OMG… you book is about to be published (traditional, self-pub, indie, etc) … which means you are about to give birth to dozens of characters… which is why this writing Prompt is so important… Naming… how do you decide on the perfect names…

unlike other parents, you already know a little about you babies… will they change over time?? sure… but to start with, you know what they look like, what state/country they were born in, how their basic personality affects their actions/thoughts/speech … you know their genetic background… like if their mother was from Russia???

or maybe your character was born in Ireland… would they have one of the names that just scream ‘hello, I’m Irish’, or would it be a more universal name…

how would you visualize your character as a child, when physical characters are more set… before things like hair dye and makeup come into play… I think that seeing your character as a child can help to describe those features… once you have a basis, you can age them, give them individuality, add in the features that mark adulthood in most people

when you know more about your character’s heritage, you can envision their habits… a Russian would always know the best borscht vodka and what the heck was in borscht, an Irishman might have a hot temper and a fast right hook, your Frenchman would definitely be found in the most sexually compromising positions… and your Germans??? they will always have a bottle of Schnaps handy, they will enjoy building/fixing things (maybe make them good at woodworking, and lets not forget Octoberfest (cheers)… and one more German trait that I found extremely odd as a gal from the US, esp one from Ky??? the men sit while peeing…

(lol… just had to add the german shepard… I found more of them than names/babies on pinterest for germans)

but back to the peeing issue…dude… half the men I know not only stand up, they will walk outside and just let the urine flow… okay, that definitely a hayseed way of life…

which reminds me… finding the right name can come from anywhere… religion, dead languages like Latin, or a generalized way of like… in the country you would expect Samantha (Sam), Andrew (Andy), or Katie… pick a name that speaks to you… but avoid going to grand (though some names are just fun.. I have a Sabastian, Joffrey, and a called Hawk… I may have gone too grand, but it didn’t feel that way… I just loved the names) … and definitely avoid the boring… boring means it didn’t speak to you and your reader will easily forget it…

okay… one more and then i’ll quit, but by no means to the possibilities end here… don’t be afraid to stereotype your characters… you want the reader to visualize them… get a feel for the world they are reading about.. I mentioned the French (they love love), but they are also rude… sorry dear Frenchmen, but when I was in France I realized that quickly… the Germans and the people of Switzerland were laid back and kind… heck a little old lady (not speaking any English) in Switzerland gave me some of the fresh blueberries she carried, a big smile on her face… The French love beauty and fine cuisine, but can be a bit snotty…

alrighty… I focused on names by country, because that is one of the easiest… but find your own way… a way that speaks to you… and have fun… these are your babies… now here is your pinterest writing prompt… happy wordage, tracey