I spend a lot of time thinking about what to name my characters. Sometimes certain names stick out for different reasons. It can be that a name conjures up images of a sweet, caring person or a not so sweet, caring person. If a character changes as I write, perhaps turns evil, when at the start they were meant to be a neutral character, I change their name.
Researching names, what they mean, what time period they were most popular is fun to me. I really enjoy that part of my research when writing. But, I’ve often wondered if all the time spent on names is time well spent. When I read books the names are important to me, too. If I don’t like the name, sometimes I will change it in my head. If the name is difficult to say, I will shorten it.
I’m curious if other readers or writers have these name issues? Do you ever read books where the name just doesn’t fit for you? Or, do you ever change the names of characters while reading a book?
I make it a habit never to read. But my favorite name is Byron. You should try it on your next character.
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