What’s The Character’s Name

Garth Beyer

I wrote a 50,000 word novel for National Novel Writing Month. I didn’t think of a name for the main character when I was writing it. Oddly enough, I did name every other character in the book. Any time my main character’s name was supposed to come up while writing, I typed “[insert name here].”

I did it because I didn’t know what to name my character. Halfway through my novel, I laughed at the idea that the way I’ve been writing “[insert name here]” implies that the reader of the novel is the main character.

All said and 50,000 words done, I had to insert a name. I went with Alexander Preston. There’s no definitive reason behind it. Summed up, “Alexander Preston” is something common and something uncommon. Want to know how much time I spent picking out the name? 2 seconds.

I thought of one stupid name and then I thought of Alexander Preston. I can’t believe how many hours some writers spend thinking of a name. Better yet, I can’t believe how many days businesses spend thinking of one.

Here’s what most miss:

The name of the main character doesn’t make the book. The name of the business doesn’t make the business. Branding isn’t about throwing out A and then B, C and D happen.

It’s about making B, C and D happen in a way that people attribute it to A.

To all the writers and folks determined to create one startup after another that read my blog. Don’t waste time like others have. You can come up with a great name in an hour.

And if you don’t know how, I’ll be writing about it tomorrow (or tonight if I have time).

 

Stay Positive & [Seriously, Just Insert A Name Already]

Garth Beyer
Latest posts by Garth Beyer (see all)

Share A Response