Would you name a character Tundra?

How do you name your characters? Baby books? Online baby name sites? Do your character names have meaning? Do you fit a name to a character like a leather glove? Do you agonize forever over your character names or do they come easily?

Recently I named a character Tundra. Just as an experiment, to see what kind of character I would create based on such an….unusual name. It was very exciting! (not skydiving, but you know what I mean) I had this full blown image of this woman – her life, her posture, her way of speaking. All from a name.

How clearly can you see your characters?

Exercise

Here are five names. Based solely on the name, use the Character Profile Questions below to create a character. When you read the name, who comes to life for you? 

▪ Aristotle Lutsky
▪ Kennedy McIntosh (a girl)
▪ Hank Walker Jr.
▪ Wynter Lockwood-Sinclair
▪ Juan Diego “Gato” Velasquez

Character is King

Character, character, character. If you’re writing a play your characters must be king. They are the conduit between your work and the audience. How much do you know about your characters? Do you know their background? Their personal beliefs? How does their personality find it’s way into the dialogue? How does their personality affect the conflict? Answer the following questions about your character:

Character Questions

Name:

Gender:

Age:

Nationality:

Physical Attributes:

Best Personality Trait:

Worst Personality Trait:

Relationship Status:

Job:

Financial Status:

Level of Education:

Home Town:

Where They Live Now:

Living Environment: (how do they keep their home)

The People:

Family Origins: