What's in a name?

One of the most challenging things I find is choosing names for my characters. It is not something that can be forced and often I wait for them to tell me. Yes, I know I sound crazy but they honestly do tell you their names! I absolutly love naming things, I do it all the time, inanimate objects included. I'm never short of ideas for names but I am soooo picky about which name I eventually settle on.

When naming a protagonist I try to imagine other characters using their name and what it might be shortened or lengthened too. In some cultures and magical pathways knowing someone's name gives people power over them so depending on your story you may need them to have a name that cannot be guessed easily.

Be aware of how the name fits in overall in the story, you can't call a character 'Chardonay' if they were a 15th century poet! The name should be memorable and you should always look up the meaning, it can give your character more depth. Apart from if you made the name up of course, then it can mean anything you want!

Surnames are just as important, they can often give more depth to the story and link characters together that you may not have otherwise been able to link. If you are setting your story in a real place it is always worth checking to see popular surnames in the area.

So how do you choose your names? Do you use a generic name generator? Or do you research and wait to be told, like me?