What is in a name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” ― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I do believe almost everyone has heard this quote by Shakespeare. I love how it portrays that the name of a person does not make the value of that person. What makes the person is how they are as a person, not by what they are named by. However, when writing, names tend to bring in a whole other meaning. Well for me it does. I like to fit the names I chose for my characters to match their personality. And this may sound weird to some, but for me, I feel that certain names just fit certain people better than other names. So with this in mind, the choice of my characters’ name tend to rely heavily on who they are and their past that I have created for them.

Let’s take my character of Samantha in foolish love. She portrays a woman doing something that is considered strictly male, a pirate. She loves what she does and is great at it, but because she needs more strength and a strong character, I chose a name that not only could represent someone strong in character, I wanted something that seemed dual personality. So Samantha could become Sam, which creates a whole lot of fun in my novel.

Anyone interested, you can buy my novel on amazon, Foolish love.

So for me the name I choose, whether it be for the hero or the side characters, even the villain, the names are chosen with each person’s personality in mind. I take my time in my choices and like the idea of choosing the right name for the right kind of character.

Let me know how you chose your names if you are a writer, or just leave me a comment on your thoughts.