From top down: Droopy Drawers, Mozzarella, Muddy Waters
I wonder what percentage of parents wait to name a baby until after they first see him or her versus deciding on a baby name before going into labor). I've heard many parents say that once they saw their baby for the first time, they could tell "she was a Sophie" or "he was a Sammy." Names make a huge difference! Think of a name you find ridiculous-sounding; now image if that had been your name your whole life. Do you think you would have lived a different life?
Characters are no different. Your readers can make some assumptions about a character from his or her name alone. If you have a serious story, chances are, you don't want to name your main character something like, say Pickle Snodgrassen, unless you're trying to lighten the mood. I wrote a whole novel based on a name I saw on a gravestone from the late 1800s.
Naming pets in novels or anthropomorphized animals in picture books can be a blast! You can either do the alliteration thing (Gary the guinea pig) or come up with something silly (Droopy Drawers). I prefer the latter. The woman that owns the rescue I got both of my guinea pigs from comes up with great ones for all the guinea pigs that come to her. Sometimes she'll name them after celebrities (Angelina and Brad), others she'll name desserts (Brownie), cheeses, or sophosticated human names (Sven). She's even adopted out two guinea pigs by the names of Wrigley and Comiskey. Check out these adoptables for their names (or to adopt!):
Now it's time to exercise. Below are descriptions of characters. Next to them, I brainstormed possible names I came up with (some make no sense, but just worked for me). Try to come up with your own names.
A lazy black cat: Flipflop, Ted, Meow
A brown and white curious puppy: Chubs, Itchy, Noodles
A white rat: Mozzarella, Gladys, Vanilla Bean
A grumpy five year old boy: Fred Finklestein
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