Friday, August 20, 2010

Naming Characters

Need help with a #*)) name for your sidekick character? Try nameberry.com, the premiere baby name site.

In an interview on there, international bestselling mystery writer Jeff Abbot (Texas guy ) thinks naming a child is sometimes easier than naming a character.

When he started to write his new crime series about an ex-CIA agent who owns bars around the world, he wanted characters with names to match their personalities. It couldn't be JACK. Jack is the default name for every other action hero: Jack Bauer (24) Jack Shepard (Lost) Jack Sparrow (Pirates). Others heavily used are Jason (Bourne) and James (Bond).

So, after a search of non-trendy, simple names, he came up with SAM Capra. It conveys the toughness of its Italian origin and geniality of Frank Capra from It's a Wonderful Life.

Lots of good pointers in the article Naming Literary Characters: One author's advice.

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