The Name Game

"The name game/ Shirley!/ Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo Firley/ Fee fy mo Mirley, Shirley!" - "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis

After reading my Tuesday's Top Ten post about names a few days ago, Mary Ellen Quigley wrote a great post on her blog, Mary Ellen's Musings (see link on the right hand side of the page), about how she names the characters in her books. Her blog inspired me to share my thought process on naming my characters as well.

When I first got the idea for the "Willow Ryan Series", I instantly knew what her name was going to be. I knew that the series would take place in the 80s, with Willow having been born to hippie parents in 1968. The name needed to have a hippie-dippy flare, but still be "normal" enough where it wouldn't distract readers from the story. So Willow Brook Ryan was created, as was her sister, Summer Star Ryan. Nothing too out there, but the names fit the characters' personalities, their history, and their time of birth. Those are the three main things I think of when choosing names for my characters, which is one of my favorite parts of beginning a new book.

For my current work in progress, Who We Thought We Were, I picked names that were fairly common or typical for people of my generation since these characters are around my age. This novel is set in Virginia, so I stuck with fairly average sounding names, nothing too wild or inventive, which is not the norm in this part of the country, especially during the early 80s when these characters would have been born. The next factor was personality. Now I know this can be up for debate because everyone has their own opinions on what kind of person a name sounds like, but I paired up the following names with what I thought would be their character traits:

Shawna Sharp - The Poet - intelligent, quick-witted, sarcastic, and independent

Ryder Harrison - The Musician - a practical yet creative dreamer with a powerful presence

Christen Romano - The Girl Next Door - kind, outgoing, smart, and patient

Jared Jenkins - The All-American Boy - high school football player, devoted family man, popular, and easy going

Megan Delaney - The Cheerleader - bubbly, perfectionistic, always smiling - even if it's forced

Matt Harper - The Jock - high school baseball star turned major league pitcher, charismatic, cocky, loved by millions

Nicole (Nikki) Castille - The Rebel - unconventional, driven, always reinventing herself, not afraid to speak up about anything and everything

Evan Schultz - The Brain - average looking, extremely gifted, had a very magnetic personality in high school, over thinks everything

So that is how I begin a story. I use my three guidelines and come up with the characters, and somehow the rest just falls into place, like magic. And sometimes that's what writing is. Yes, it's hard work and can be quite challenging and exhausting at times, but the act of creating a story that (hopefully) a lot of people will read and enjoy, is a very magical thing. And it all begins with a name.

Tuesday's Top Ten - My Favorite Names

"Like the pine trees lining the winding road/ I've got a name/ I've got a name." - "I've Got a Name" by Jim Croce

I have mentioned a couple of times before that I have an obsession with names. It all started in sixth grade when my classmates and I had to raise egg babies for a week as part of our family life class. I was the lucky student that was awarded triplets - three soft-boiled eggs that I doted on enough to get an 'A' on the assignment. And the first part of the project was picking out names. That is what kickstarted an obsession that has been going on for well over a decade now. So here are my top ten names for boys and girls, with explanations as to why I love them.

Girls

1. Katelyn - It's just the most beautiful name on the planet.
2. Sheridan - Combines the names of my aunt and my uncle - Shary and Dan.
3. Shealyn - Irish for fairy palace - pure magic right there.
4. Bridgette - A pretty Irish name that means strong.
5. Teaghan - Welsh for beautiful. What a great name to go through life with.
6. Melissa - I have loved this name since 1984 when I bestowed it upon my first Cabbage Patch Kid.
7. Bethlehem - After Jesus' birthplace, and I love the nickname Beth.
8. Kelly - It was popular in the 70s/80s and sounds fresh 30 years later.
9. Jillianne - This name just sounds happy to me.
10. Mary - Classic, beautiful, and Biblical.

Boys

1. Brian - Irish for strong and noble. What could be better?
2. Dylan - After my favorite musician, Bob Dylan.
3. James - This name has been in my family for at least six generations.
4. Aiden - I like that it means fiery, and I loved it way before it became one of the most popular names in America.
5. Joseph - It's a strong, Biblical name, and I love the nicknames Joey and Joe.
6. Ryan - I think the meaning little king is very neat.
7. Jeremy - No reason for this one, I have just always liked it.
8. Nicholas - After St. Nicholas. I am so obsessed with Christmas!
9. Matthew - I used to babysit a little boy named Matthew and it has been one of my favorite names ever since.
10. Beck - A family name that has a nice ring to it.

Your Song

"And you can tell everybody this is your song/ It may be quite simple but now that it's done/ I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind/ That I put down in words/ How wonderful life is while you're in the world." -
"Your Song" by Elton John

In Secrets, I first mention that Willow Ryan has always wished that she had a song that described her in some way, that made her feel like it was written especially for her. Going off of that desire, she names her baby after a song so it can start it's life with something she never had.

I have lots of songs that fit me (check out the August 27, 2010 post), which is what made me think of incorporating the idea into my books. Do any of you out there have a song that you feel is "yours" in some way? I would love to hear your comments on this topic!

P.S.-Here are a few name songs that I think are especially great!

"Rhiannon" - Fleetwood Mac
"Sweet Baby James" - James Taylor
"Rockin' Robin" - Bobby Day
"Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry
"Quinn the Eskimo" - Bob Dylan
"Jennifer Juniper" - Donovan
"Jet" - Paul McCartney and Wings
"Annie's Song" - John Denver

The list could go on and on and on and on! Oh no, too many "on and ons". Now I'm going to have Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" stuck in my head all day! Sorry about that.