Thread by @Joannechocolat

Let's do this one today. Follow #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName to collect them all!

https://twitter.com/Alan_J_Nash/status/1626552992865329152

1. Character names can be at least as important as book titles. It's the thing that shapes the identity of your protagonist, reflects their culture, their age, their background. And as such, it's worth giving plenty of thought to. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

2. Try asking yourself: who named them, and why? Probably their parents, although they may have renamed themselves later. Either way, what does this tell you about their parents, their background, their relationship with family. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

3. Names reflect the choices of a generation. (This is why nearly all Joannes are my age) Make sure that if you choose an unusual, or odd, or very old fashioned name, there's a logic behind your choice. Otherwise, it may jar with the reader. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

3b): Example: I just read a really excellent book, featuring a character whose gender isn't revealed until late in the story. However, I saw the twist coming because of the author's choice of character name, which seemed just a bit too convenient...

4. Surnames are often regional. If you decide to give your London-based character a strongly regional name, it might be worthwhile explaining how they got to be there. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

5. Name choices also reflect class and education. Even if you're not going to feature them much in your story, it's really worth thinking hard about whoever named and brought up your protagonist, and what their choice tells you about them. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

6. If the character you're naming isn't from your country of birth, you may need to do some research. Everything that is true for this country is also true for other countries: regional variants, generational choices, class, faith, education. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

7. Just *making up a foreign-sounding name*, or borrowing one from a movie isn't going to stand scrutiny. At best, it might disconnect your reader from your story. At worst, it might even sound racist. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

8. Even finding names for fantasy characters needs thought, because nothing comes from nowhere, and it's all too easy to import conscious or unconscious bias into your fantasy world. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

9. Ideally, your chosen name should tell you something about the character without being too intrusive. (If every time your reader comes across the name, they think "God, that's a weird name", it will distract them from your story. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName

10. It's also worth thinking about your future audiobook readers. If your chosen name is unpronounceable, or too like the name of someone else in the book, you're going to cause real problems down the line. #TenThingsAboutChoosingACharacterName