› ›
Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime

Names for fictional characters

montholonmontholon
edited November 2006 in - Writing Tales

Comments

  • montholonmontholon
    If you're ever stuck for a name for one of your characters, look no further than your spam box.  Recent ones for me included Hasty Daley (a private eye?), Ivory Estrada (a Latin temptress?) and Moises Sizemore (a New York tailor?) 
  • Island GirlIsland Girl
    Thanks Montholon, good idea - you've hit the nail on the head with those name descriptions. Looking through a phone book for surnames and baby name books for first names is something I also try.

    I often take a look at name sites such as this one: http://web.ncf.ca/bj333/HomePage.boys.html for ideas.  And reading newspaper columns (even the births,deaths,marriages) will produce a few ideas.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    Has anyone else found that spam names are getting much more believable? They give themselves away, though, by repeating their first name in the subject box.
  • CarolCarol
    Usually it's the poor spelling and grammar, or the fact they string the words together that can be the giveaway on those we receive.
  • KatyKaty
    An amusing aside on the issue of spam: I work freelance, and one of my tasks is doing all of the admin etc for an international theatre research organisation. They have a website on which potential new members can leave their details and sign up...

    ...and spammers have cottoned onto this. In the last week, potential new members of this august academic federation included someone called "Spanking Stories" and "Lose fat and be the envy of your obese friends"... I think probably not!
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    I've just received an e-mail from a Mr Romeo Darling. If only ...
  • Island GirlIsland Girl
    ...ah yes, my darling friend, but that's an entirely different story.
  • Crazy HorseCrazy Horse
    In a popular radio show many years ago called round the Horne( starred Kenneth Horne) they often had mail from Hugh Jampton. Arthur C Clark once named the navy accountant in one of his science fiction stories Admiral Geldclutch.  In Pilgrims Progress every name is a story in it's own right
  • JennyJenny
    I've just received a spam email from Pythagoras Johanson. Not sure what sort of story he'd fit into though!!
  • moiramoira
    Some names are just wrong! Others fit really nicely
    with the people they belong to. I have never felt like a 'Moira' and occassionally have odd moments when I feel deep inside that it isn't my name at all... Strange.

    Anyway, back to the thread, one of my characters I really struggled with is now called Amy but it still isn't quite right.

    As for spam, you know the ones which are full of jokes? We kept getting one at work from some guy called Greg Elkin and after a quick read, I delete them. A few days ago he sends an email with 'cock and bull' in the heading. I assume it's another joke thread and being very busy at work I deleted it straight away. Later on that week, I go to empty the deleted folder and see it still unopened, so I opened it. It was actually details for a pub called 'Cock and Bull' for which my firm is contracted to do the electrical work. Phew,  glad I rescued it.
  • JennyJenny
    Whoops! Still, you would have had a good excuse for not opening the email - it did sound dodgy!

    Is there a name you would prefer to be called? We're very flexible on Talkback!
  • AnyankaAnyanka
    Moira, the whole point of the internet is that you can be whoever you want to be!  I don't particularly like my given name, but am now known to a whole raft of virtual friends and acquaintances as Anyanka, which makes me feel much more interesting (and yes, the name is inspired by the 2000 year old vengeance demon).

    Go create a new identity for yourself, Loretta!
  • moiramoira
    Anyanka, I agree, but I haven't ever found anything I would rather be. I toyed with the idea of Marianne Hart once but she sounds too glamorous to be me!
  • JennyJenny
    Moira - Give yourself an extra Christmas present and go for whatever you really fancy!
  • JennyJenny
    From the latest batch of junk emails: Ovidio Chute.
  • montholonmontholon
    How about Goldie Spangler for a bareback rider in a circus?
  • Island GirlIsland Girl
    Sounds more like an exotic pole dancer to me.
  • AnyankaAnyanka
    You people seem to be receiving quality spam! Ovidio Chute - I wish.
  • JennyJenny
    I've just deleted a spam email from ... fanfare of trumpets! ... Hiawatha Steigerwald!!
  • Crazy HorseCrazy Horse
    I have heard it said that at the nativity the stable door was very low and one of the wise men was very tall. When he struck his head on the lintel he shouted "Jesus Christ"      A voice from inside retorted "That's a good name, we were going to call hm Fred"
  • Island GirlIsland Girl
    Boom-boom!
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    Irving Sydney. I wonder if he's related to Irving Berlin?
  • Tessa TangentTessa Tangent
    So... Capering T. Steaming's (sounds like a galloping tea-urn!) pitched up on my email this morning.

    Somewhere called Premier Pharmacy: Men's Health, Pills for this and that etc.  I don't know how I get these things but they will keep trying..
  • Stan2Stan2
    Irving Sydney comes from Australia, of-course and Irving Berlin from guess where? A cousin to Hans Herman the German.
  • Tessa TangentTessa Tangent
    I've now got a Carefulness Faustus, I expect a.k.a. Cautious Faustus who didn't sell his soul to the devil.
Sign In or Register to comment.