Most of my fictional characters are born with their names firmly attached. As soon as I have a sense of their personality, and a rough idea of age, appearance and occupation, I don’t usually have to think too hard to find a suitable name.
But, every now and then, I try out a whole list of names and
end up rejecting them all. This has just happened in a new story that I’m
hoping will be included in the collection I’m writing for Alfie Dog Fiction.
The character in question is a criminal who uses a false
name, but his own name is revealed at the end of the story. The false name was
easy enough to choose, but I couldn’t decide on his real name.
Hm, let me think. He’s up to no good, but he’s also clever
and rather charming ...
Ah, yes, that reminds me of another lovable rogue.
I’ve borrowed his name; it fits perfectly.
(And if your name is Rufus – or you know a Rufus – please
don’t sue me for libel. I’m not writing about you. Honest!)
4 comments:
I'm sure half the characters in my stories end up with the same name!
Names can be tricky, can't they? But pick the right one and they add something extra to the character.
I know what you mean, Wendy, I have my favourites too.
Yes, Patsy, choosing the right name for a character brings them to life.
It's funny how some character's names are immediately obvious while others take a while to find. Love Rufus, by the way!
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