Comments on Joseph L. Selby Writes: Naming Characters

Listen, Wilson... [insert snapping retort at a lat...

2011-10-18T10:41:08.792-04:00

Listen, Wilson... [insert snapping retort at a later date]

I actually don't use Judeo-Christian names that often (except for Jehovah's Hitlist that had an intentional Christian theme to the names of older characters).

Crooked Crown had made up names. Triad Society had Scandinavian names. Prince of Cats had Persian names. In order of the books I've written, here are the names of the protagonists:

Cy (Poseidon)
Bastin
Otwald
Jehovah
Mirza

The MC of my current WIP is Jason Poole, but that's a nod to my two best beta readers and doesn't have a greater agenda in mind since it's a contemporary fantasy and the character is from the US.

And just like that, I've got all my character ...

2011-10-18T09:34:45.654-04:00

And just like that, I've got all my character names for my next novel: Joe, Joe Bob, Josephine, Joelle, Joanne, Jolene, Jonah, Jojo the Dog-Faced Boy, and of course Madison Cthulhu (the heroine). Thanks, Selby!

Thanks for the linkage and good points to add to S...

2011-10-17T21:53:40.795-04:00

Thanks for the linkage and good points to add to Suzanne's post.

I agree on the getting too weird with kids names. I named my son a classic (though not overly popular these days) name and I did get a few looks when I announced it--like, wait, you're not naming him something hip like Brycer or Jaedan? No. And I'm not spelling what I did pick with some alternative spelling. I've spent my whole life with people mispronouncing and misspelling Roni, I didn't want to inflict that upon him.