?” Sam asked, speaking to Suzie.
Suzie pulled several sheets of paper from the clipboard she carried and handed them to Sam. “Can you check on the dinner stuff for me? I want to make sure they’ve organized the special vegetarian meals.”
“No problem. I’ll do that now.” He turned to Hayley. “You know I can’t go around calling you Madam. What’s your real name?”
“Harriet,” Hayley said before Suzie could answer.
Suzie sent her a strange look, but Hayley just stared back, praying fervently that her friend wouldn’t dob her in.
“I was just about to show Harriet her station,” Suzie said, stressing the name Harriet a bit much for Hayley’s liking. Oh, boy. Tangled webs indeed. “Catch you later, Sam.”
A flicker of apprehension coursed through Hayley. She’d always used the name Helen in her dealings with fete and fair organizers. Suzie would wonder why she’d suddenly changed. Hayley chewed on her bottom lip, the ground beneath her feet feeling decidedly shaky.
Suzie grasped her arm and towed her into a room decked out like a big circus tent. “Harriet?” she hissed in an undertone.
“I…ah…felt like a change.” Weak, Hayley. Very weak. “Ah, do you think people will want to drink tea? Won’t they want to relax and have an alcoholic beverage?” Change of subject. Well done, Hayley.
http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/shelley-munro
Thanks Shelley!!
Shelley has offered a copy of Tea For Two to one commenter. To enter tell us:
Is there anything that bugs you when it comes to character names? Do you have any naming hints for authors?
Contest is open through Wednesday, and I will announce the winner on Thursday. Open to all.
I am so not creative when it comes to names and now that I'm pondering on names that bug me in some form I'm actually wondering if I ever had such a thing occur. I'm making dinner here for hubby and wll ponder on it some more and will check back later!
Thanks for an interesting post and thanks for the teaser Shelley :)
Hi Leontine – As you can see I have opinions about names. I think the worst thing is when you can't pronounce them. There's nothing worse. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt.
You have wonderful names for your characters. And since you write so many books it can't be easy finding just the right name or a character either. I agree, I hate it when a name is hard to read or say.
I suddenly remember my grandmother's first comment to my mom was after i was born that one change of letters in my initials and it would've spelled crazy (translated from dutch) But it can also spell something good though where it becomes a nickname, I always enjoy the authors creativity in that regard. When I stumble on to a name I can't pronounce I will be thankful for the authors toughtfulness to have it written down how it is pronounced.
Shelley's right–it's a simple detail but an important one: If the name starts with the same later or sounds alike for no reason, then it's a dealbreaker. And that's why I want to read this book–there IS a reason, and I can't wait for Shelley's to show us!
DO NOT ENTER ME IN CONTEST!
I just wanted to say this was an excellent guest post. Thank you for sharing Shelley! I really liked your writing advice on character names.
Hi Shelley,
Tea for Two sounds like a book I would love to read!
Great questions and I do have a problem with names I can't pronounce and too long!
Thanks for the cool giveaway!
Hi Shelley,
I don't mind a lot of the names author's pick for their characters. There have been some, though, that are difficult to pronounce. LOL, I stumble over them when its too long, and end up just skimming over the first letter.
I, too, don't like names I can't pronounce.
There are two things that really bug me about author names – 1) names I can't pronounce, and 2) inconsistent spelling of a strange name. I've read books where the main character's name is spelled one way on the first page and completely different on the next!
I don't have any naming hints exactly, but I think oldies but goodies are a always a great way to go! Oh, and please enter me in the contest!
As long as I can pronounce the name of the character, I'm good with the name the author picks. No good hints for naming characters from me either, unless you use a baby name book.
Armenia! I totally do the same thing when I can't pronounce the name.
I'm also a big fan of just make up my own version of what I think it should be called. So when I finally find out the correct pronunciation, I'm all messed up and can never make myself call them that as I read.
As for hints.. that's a toughie. I think authors should be aware of what other authors in their genre are naming their peeps, because it can be very mentally confusing for me when different books have the same lead character names.
Hi Shelley…. I like when a name is relatively easy to pronounce. That is my main thing…. also I get a little bored with all the Sams, Joes, Jasons, etc…. I like the more exotic names but still make sure the names are suit the nationality or race of those being written about…. BTW…. Shelley is the proper way to spell the name… LOL Shell(ey) the Hockeyvampiress
BTW…. forgot to add that if you like the spelling of the name in question do not second guess it… one of my sons name is Riley… I wanted it to be Ryleigh…. everyone talked me out of it but now I truly wished I had left it as intended…..
not easy to pronounce will bug me for sure.
as naming for the characters, as you say is difficult as naming our child, i prefer search from the internet. My son name is taken from Turkish, even i live in indonesia :)
Hi Shelly,
My biggest pet peeve is when the name doesn't fit the character. I remember reading a book where the lead guy was supposed to be this big, macho, masculine man and his name was Pete. I couldn't connect with the character at all. I know so many guys in school and through life with that name who were little, didn't like sports, and were nerdy.
Oh yeah, I can't stand when I can't pronounce a name either. I just read a book where the heroine's name is "Lise". How do you pronounce that anyway plus is this really a girl's name? I kept saying it as "lice" as in head lice. I don't know if that is correct but what can you do when you have never heard of a certain name before.
Hi Shelley,
I spelled your name in my original post like I spell my nickname, "Shelly". Sorry about that!
You know the place I go to for names is my high school yearbook! That is a great source for names! I had a girlfriend whose name was "Mercedes". I loved it! Everyone called her "Merry". She was a pretty girl with long wavy, auburn hair and green eyes.
I love naming things! All my electronics have names, as well as my all my plushies. When naming, I think of a certain characteristic and look up names that match that characteristic (or something similar). I don't really mind if it's hard to pronounce, but a pronunciation guide would be nice if the name is something unusual.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Hi, Shelley! I tend to be a classic names fan–I really dislike weird unpronounceable names, or ones where there are creative liberties taken with spellings and that sort of thing, unless it's truly in keeping with the setting/character the author's created. Simple is better for me (guess I'm just not too bright ;))