Question for Writers

[romantico]

I'm attempting to write a screenplay. This may sound odd, but I'm having trouble finding convincing names for characters. I've tried the phone book and even credits from movies for help. Where do you find the best names for a character?

[spinbaby]

1. No idea

But I do know that Thursday Next is my favorite character name.

[Wetzelbill]

2. I use real people I know

Or I use the names from spam email senders. I have a ton of them. Like "Lisa Wilson" is always trying to get me to buy stuff from an online pharmacy. I may make her a prostitute, we'll see. :) I had a name come up in a dream once.

Mainly though, people I know or have met. Somebody has a cool name etc. A phone book is good though, Gabriel Garcia Marquez does that. If you look in a phonebook and don't find one particular name, try mixing and matching first and last names. Maybe go to the library and walk along looking at author's nnames and switching those out too. Some people use names that tell something about the character. Like if the character is tall, I once saw the name "Longfellow" used, lol.

[Missy Vixen]

3. Online baby name lists

Villains always have either the first or last name of someone in my life that's caused pain ;-).

Julie

[LanternWaste]

4. A hint...

A hint I read some time back...

Find the twenty most popular names for the birth year of your character for the his/her Christian name. Use the last name of your ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend (and go back as many ex's as necessary). The finished name may or may not sound awkward to you, but it's really not.

Hint from William Goldman's 'Adventures in the Screen Trade', which, coincidentally should be required reading for ANYONE who wants to write screenplays.

[CreekDog]

5. use Engelbert Humperdink's real name

cause that one is actually believable.