Character Names

OT, but I'd recommend a reading of the novel Gorky Park. It has a much grimmer, more Russian ending than the Hollywoodized version. Other than that, the movie was surprisingly close to the book (except that William Hurt doesn't look anything like Arkady).

There are now four sequels: Polar Star (which takes place on a fishing trawler), Red Square (similar premise to Gorky Park, so that the three books form a triptych - and the third one's set as the Soviet Union is coming unraveled), Havana Bay, set not surprisingly in Cuba, and Wolves Eat Dogs, set in Chernobyl.

Then there are the non-Renko novels - Stallion Gate, which is about Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, December 6, set in Tokyo on the Day Before and, for a complete departure, Rose, set in a Victorian-era English mining town.

As you might guess, Martin Cruz Smith is my favorite American novelist.

I agree.

My three guidelines are this

1. Can I say something about the character by way of his name? For instance, a man wrestling with his faith might be named "Thomas" or a a man with something hidden in his life might be named "Veil"

2. Have I patterened the character after some one or more persons I know (or characters/actors I've seen elsewhere)? if so I might alude to that person with the name of the character to maintain that image in my mind. I used a character in one story concept who reminded me of one of my professors - a man named Bain...and in the story his name was Raines.

3. I try to avoide clumsey names, such as names where the first and last names start with the same letter...or they rhyme... or the make some unfortunate combination ("Richard Head" for instance) or are in direct contridiction to the character ( a nerd named "Chip Cannon" for instance)

^^^
Believe it or not I did not read garemet's response before I wrote that...sorta makes me feel good about it to see some of the same thoughts.

Anyway, just want to add that publicly know "celebrities" are great sources too....athletes for instance.

Take Brett Farve and Larry Walker and you got Brett Walker.

Take Roberto Alomar and Felipe Lopez and reverse the first names and you have two perfecly generic latino names.

Just be careful with unusual names (like Farve) because it becomes too obvious who you are alluding to.

Dick McLongdong would be a great name.

Short Teaser from my story.

​

I shall name a character....

Hugh G. Rection

hey big cousin, here is my "Hillbilly Rapper" generated name...
Dirttoter Busta Killa Tel

<3 Tel