Do your characters’ names each have somewhere between 2–5 levels of meaning? Do you come up with names for fictional places that fit so perfectly you could cut several paragraphs of description and still have the reader know exactly what you’re thinking? Can you fill your manuscript with futuristic inventions or magical objects without also filling it with “[insert cool name for thingy here]”?
Or (this one is for you non-fiction writers, too—there’s no escaping it) do you come up with the best titles ever?
If any of the above apply, you deserve the “namer of things” merit badge.
Special bonus non-rhetorical question: Whether you think you’ve earned the badge or not, what are some of your all-time favorite fictional names and story titles? They can be from books, movies, comics—anything’s fair game in the comments section.
This is part of the merit badges for writers series, and may be posted on your site or blog. Have you earned this badge? Will you never earn it? Tell us why in the comments.
4 Comments
Okay, I’m gonna throw a character name out there.
From The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex: Gratuity Tucci. But her friends call her “Tip.”
Love it.
While I may not earn the badge per se. My answers to the bonus question are as follows:
Dirk Pitt-I won’t lie I remember laughing at the name when I first saw this in the bookstore. And it may be a bit cliche, but the books are great.
Strider/Aragorn-Being the LOTR nut that I am Strider has been a hero of mine for a long time. My nickname for a very long time was Strider.
Harry Potter-To Me this is a great name. Just something simple, but yet his potental so limitless.
Hermione-Just cool name to me.
Rafe Rafton-Capt. Rafton is from the novel Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana by Tee Morris. (For those not up on your podiobook fiction, and shame on you.) But Rafe Rafton is just a great roguish name to me, very well done.
(And due forgive me Em, but http://morevi.net)
John Smith-John Smith is the lead character in 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins. A fantastic tecnhothriller that will not let you go once you start it. But it is interesting to me how one name can mean so much in the story of 7th Son. And I am so not spoiling it, go get it!
Forgive me if I babeled, but I figured I might as well go all out.
@DQuartermane@Strider: Excellent list. Thanks!I love naming characters — BabyNamesWorld is bookmarked on my browser
But as far as pen names go, I think that Cassandra Clare is pretty amazing. Especially since it was originally Cassandra Claire, which makes me think of the Greek, and clairvoyant, Cassandra.