Character names.

[trahodd]

How do you all name your characters? Are they totally made up? Do you use a name book? Do you use family and friend's names?

[Hessian]

If I'm stuck for a name I generally turn to the phone directory.
I just flick through and stop at random, close my eyes and point at the page.

[GBarlow]

there's a thread in the "Screenwriting III" forum you should read called "Names".

GB

[hscope]

I mainly use little known soccer players and random names I see on the internet. The hero of my latest script is called Gotham Le Kilt.

[mcbbcm]

I obsess over names. I'm literally unable to write unless I'm completely satisfied with my choices, which can take some time. Sometimes I'll start with what sounds like a good name and then create a character for it. Other times I'll have a character and then go through a half dozen names before finding the right one. There's no real method to this madness, I'm afraid. It's an insanely painstaking operation for me.

The incomparable Dickens used to search endlessly for the appropriate names. He didn't get "Martin Chuzzlewit," for instance, until he'd already tossed out "Chubblewig," "Chuzzlewig," and "Chuttlewig." Dickens is so good that it's impossible not to get an idea of the character by their name alone. You hear of a guy called "Wackford Squeers," and you can bet he's no insurance salesman.

In short, sometimes names are easy, sometimes they're hard, and sometimes you just steal from Dickens.

[Speezer]

Here's an excellent article written by Terry Rossio on the importance of naming characters:

www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp09.Name-dropping.html (http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp09.Name-dropping.html)