I finally stopped using the same five character names after a beta reader said they all sounded like 'generic fantasy RPG shopkeepers'

Now I pull random names from a local phone book I found at a thrift store, and it adds a weirdly real texture. Anyone else have a weird trick for naming characters that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

veramiller3d ago

You know, I actually think "Biff and Muffy" names can work if you lean into them hard enough. Like, a fantasy world full of Skips and Chips sounds kind of charming, honestly. Maybe those names have more personality than something too "real world" that just ends up feeling flat.

joseph_roberts1mo ago

Phone book method is genius, honestly. My old trick was using the credits from 80s movies, but that just got me a lot of guys named Skip and Chip.

veramiller1mo ago

Yeah @joseph_roberts, the phone book thing is solid. I used to pull names from old yearbooks, but then I'd end up with a bunch of characters named like, Biff or Muffy. Not exactly subtle.