Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop!

There is an unwritten rule in fiction about not using characters’ names that begin with the same letter. Do you have rules for naming your characters?

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What’s in a name? Apparently, it’s more than I thought. I’ve never heard this rule before. I know some writers like to use names familiar or close to them – family or friends, or names similar to them. I’ve shied away from this approach. That said, I’m sure I could find a way to turn someone that’s annoyed me into an unfortunate statistic in a future book…

When it comes to naming my own characters, it very much depends on several factors. When I was writing about Jack the Ripper, the names had to be time-accurate, and where relevant, correct for the nationality of the character. Similarly, my steampunk works have to be relevant to the time period. This one is a touch tougher, given it is an era that never existed. One option open to me is a simple “steampunk name generator” on the internet. It is a basic randomiser that throws out a series of first and surname combinations. Sometimes they produce a gem, sometimes not. I might be able to make my own combos using the ideas I’ve given.

When it comes to other writing, I consider when and where it’s set and the kinds of names that are relevant. I’ll do a bit of research, use name generators if it’s more complex; otherwise, I start pulling names out of thin air at random. It’s actually a part of writing I enjoy the most.