- In contemporary realistic fiction, the names has to be common enough that most readers can pronounce it. It's annoying to have to guess at how to say the name. It took me forever to get Declan right (DECK-lan, not DE-clan,) and that mostly happened because my friend named her son Declan. Nah, who am I kidding? I totally still say De-clan. Once you get it wrong, there's no going back. Fantasy and science fiction don't have to abide by this rule, though your made-up names should be phonetically accurate. Don't go throwing a silent S in there.
- Names need to fit the character's personality. If she's quirky, the name has to be quirky. For example, in Re/Viewed, my heroine's name is Tru, which is short for Gertrude. This tells you that her family is traditional, but she breaks the mold. Jessica from SAFE Security/Forging Love was named after a cat my mom had. She was feisty and a fighter, but sweet and loving at the same time, which fits the character.
- I need to keep a list of all the characters I've ever used in a series, for parts large and small, because I don't want to confuse readers by using names a second time.
Complicating this issue are rules based on personal preferences.
- I can't pick names that are very popular today or in the last 18 years. I can't read romances where the main characters have my kids' names. It doesn't matter how much I like the author. I'm sure other people are the same. You don't want to read a story where the heroine is moaning your son's name or the hero is telling someone with your daughter's name how sexy she looks in that lingerie. I'll never use my kids' names in a book, not even for a supporting character.
- Then there are the names of other people you know well. I still have trouble with David (Re/Leased, Treasure Me, Switching It Up) because I have two cousins with that name (different sides of the family.) David was named by a reader who won a contest, and she chose to name him after her husband. My gut reaction was to scream, "NO! I changed their diapers!" but it was a contest, and the only guideline I gave was that the last name needed to start with an E. She chose Eastridge. She also named Autumn/Brea, but I got over that one quickly. I've only met a few Autumns in my time, and none were relatives.
- As a teacher, so many names are out-of-bounds at different times. One recurring nightmare I have is when I write a character who has a name that hasn't appeared in my classroom, and then the next year, before I'm finished writing the novel, I get a student with that name. Oh, wait. That happens all the time. Awkward. Name popularity comes in waves, so I'll use a name once they fall out of favor and the kid has faded from my memory, like Darcy, Katrina, Amy, Jessica, or Breanna. Fifteen years ago, I had 2-3 per class. Now I have none. Right now, I'm avoiding Hayden, Chloe, and anything that uses "Maddie" or "Mack" as a nickname. I have at least 6 of each right now.
It's on sale because my street team, Read Between the Wines is featuring it as the Book of the Month. I'll be doing a live chat in that group on Sept 28, and I hope to see you there.
