Let’s make this one about CHARACTER NAMES. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames https://twitter.com/peacocksrus/status/1198993522231304193

1. Choosing names for your characters is not just a matter of picking a name you *like*; it has to match the character you’re writing, or it won’t feel believable. That means really thinking about your character’s background. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

2. Think of who chose the name, and why. Who were your character’s parents? What names were popular in their day? Did they choose the name to honour someone in their family? Was there another reason? #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

3. Think of your character’s background and class. Were their parents likely to name your character after someone in a book? A TV character? A rock star? A footballer? #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

4. Where in the country do your character’s parents originate from? Certain names are more likely to occur in various different regions. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

5. Is your character from another culture or country? If so, all these things apply too, and more. It’s all too easy to mess up by using an outdated, inappropriate or geographically or culturally unlikely name. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

6. How old is your character? Names come and go out of favour all the time. This doesn’t mean you can’t give an old-fashioned or unusual name to a young character, but you’ll have to give a reason for it (eg; she was named after her grandmother). #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

7. Remember that your character will be using their name throughout their life. Choosing a name that only sounds appropriate to a young person in a romance (even if that’s what you’re writing) is jarring when you imagine them older. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

8. It’s also important to distinguish between what happens in *life* and what readers of *fiction* will accept. “Tiffany” is a perfectly historically appropriate name for an 18th-century heroine, but most readers just won’t believe it. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

9. Just inventing names from scratch, even in a fantasy novel, isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. All names have a provenance, a social and racial significance. And “invented” names in fantasy can be hella problematic when you unpick them. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames

10. Never try to just invent a “foreign-sounding name.” At best it sounds lazy; at worst, it can be downright offensive. If you can’t be bothered to do a little basic research, then just don’t write a foreign character. #TenThingsAboutCharacterNames