An important note before we start: whenever you’re using real people, especially celebrities, political figures, etc., you must make sure whatever you write does not slander or reflect poorly on those people. It is a legal headache no one wants.
One of the most difficult things (for me) when writing a new story is finding names for my characters. There are some unwritten rules, like ‘make sure no two names start with the same first letter’ or ‘avoid rhyming names’ and a few others that are often broken by pretty much every author ever.
How do I name characters? Sometimes names just come to me, sometimes I use the first names of friends or family, and sometimes I scour the baby naming sites online for the perfect name. Sometimes I create a formula to apply to a certain group, like the lawyers in Midnight Splash. All of the men have some combination of U.S. presidents’ last names as both first and last names. I wanted them to sound like rich, stuffy, snobby men and women. While some of them are, some of them have more caring and understanding personalities which go against the grain of that snobby name.
I started this story so long ago I can’t remember the reasons why I chose all the names. Looking back, the two teenage boys’ names just came to me – like the characters telling me what their names were (yes, it happens). Other names, including two of the female lawyers are after friends or family.
Another thing to worry about is real people. When naming characters, I searched online for anyone whose name is remotely close to the character name. I don’t want backlash from John Smith because my character with the same name has some sort of legal troubles and the real life man does not. In a way, it’s limiting, but at the same time it ensures my characters are as unique as possible.
When using a friend or family member’s name – especially for villain characters – I make sure they’re okay with it. I haven’t gotten a ‘no’ yet. But for those whose names have been used, remember the character isn’t a reflection of your personality or what I think of you.
In my current WIP (not Midnight Splash), there are only a handful of characters, but the setting of a small Italian town caused me to narrow my choices to traditional Italian names. It’s been fun to research. None of them have last names, so that part is easy. There may be dozens of people with those first names, but without a last name there’s no danger of someone complaining.
Have you written a story and used known names before? If your characters were named after friends or family, did you ask their permission first? Let’s talk on Facebook!