Lesson Three

Three Names:

From www.be-a-better-writer.com I found a name generator for characters. From the generator I picked Bea Mayer. I subjected this name to www.behindthename.com.

Bea can be short for Beatrix in English or Viatrix in late Roman or Beatrice which is early Christian. In the late Roman it means voyager or blessed for Early Christian. While, Mayer is a surname which can be German, Jewish or English and usually refers to an occupation of a higher nature in society.

On the generator I also found Andrew Saunders. Andrew as a Greek word refers to the straightforward word, “man.” Saunders is a Scottish or English surname.

The generator came up with Donielle Weems but I was unable to fasten any meanings onto either one of these names. I do think Donielle would be a distinctive name, that may be a character that would be memorable.

In my walk through some websites I found “7 Rules of Picking names for Fictional Characters” by Brian Klems on www.writersdigest.com.

I did not know there were rules so I was glad to examine them. Klems brought up some of the same points as Scott Nicholson. Since I started reviewing books for “The Monthly Reading Challenge” I noticed how some names seem to coincide with the writers sly ability to refer to something else besides the story.

I had to laugh when I tried on Nicholson’s idea of switching “Thelma and Louise” to “Cissie and Amber.” He is right it just does not work and might have caused the whole manuscript to be ditched.

The name should help build the character is a rule I will be watching as I write. Take it seriously and make it matter is another idea to work with as I form a character. Just this little bit of reading made me see the birth of characters differently.