Question:
A fairly mundane question, but one that makes me curious. There's a very useful site that gives lots of hints and tips, and really rams home the point about the importance of choosing the correct names: that it gives the audience a condensed version of the character.
I had an incident earlier this year that brought this home to me, so was wondering what everyone's/anyone's thoughts were on this?

Do you have any super naming resources?

Do you feel that this could be abused as a factor in characterisation?

Have you ever heard a character's name and though "oh puh-leeease!" (I did - in a certain wizardy film just recently)

Choices:
Book of baby names
Internet resource
From media - tv,magazines etc
From people you know
Out of your own lickle head

 

Now this is interesting - 40 views, 3 particpants (thank you, by the way), 0 replies.

Who were the other 37? Did you not have a view? The time? The inclination? It's only ticking a little box, and I'd really like to know...

Of course, it could be 1 person, viewing 37 times. In which case....

I love you. You are a wonderful human being to indulge me so in my little quests for knowledge about my fellow writers.

They are nosy people who came onto this forum to see what it is about but can't answer your poll because they haven't ever written anything.

If I wrote anything, I'd call all the characters Barry or Brian. This could be a problem.

Yeah I'm one of the nosey ones.I prefer nicknames, seem more appropriate somehow.

patpot

My turn to be nosy! Why more appropriate? Do tell! With details!

You need nicknames when all your characters are called Brian.

quote:

Originally posted by patpot:
Yeah I'm one of the nosey ones.I prefer nicknames, seem more appropriate somehow.

patpot

' Cos the peeps who think that they know me don't really...

quote:

Originally posted by Kathy_:
If I wrote anything, I'd call all the characters Barry or Brian. This could be a problem.

Would you seriously do that?

But couldn't them all being called Barry or Brian actually be a good basis for a plot? I'm guessing farce, with all manner of hilarity ensuing due to multiple cases of mistaken identity...

quote:

Originally posted by patpot:

quote:

Originally posted by patpot:
Yeah I'm one of the nosey ones.I prefer nicknames, seem more appropriate somehow.

patpot

' Cos the peeps who think that they know me don't really...

So, you'd give them nicknames for that reason?

Interesting idea. What sort of nicknames?

Diminutive forms of their first names, Bob, Jenny etc? Or more descriptive ones - Brains, Radar, Stinker Hobbs, Sniffy Bartlett, that kind of thing (those last two sound a bit 1920s - sorry!)?

Right! Come on, folks! Let's be 'avin' you!

Well, your ideas at least....

Talking to myself here...