Monday, March 28, 2011

What'd You Say Your Name Was?

My current WIP contains a character named Michael Dogan. On a whim, I typed that name into a Google search engine and found seven pages of results to wade through. Then I plugged my character into Facebook and found over 20 people with the same name.

With the population of the world as it now stands, it seems impossible for authors to create a truly unique name for a character. Throckmorton Cumberbun isn't currently in use by another human on the face of the planet. Neither is Fontleroy Woodenbottom. Or Hortence Pickle. But those are terrible names for any character, let alone a protagonist. (Unless the conflict in their life centers completely around their horrific name.)

Challenge: Can you come up with a wholly unique character name that won't result in regular beatings on the school playground for said character? Post your name offerings in the comments section, please! I'd love to see what you come up with.

-Sonja

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