Why It’s So Important To Choose Your Characters’ Names Wisely
When you start writing a story, you think about the plot and the characters. One of the first things you write about is the character’s name.
What are the steps for choosing a character’s name? The name represents the character and should not be selected too hastily and superficially. It is as important as the behavior’s character itself. For this reason, we suggest you some important Narrative Tips for choosing wisely your character’s name.
Why choose wisely your characters’ names?
When you decide on a character’s name, you create their personal history, including their origins and geographical affiliation.
Sometimes, the writers choose a name that they initially decide to change because it no longer reflects the characters as they were originally born.
Therefore, it is good to think about the name of the character before starting to write the story.
How to choose a character name?
To choose the character name there are significant tips to follow.
First of all, we have to identify the setting of the story.
In which historical period does your narration take place? Do you want to set your story in the real or in the imaginary one?
You can think of a name based on the setting of your story. Therefore, the first step is to do thorough research according to the world you decide to describe.
Every era has its name. Likewise, in every world. If you choose to describe an imaginary world, you can use an invented name that suggests that the world does not really exist. The name of the character must therefore also be consistent with the setting described.
Characteristics of your character name
There are some characteristics of your character name you have to consider:
- pronounceability
- uniqueness
- musicality
- adaptability
- brevity
Pronounceability
A name must be easily remembered. Otherwise, the reader may have difficulty identifying the various characters during the reading. The name of your characters, especially that of the main character, must be easy to read and pronounce.
Uniqueness
Each character must have a different name. Just imagine if you told about two different characters with the same name. You would have to introduce a descriptive element each time to distinguish them. In any case, it would create a lot of confusion for the reader.
Above all, the protagonists’ names must stand out above the others so that the reader remembers them even after they have finished reading your story.
For this, you can also associate a surname with the first name so that it retains the characteristic of uniqueness. For example, there is only one Harry Potter.
Musicality
This feature is important because it makes the name catchy, and simple. It has to center on the context of the story and therefore, as anticipated, on the setting of the narrative.
Adaptability
The name must fit the character. It is a bit like a specially sewn dress. It should reflect the character’s character and temperament.
Brevity
Names that are too long are difficult to remember and sometimes even to pronounce. Let us return to the characteristic of pronounceability. A name has to be short and catchy. Names that are too long are difficult to remember and sometimes even to pronounce.
If you are attracted by a long name and it reflects your character, consider thinking of a diminutive with which you can speak about your character.
For example, in the novel Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn was only called Huck during the story.
Some help to choose your characters’ name: bibisco
In addition to the tips we have described in this article, you can also use bibisco and its innovative novel writing software to choose your characters’ names.
With this cutting-edge tool, you can create your characters, determine their physical and psychological characteristics and create a name for them.
Conclusions
One might think that the choice of a name is among the easiest parts of writing a story, and among the first steps. The name of the characters is a very important element because it allows the reader to remember the protagonists. There are some essential tips to follow when choosing the perfect name for the main characters in your story.
