I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating make sure your character names are distinct. Why? What do I mean by it? If you’ve been following me you know I read a lot. One year I read 150 books. Yep, I’m addicted. So, I’m going to share a few character name rules that must not be broken and why.  Characters with similar names, names that don’t fit the character, the time period or are hard to pronounce.

Sound-alike

Sound-alike names confuse the reader. Remember those identical twins in your class who had names like Tom and Tim of Elisha and Alisha. Over time, their mannerism and quirks helped you tell them apart. Readers can find this confusing. I am reading a book with three boys named Daniel, Dean and Duke and two girls whose names are very close in spelling July and Julie. I’m confused trying to keep them straight because I don’t see them on the page like I would in a movie or TV. Anyone remember the three Darrels from The Bob Newhart Show. Or the multiple Nickys from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. They were easy to identify when they spoke because you could see them. It is best to have distinct names so the reader doesn’t have to sort them out.

Those of you who have read my novella Healing Hearts in Smitten Historical Collection: The Cowboys know the hero has an identical twin. Even though my hero has a scar, their names did not set him apart. Jedidiah and Zebulon had nicknames, Jed and Zeb. Two three-letter names that were could be confused. My critique partner suggested I change a name. Their birth names were twin sounding, but Zebulon’s nickname changed from Zeb to Lonnie. After introducing them as Zebulon and Jedidiah, They address each other by their nicknames. That’s what the readers remember. Jed and Lonnie are distinctive personalities and their names are different enough to keep them straight for the reader.

My WIP is the sequel to Healing Hearts, I’m telling Jed’s story. Here I find I’ve made this same mistake. I have Lonnie, Lilah, Lee, and Lemont. Lonnie has to stay because that was his name in Healing Hearts. Lilah was a nickname for Delilah. So I changed her nickname to Dee. Lee became Monty and Lemont at present hasn’t changed because he’s dead before the story starts but is mentioned often. The wonderful thing is I can use Find and Replace and change the name in a flash.

Names that fit the characters

Choose your character names carefully. If your hero is rugged and manly in every way Duke, Drake, Trey, Rocky, Clay, Dash, Tanner, Hunter for example. Any of these names aid in describing the character. These are great cowboy names. They could work for a military man along with Joe, Dan, Bud. Fred or George would not be as appealing for your macho hero.  A sidekick might be Abe, Sport or the most popular is Charley. The guy who doles out advice, is the rejected love interest, or the irritating little brother.

Our heroine, if she is in a historical, maybe Sally. Betty, Birdie, Maggie if she’s of a lower class while the socialite might have a name like Angelica, Beatrice, Margarette. Let’s face it a sophisticated socialite would never be named Cindy. Cynthia perhaps. That name was most popular in the 1950s and 60s as a baby name. And let’s not forget Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Which brings me to my next point.

Time period

I read a lot of Historicals because I write Historical Romance. Finding a modern name for a character in the 1800s bothers me. Tiffany, for example, was a man’s last name in the 1800s. Tiffany made his mark around the globe for his jewelry. A baby name book will often give you the origin and most popular names of the period. Google the name. As much as you’d like to name your African American heroine Tamika if the setting is 1846 she’d more likely have a Bible name.

How do you say that name?

Fantasy writers often create names. Having an appendix with the phonetic pronunciation of characters’ names helps the reader not to stumble over it. If your novel becomes an audiobook, it makes things easier for the narrator. Some publishers don’t even ask your input when it’s in production. Afterward, you’re asked to read along with the narrator and send back any corrections. That means identifying every page, paragraph, and line. It’s painful to point out every place the name is mispronounced. Just sayin’.

There is much more that can be mentioned about character names but I’ll leave it with these basics.

By the way, my novella Healing Hearts part of The Cowboy novella collection will be free on Amazon starting Thursday, February 13th. If you love cowboy heroes grab a copy. The other three novellas in the collection are page-turners with swoon-worthy heroes. Click link after the 13th to order.