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How to Name a Character in Fiction

July 31, 2023

characters, creativity, fiction, literature, writing

What’s in a name, huh? Choosing how to name a character shouldn’t be too big a problem, right?

Well, not so fast.

Just as coming up with the perfect title for your novel is harder work than might initially appear, choosing a name for a character in fiction or even a video game contains significant complexity. The reason?

Names are symbolically powerful. Moreover, because – for better or worse – names form an integral part of our identity, naming a character assigns a huge weight on their shoulders. Allow me to use a short excerpt from Illiterary Fiction to make the point:

With a sigh, [Paul] turns around and begins to walk in the direction of the bar – amused by the fact that he still doesn’t know the bartender’s name, and probably never will. Names can be misleading, he thinks, because each name carries with it an entire ideology. What if the man’s name were Giuseppe or, heck, Hassan? What if it were Sabrina, what would then Paul think?

And so, in this post, I’ll offer you a few tips on how to name a character in your work. The right name can work wonders in terms of conceptual integrity, as well as relatability. Overall, naming your characters is a crucial part of the overall affective impact of your narrative and, as such, an author shouldn’t ignore the potential.

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How to Introduce Characters: Examples, Problems, and Genre

March 20, 2023

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

characters, creativity, fiction, literature, narrative, writing

Whether you write short stories or novels, fantasy fiction or literary fiction, you have to deal with characters. Even experimental fiction needs some sort of characters. Is there an optimal way of introducing your characters to your audience?

This might feel like a deceptively simple thing. Surely, one might think, introducing characters can’t be that hard? Well, writing is as hard as you make it, in a way, but that’s beyond the point. Rather, our point in this post is to discover whether there is an optimal way of presenting your characters to your readers.

Obviously, the statement is rhetorical.

Of course there are more than one ways of introducing your characters to your audience, which automatically makes some of those ways “better” – and we’ll soon have to define that – and some “not so great”. Which means, as a writer you have a strong incentive to reflect on how you introduce your characters in your fiction.

That’s what I’m here for!

In this post I’ll show you – with examples – the different ways we can use to introduce the characters of our story. I’ll explain why some ways are “better” than others (and what that really means), though we’ll also take a look at some problem points; gray areas, if you like. Sneak preview: These have to do with the ever-lasting struggle to balance between genre and literary expression, between marketing and art.

how to introduce characters — The “right” way to introduce the characters of your story depends on artistic priorities, narrative balance, and affective intent. In plain terms, it depends on **you**, the author

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Character Concept Picker – Creating Literary and Video-Game Characters

April 25, 2022

Programming

characters, fiction, javascript, narrative, programming, video games, writing

From Narrative Nods to Word Journey, I’ve made a lot of programs that one way or another revolve around words, writing, and fictional worlds. Character Concept Picker is such an app. It’s open-source, free for all, and it can help you come up with ideas for building characters for your next novel or video game.

It all started when, browsing LinkedIn, I discovered an Excel table with some character traits and other characteristics, meant as a guide for creating characters. It was the work of Jacob Conner Harris, a narrative designer.

I messaged him and asked whether he’d be interested in teaming up and creating a little app using the data he’d come up with. He said yes, and Character Concept Picker is the result.

character concept picker — The results generated by Character Concept Picker

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