Top ten unusual character names weve encountered in books. Unless back story and the book s plot are interwoven the reader does not want to know it. Dec 18, 2010 you can only use one character per book, so that you have to read 26 books for the challenge. Giving a fictional person a name bestows upon them a certain degree of importanceits what turns them from an unidentified human being into a character. Would you like tips for choosing character names for your story. Are you tired of hearing the same overused names over and over. While the names are mainly aimed at murderers, they could also be used for other types of criminals by using a different noun. Or if you love classic mystery, check out our best. Mysterythriller character generator random personality. How to select names for your mystery novel characters.
I loved the junie b books when i was younger, and when i babysit i see kids reading them too. The first time he did this i was totally confused, as he had never before mentioned the color of the characters hair. The answers to these questions can help you determine a character s development, but what are the techniques that help you show these answers to your reader. Before adding a name, please check all three tiers to make sure. Are you writing a book and need a name for your character. Check off personality traits you think you possess and well tell you what you shouldve been named. This list of general boys names is divided into three lots. I recall a book i read recently where there was a character who was routinely called by name, but every now and then like once a chapter the author would suddenly refer to him as the redhead. How to make a good last name for characters in a book wikihow.
It generates random names and also gives you the history of that name. Maybe youve checked in baby books or have flipped through the phonebook looking for the right combination of names, and still. Writing extra characters to your murder mystery game. It demands a keen sense for plot, characterization and creating suspense. In fact, some authors dont even consider choosing names. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. Writing adolescent fictioncharacter namesgirls wikibooks. I know theres pronunciation guide somewhere on the internet, but i still cant manage to wrap my head around it. One great benefit of writing your own murder mystery character is that you can tailor the character to your own group. And if you have too many of them, you run the risk of creating unnecessary distractions or making it difficult for readers to keep them straight. Previous parties have included kitty killer international spy, scarlett oh lala saloon girl, woody box undertaker. It does not have to be the main character but lets say in a 300 page book they should be mentioned a few times. So again, if you are naming a baby or a character for a book or movie and need help choosing a name may i suggest this book. In her spare time, she moderates aarlist, a busy list of romance readers sponsored by aar.
Choosing a character name for your novel is as pressurefilled as picking a. It has grown a lot since i first started the site janet evanovich is a favorite of many mystery readers. See more ideas about mystery, mystery books and books to read. Mystery book title generator the ultimate bank of 10,000 titles. In the second tier are other names you might run into more than once in your lifetime. The names of author harper lee and all her characters in to kill a mockingbird atticus, scout, even radley have been taken up by the babynaming public. The characters are a number of beauty pagent contestants, judges, host and parents of contestants. Mystery novels can be some of the most entertaining books, keeping pages turning long into the night. Use murder mystery characters and thousands of other assets to build an immersive game or experience. Help is at hand its the crime thriller book title generator. Murder mystery character names if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above.
Select from a wide range of models, decals, meshes, plugins, or audio that help bring your imagination into reality. If you name your character right, you will choose a name that is unique to your character and memorable to your story. These are just some unique names for your characters if maybe youre writing a dystopian novel like the hunger games or divergent, or maybe for a fantasy novel. Series characters who created which character crime, mystery and detective fiction books if you have ever wondered who created a particular character then this section may help we have stuck to mainstream characters and include both detectives and villains. How to make a good last name for characters in a book. This is a current up to date listing of all character series we currently have listed on the website. Have you struggled to imagine a suitable name for your story or novel character. After all my bellyaching about how little character names really matter in the grand scheme of things, here are some of my favorite online sources for character names has a list of american first names that includes names imported from many languages behind the name, the etymology and history of first names, has a database of english, ethnic, and mythological. From any murder, she wrote book, the main character is jessica fletcher. In the first tier are the top 200 names among boys of high school age in the past few decades. Some of the most successful, popular authors of the all time fall into this category including modern storytellers like james patterson and harlan coben as well as classic word sculptors like agatha christie and edgar allen poe. I am writing a murder mystery party and need some amusing names for the characters.
The bibliophile mystery series features a rare book expert. The 4 rules of picking character names get notified when unusual and unique character names is updated. For the truely obcessed, you could do character first names only, last names only, or do two lists. The character name generator not only comes up with a name, it also gives you that characters background. If shown, the year indicates when the book was first published.
For example, for x character you could use xenophilious lovegood from harry potter and the deathly hallows. From aidan to zoe november 9, 2009 linda rosenkrantz while browsing through a recent issue of the new yorker magazine, i came across an article about the current generation of picture books and their bratty protagonists. I feel like i keep going on about this, but that name is just odd, im fine with bella, belle, pretty much anything other than belly. Just about everything she writes includes a romance element, even if its a fantasy novel about a lord and a countertenor. These include novels, short stories, graphic novels and comic books. Marble has published articles in gothic journal and writers digest and is a columnist for the at the back fence column at all about romance aar.
The phone book will not only give you thousands of last names, but you can also read first names and get a feel for what names work well with each last name. From names and occupations to crimes and traits, our generator will give you all the basics needed to start your very own mystery novel. Kidsstrong charactermystery seriesmystery bookssearch and rescuelorie. Kvothe from the kingkiller chronicle by patrick rothfuss. The list of cozy mystery authors i have whose last names begin with e used to be rather short. Jul 05, 20 are you writing a book and need a name for your character. Head to a baby name website and search for names by gender, popularity, and alphabet. In the realm of commercial fiction, few genres surpass mystery in terms of sales. Oct 21, 2011 the names of author harper lee and all her characters in to kill a mockingbird atticus, scout, even radley have been taken up by the babynaming public. This is the characters listing on book series in order. I could not keep the characters straight while reading that book. Even though hammett was not the first to write a private eye novel, he was among the best and was emulated by chandler who appears on this list. Any likenesses to real persons or events are purely coincidental. The simple automated character name generator below will help in your search for interesting and unique character names, male or female.
Everyone has a different technique for naming character. Unusual and unique character names sabrina wattpad. Gemma collins reveals shes recorded a song with beyonces producer and omg. The first time he did this i was totally confused, as he had never before mentioned the color of the character s hair. Its also great to use if your stuck and looking for some sort of prompt. The book was originally serialized in the black mask, a pulp magazine that bred some of the best mystery writers in the hardboiled genre. For truly random last names, pick up a phone book or book of baby names.
A list of lists of characters in fictional works, broken down by medium and sorted alphabetically by the name of the fictional work. How to select names for your mystery novel characters global. Robert wilson is the author of eight novels, including the hidden assassins published by harcourt as well as a small death in lisbon, which won the gold dagger award as best crime novel of the year from britains crime writers association. Now that ive gotten that out of my system something useful. Nov 29, 2011 how to select names for your mystery novel characters a good deal of thought should go into selecting names for mystery novel characters. Weve got various scenarios in mind, but its the character names that i like. The ultimate guide to choosing character names the writers digest character naming sourcebook is a oneofakind resource specifically designed with the writer in mind. Whats a good name for a main character in a mystery novel. It doesnt hurt that atticus its an ancient roman name meaning from athens finch was judged the number 1 movie hero of all time by the american film institute.
Write an extra character for freeform games and get a free murder mystery game. The names and actions carried out by the characters are not intended to represent or imply the behavior of any person, living or dead. Although it would be interesting for a female to receive a usually male name and viceversa. The sleuth jill gardner owns the coffee, books, and more store in the tourist trap mystery series. In fact, some authors dont even consider choosing names until theyve completed one or more chapters. Writing adolescent fictioncharacter namesboys wikibooks. This name generator will give you 10 random names for murderers and serial killers. I love the names from greek mythology and from the arthurian legend, lancelot for example i even like the name of his sword excalibur. Sep 25, 2017 what should i name the characters in my book. Recently we had great fun when we ran tara sparling s chick lit title generator, now its time for crime all you need is a name, and a hypothetical desire to invent interesting characters and then kill at least a few of them. They believe they become better acquainted with their story people as they write about them. Unless you have a pretty good and intentional reason for using these names, dont do it.
A perfectly good name on paper, such as adam messina, may sound. Feb 06, 2020 for truly random last names, pick up a phone book or book of baby names. Choose a category baby names top 100 names for boys top 100 names for girls search for names by trait browse first names by origin browse all names last names browse last names by origin browse all last names baby name inspiration baby name. Coming up with a good book title or book title ideas can be maddening. You may prefer to use the search engine as its a lot easier due to the amount of series we have on here. So, you can introduce characters from television and cinema that intellectual property laws prevent the murder mystery companies from including. Mystery fiction is a genre of fiction usually involving a mysterious death or a crime to be solved. Who created which character crime, mystery and detective fiction books if you have ever wondered who created a particular character then this section may help we have stuck to mainstream characters and include both detectives and villains hyperlinked authors go to their bibliography. Or if you are only in the mood for modern mysteries with no taste for any of the classics, look at our best modern mystery books. Remember, dont choose names that start with the same letter. Its up to you if you want to use only mysteries or mix it up. I am writing a story about a group of people invited to a mansion where a serial killer kills them off one by one, and they are trapped there. Before adding a name, please check all three tiers to. Not terrible because theyre just bad names, but terrible because, i swear, every character seemed to have almost the exact same names.
The characters each have a personality, so i need a name for a few. In the first tier are roughly the top 400 names among girls of high school age in the past few decades. If youre only looking for character names, behind the name covers that. A story that actively engages readers in solving the mystery or in trying to piece together the narrative threads needs at least 7 elements.
Heres a list of over unique character names in alphabetic order thatll help you. Often with a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. For avid readers, finding a series you love is especially nice, providing easy entertainment without the risk that the book will be a dud. A good deal of thought should go into selecting names for mystery novel characters. Cress by marissa meyer, winter by marissa meyer, harry potter and the goblet of fire by j. The good news is that the book lives up to the title. This article includes a character related list of lists. Apr 08, 2020 this list of general girls names is divided into three tiers. Were currently planning swmbos 50th birthday party, which weve decided to do as a murder mystery. In well worn deer stalker hat and scruffy tweed jacket, blast mcgrouse is lucky never to have been shot himself, he blends so well into the heather. While a baby book wont have last names, some first names could be used as last names. The reader is only interested in whats happening now and what is going to happen. Sherlock and miss marple have nothing on us, or so we tell ourselves as we race through.
Bury her deep by catriona mcpherson having no friends, great friends, good books. Samantha washington bookshop mystery series samantha is an aspiring cozy mystery author who owns a book store on the shores of lake michigan. She is one of those authors whose books can readily be found at the grocery store checkout, along with jeffery deaver, john grisham, and other authors who have been lucky enough to become. This list is comprised of some of the most recognizable names from fictional books.
A boy dose not despise real forest because he has read about enchanted ones, the reading makes all real forest a little enchanted. Christmas gifts for the special dog or cat in your life. There are many literary and movie characters that become everlasting brands in our cultureatticus finch, ratso rizzo, holden caulfield and scarlett ohara, for example. A darkadapted eye by ruth rendell i confess that this is one of the most beautiful titles in mystery fiction.