I have to confess. I skip over names a
lot when I read. Well, maybe skip over isn't the right word. I need
to be able to pronounce the name in my head. If I can't then I
replace it with something that I can.
Maybe someone knows how to pronounce
Bakjdloeig instinctively, but it isn't me. That name will be forever
known as Bak when I see it. When a book only has a handful of names
like that, I gloss over them and enjoy the story. Once we get over a
half dozen, then it becomes a distraction. The complexity of the
names get in the way of enjoying the story.
At the same time a memorable name that
can be easily pronounced helps the story to flow along, and probably
more importantly increases the chance that I'll talk about the book
to my friend. For independent authors word of mouth accounts for a
good bit of the marketing.
As an avid gamer I encounter many folks
who like to use name generators. To my gaming friends, I can only
say one thing, "Please Stop!". Nothing is more distracting
than a name that every player pronounces differently every time they
use the name.
If you are a writer, don't even think
of using a random name generator. If you can't care enough about a
character to come up with a name, then what does that say about the
rest of the character's background?
There are a couple of rules that I use
when I create character names.
First, I make sure that I can always
pronounce it. If I can't pronounce it the same way every time I use
the name without having to stop and think, I don't use the name.
Second, unless it is a normal name
where the spelling is already commonly accepted, I try to spell the
name as phonetically as possible. If the name is pronounced the way
it is spelled, then it is easier to remember.
This doesn't guarantee that each person
who sees the name will pronounce it the way I would pronounce it, but
it does make it easier for each person to keep it consistent in their
own mind. The first step in having a memorable character is to have a
memorable name.
