What's In A Name?

When it comes to naming the character or novel, sometimes those great and infamous names just escape us. Or maybe we don't put enough stock in them.
A good name to stand on it's own feet, long after the book has been written, published and consumed by the reader, is a name that will stick in the hallowed halls of the reader's thoughts. A name that will conjure up an image of your story or the character that personified it.

A name has to match the character. It has to be orginal, but not so orginal that it is hard to remember. A name that is too "out there" will be just as quickly forgotten as an old and worn out name.

Like with feelings, I do think we need to avoid cliched names. A name that has been used too frequently will be lost on the reader, where they won't even remember it enough to write the review. (and this has  happened to me)

A name has to have a meaning behind it. Maybe not the literal meaning, but it has a resonsance to it that means something to you and the character. If you decide to go with a literal meaning, it is good to think of how that name represents your character. For example: Mary means bitter. Is your character bitter about something? If not, you might want to consider some other name. It doesn't have to be mentioned in the story, it would be best if you didn't, but I know that when I hear that name, I often think of someone who has a "bitter" quality to them

Religion, ethnicity, nicknames, these can all play into the resonance of your character's name.

The same can be said for titles. You want a title that will grab the reader's attention, since that might very well be the first thing that they see. Aside from the cover, that is one of the biggest attention grabbers your book can produce. And since the best way is to learn by experience (and since I am terrible at naming things), I wanted to share some titles and character names that I think are truly memorable.

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz is a book that I believe says a great deal not only in the title, but also the name of the character. Because she is so memorable, Morrow Little is a name that sticks in my memory. But the title also grabs the reader. Courting inplies to several men who are looking at this beautiful young woman. But once you read the book, you realize it really isn't about men seeking Morrow's heart, but God. Chasing after her to show her His love for her.

The PJ Sugar series by Susan May Warren, I believe is brilliant! Talk about a name and personality to match. Because while it is great to have a stellar and memorable name, it will go nowhere without a personality to back it up. You can have the greatest name, but if your character is under developed, your story and name are going to fall flat on it's face without a leg to get back up on. So while it is important to pick the perfect name for the perfect character, it is also equally, if not more so important to build that memorable character. Because a memorable character can take an ordinary name and make it extraordinary.

PJ is a tomboy character so the nickname is perfect. It personifies her and that along with character traits, make her larger than life.

The characters in this book are simply marvelous, but I want to focus on the title for this time around. A Passion Most Pure. It says a lot, don't you think? It implies the romantic passion that accompy the woman and man on the front cover, but the pure part it what sparks the interest in readers. You don't often here of pure passion, so to see such a title makes me want to pick the book up off the shelf. The same goes for the other two books in the series,  A Passion Redeemed  and A Passion Denied, speaks very highly of what you are going to find within the pages of the novel.

A truly good title will give the reader a glimpse into the world of the book. Because like it or not, much of the first impression of a book comes from the title and cover. When we pick up a Love Finds You book, we expect a love story and not a murder mystery. When we pick up one of Julie Lessman's Passion books, we expect a romance because of the title in and of itself. Think carefully when you title something. Don't let it be evasive, let it have a meaning that intrigues the reader.

I just had to include this novel, because I love this book so much. The Frontiersman's Daughter, who can forget the story and a lovely name like Lael Click? Even after several months of finishing this book, I can still see her name and face in my mind. To be able to build a character around a name or vice versa is simply stunning.

And my favorite of favorites novel title is The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry. Talk about a title the says so much and yet so little! It immediately sparks an interest in the reader, how can a stranger be familiar? And with a story to back it up that sweeps the reader away, this book is truly memorable on every single count.

There have been so many memorable character names in the history of fiction.

Anne Shirley

Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Watson

Scarlet O'Hara

Tom Sawyer

Huckleberry Finn

Silas Marner

Atticus Finch

Oliver Twist

Jo March

Mary Lennox

And the list can go on and on.

What is your opinion of names and do you have more to add to my list? There are so many more out there!