Names for Characters

Have you thought about how important it is to get the characters' names to fit with their age? For instance how many Marys do you know who are under 30? For an elderly female character in I'd pick a name like Ethel or Mavis, for an elderly male, Douglas or Arthur. There are plenty of excellent books on names and you can find out which names were popular in the 50' s of 60's, as well as which names are popular in which parts of the world.

I just recently completed a short story about the extraordinary final day of an elderly man.

I had the tale worked out in my head before setting it down, but for quite some time could not find an appropriate name for the character. Not knowing his name prevented me from getting started. I wanted a name that went well with the slightly fantastical aspect of the story.

Then I got it. A fantastical name would be wrong. I needed an ordinary name for this man, something that I could offset against this fantasy.

So I called him John :)

I seem to recall Morrissey (from The Smiths) saying something about this years ago when asked why he had named the band The Smiths.

He said he liked the idea of people being surprised that such extraordinary music could be made by musicians going under such an ordinary name. Inspired thinking really.

In the village I come from there is a tiny little green called Elephant Green. When I was a child we were all told that a travelling circus passed through and when their elephant suddenly died, they buried it in the green. It's widely known to be a myth, but it's one that is constantly perpetuated. People like the stories that go with names, even when they are obvious fiction.