The Name Game

Writing a story is a challenge in itself; attempting to tell a compelling tale with a plot that hooks the reader and to make them care for your characters is no small task, and yet what I find  to be the most difficult obstacle to overcome is names.

Names need to sound natural, need to feel comfortable. Like bad dialogue, if a name doesn't sound right for your character, then the reader will not invest time in reading their story. There are so many elements that a great story can unravel over, but I have a solution for names that will at least get this part down.

They're like free creative stimulants.

It is that time of year when everyone is graduating from college, and there are fewer more suitable repositories for names than a commencement program. I recently graduated from Monmouth University with 1,032 other graduates, all of them with varying names from different cultures and backgrounds (a perk of living in New Jersey). I highly suggest keeping one of these when going to a friend's or family member's graduation because if you're ever stuck on names, this is the encyclopedic source to search.

I've been several times: a name like "Rachel" stubbornly sticks in my mind, but I don't feel like the name suits my character; it's a type of writer's block that is at times more frustrating because you're certain you can continue writing the story if only the name were right. This same issue plagued recently, and so I turned through the pages of my commencement program till I found the right first and last name combination I felt comfortable. I came across the last name "Flook" and was immediately drawn: it's unique, easy to rhyme, and completely fit my character in ways I planned to write her. While I'm still not crazy over the first name "Lauren," I'm glad to have found such a suitable last name, one I never would have come across without this handy program.

Inspiration strikes in the most unlikely places, so go forth and find your own tools to help make writing a little easier.