Road Trip Wednesdays is a "blog carnival" where the contributors at YA Highway put up a reading- or writing-related question and bloggers all around the world answer it!
This Week's Topic is:
The list of top baby names in 2012 had us talking about naming characters. How do you decide on names? Would you ever name a character after a friend/family member/ex?
Fact: I'm a super indecisive person. On my current work-in-progress, I've changed my main character's name FIVE times. No joke: Lavinia, Violet, Evelyn, Vivienne, and now Ava. (Obviously I'm slightly obsessed with the letter "v.") Regardless, I mainly decide based on feel. Now that might sound slightly strange, but different names have a different "feel" to me--either derived from various people I know, how the name sounds, or the meaning of the name--and I try to match up that "feel" with how my main character is. For instance, the name "Ava" connotes a simple elegance and symmetry to me, perfect for an unassuming girl in post-Edwardian times who's finding her true worth. As for the foil character's name, "Seraphina," that was decided purely on meaning (FYI, Seraphina came from the biblical word "seraphim" and means "the fiery ones"). Speaking of the meaning behind names, here are a couple of sites I've found tremendously useful: Behind the Name, Baby Names, and Behind the Surname.
Lastly, while I would never name a character after an ex (why? just... why?), I'm of the opinion that friends' or family members' names are totally up for grabs.
So, there you go! That's how I play the name game!
And now... tag! You're it! How do you decide on names?
