Few people have asked me about this, but I have found it to be moderately difficult to do. Sure, you can write a piece and 'plug-in' names at a later date after you've waited for inspiration to help you out, but if you do that, you'll have a piece completed and still have blank spaces where the names of characters should be.
I read somewhere that baby name books were a good place to find names for characters and I've found that to be true. What I do is find a name that conjures up the way I feel about a character. If the meaning of the name also describes the personality of the character, then that's a good thing. People who read my stuff might get a kick out of looking up the names I give my characters in a baby name book. The meanings of the names have an indirect bearing on the story.
For villains, I sometimes use given names of public figures whom I don't like; never having met them, I am simply going on their appearance and demeanor when on camera in the news. Sometimes, a visceral reaction, or gut-feeling, is the best indicator of what a person may be like. I'm not saying that my characters parallel or copy any public figures. I just look at them and think, "I don't like that guy." Then I might use his or her middle name, or last name if it lends itself to use as a given name. NONE of my characters are based on REAL, ACTUAL people. As I said in an earlier post, I use stereotypes to build my characters.
Then there is the family connection. I sometimes use the surnames of my extended family for given names of minor, but pivotal characters. Sometimes, I use given names for surnames. Given my family's numerous connections with the founding of one small town or another, which are named for members of my family, those names are frequently the names of towns and counties.
I want to state that I NEVER, EVER, use real people in my works. The characters within my stories are cut from whole cloth, the inspiration of which comes from my mind.
That being said, I will close this post and make a promise, (probably empty) that I will try not to go so long between posts.
Thank you,
Derek A. Murphy
Author of It Happens Every Day
Available on Kindle
