Name your Characters!

 Let's be honest, there isn't really a 'real' name. All names are invented at some point, Katia and Aaron didn't just spring into existence and everyone went 'Yep, that's a name.' All names were invented at some point, please don't argue semantics in the comments below. However while we acknowledge that we can also acknowledge that each culture has their own set of names that were used in the past and are still used today. Names that are familiar to any audience you might have. The real question is if you should use those names, or if you should come up with something brand new all on your own. Honestly there isn't a right or wrong answer to this. It's really up to whatever you, as a writer, want to do.  I have my own personal rules when it comes to inventing names. Usually I limit invented names to only a handful of characters to keep the universe familiar to the audience. Also if I'm working on historical or contemporary stories I tend

 If you've ever had to name a fictional character you're probably familiar with the concept of 'name generators,' or you've at least heard the term thrown around. If you're not familiar with them, then here's a simple explanation; A name generator is a program with a database of names. Sometimes they are sorted by gender, ethnicity, rarity or other factors that the user can customize. Other times they are not. The basic premise it the user customizes their preference's, then they hit a button, and names that fit their criteria are randomly chosen from the database. Sometimes they're only given one name, but most commonly the user receives 5 to 10 random names. Personally I use them to generate more name ideas for my characters, and they are an invaluable tool. Though some are more useful than others. The most useful one I've found is the  Fantasy name generators  by Emily. Now admittedly her site can be a little overwhelming to navigate, but that

 One of my earlier posts was about  naming characters after other characters , and when that would be a good idea. I listed four different ways to pull this off effectively. The first was when a character was nobility, the second was when the person who they were named after is dead or distant, the third reason was to establish favoritism, and the final reason was to show the values of the culture or family the character was born into. To make what this looks like more clear I've found a character that fits into all four of these categories: Azula, from Avatar the Last Airbender. Azula is a princess and while her father is technically the main antagonist Azula over shadows him in skill, smarts, strategy, and story. She is a far more interesting character and villain, leaving many people to cite her as the main antagonist.  Her name is interesting however, Azula, which simply means blue. It seems like an odd name for a fire princess, but it's rather fitting. Her flames are blue,

  Sometimes when you make character's their names come naturally. You could see a singer on TV who's name fits a character of yours. You could be working backwards, already having a name before there's even a character. Or you could give them a placeholder name that just seems to stick. However often it's not that simple, and you have to do a bit of work to find the right name. It can be a daunting  prospect, especially if you're not sure where to start. Everyone develops  their own method eventually, and each is slightly different, but it's often a good idea to see how other people name their characters just so you have an idea where to start. My own tried and true method is underneath, and even if you don't follow it to the letter it should still be a helpful starting off point. 1-Establish your characters ethnicity and parentage  Ethnicity and background is very important to naming. It can also show you how creative you can get with your names. After all

 If you look up tips about how to name characters and click on a link there is a 50%-30% chance that you'll land on this gem; "Don't chose names that are similar to other characters you already have." Sometimes you can get the even more extreme "Don't even use the same first letter that you've already used." It's common advice that seems to make sense, but once you look beyond the scope of simple children's stories it tends to fall apart. In a single novel it's very easy to have far more than 26 named characters, and even then names should at least sound a little similar or they won't feel like they fit together. However they do have a point. It is usually a good rule of thumb to have names be different enough so that they're clearly distinguishable at a glance. But when it comes to creative writing often actively breaking rules can be a good thing, if you know what you're doing. In some cases actively naming one character aft